FOOTBALLING FIFTIES, THE GREAT POLL: WING-HALVES

Select two wing-halves (one attacking, one defensive) for your Dream Team from the choice of ten below. They are presented in alphabetical order. E-mail your dream team selection in 2-3-5 formation to the author normangiller@footballingfifties.co.uk He will do his best to reply.

JIMMY ADAMSON Burnley. He had a strong tackle, and always used the ball with care. He left the pretty football to his midfield partner Jimmy McIlroy, and concentrated on giving solid support to the forwards and was quick to switch to defence when necessary. Amazingly, never capped.

DANNY BLANCHFLOWER Tottenham. Established himself as a creative right-half with Barnsley and Villa before his golden years with Spurs, leading them to the League and FA Cup double in 1960-61. Had impressive partnerships with Dave Mackay for Spurs and Jimmy McIlroy for Northern Ireland.

RON BURGESS Tottenham Hotspur. Skipper and powerhouse left-half in the push-and-run Spurs. He won 32 Welsh caps despite losing much of his career to the Second World War and finished his playing days in his home country with Swansea.

RONNIE CLAYTON Blackburn Rovers. Driving right-half who made his debut for Rovers at sixteen on his way to becoming captain of his club and country. He was capped 32 times and played more than 600 League and Cup matches for Rovers.

EDDIE COLMAN Manchester United. A victim of the Munich air disaster, he was a beautifully skilled right half whose positional play and imaginative passes made him stand out with the Busby Babes. Nicknamed 'snake hips', he had excellent ball control and could tackle tigerishly when necessary.

JIMMY DICKINSON Portsmouth. Helped Portsmouth win back to back League championships and won 48 England caps as a totally dependable left-half. His 764 appearances for Pompey was a League record for many years.

TOMMY DOCHERTY Preston. The Doc was an energetic, tough tackling right-half who inherited Bill Shankly's shirt at Preston and with the Scottish international team. Capped 25 times, he finished the 'fifties as a midfield dynamo in the Arsenal team.

DUNCAN EDWARDS Manchester United. The colossus of Old Trafford who had not reached his peak when cruelly cut down by the Munich air disaster. He was the oustanding player for the Busby Babes, and an all-rounder who could play in any position. For this Poll, we put shortlist him as a left-half.

DAVE MACKAY Tottenham. Made his name at Hearts before joining Tottenham and later Derby County. He had a shuddering tackle, could distribute the ball with precision and motivated the players around him with his all-action attitude. Capped 22 times by Scotland.

JIMMY SCOULAR Portsmouth and Newcastle. He was an aggressive right-half who inspired his team-mates with his hard-tackling style. Capped only nine times by Scotland, he helped Pompey to the League title double before skippering the 1955 FA Cup winning Newcastle team.

CHOOSE BALANCED WING-HALVES FOR YOUR DREAM TEAM AND SEND IT IN 2-3-5 FORMATION TO normangiller@footballingfifties.co.uk THANK YOU.

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