England beat Italy – with goals from a former coal miner
Wolves and Albion players were in the sixties England side that beat Italy in Rome ... plus one other local lad with a most unusual career path
ENGLAND’S recent victory over Italy in the European Championship qualifying match (March 23) had echoes an earlier match between the two nations which resulted in victory for England on Italian soil.
More than six decades ago, on May 24, 1961, England travelled to the Olympic Stadium in Rome for a friendly, with a team featuring Wolves’
Ron Flowers, West Brom’s Bobby Robson, and Aston Villa’s Gerry Hitchens; the Cannock-born centre forward whose working life began as a coalminer at Highley in the Severn Valley, but who later spent seven years playing in Italy, including a spell where he became top scorer for Inter Milan. In fact, Hitchens was snapped up by the Italian giants when they saw what he could do against their national team. He became the first England international to be called up while playing for a foreign club, and the second Englishman, after Jimmy Greaves, to win the Italian league title. In fact he and Greaves formed a key partnership in the friendly game in Rome.
Earlier in the year Hitchens had scored after 90 seconds in an 8-0 humiliation of Mexico, but had been left out of the team for a while prior to the game in Rome. He made sure he wouldn’t be forgotten quickly when his next chance appeared.
Bob Bannister’s recent book ‘Wolves’ England Internationals’ detailed the game ...
Team: Springett (Sheffield Wednesday), Armfield (Blackpool), Mcneil (Middlesbrough), Robson (West Bromwich Albion), Swan (Sheffield Wednesday), Flowers (Wolves), Douglas (Blackburn), Greaves (Chelsea), Hitchens (Aston Villa), Haynes (Fulham), Charlton (Manchester United).
“Just 72 hours after their draw in Portugal, England arrived at the Olympic Stadium in Rome for a prestige friendly and made only one change. Gerry Hitchens came in at centre-forward for Bobby Smith who had not been at his best against Portugal.
“Unbeaten in seven games, England had Johnny Haynes as their playmaker while pulling the strings for Italy was Omar Sivori of Juventus, so chances were created for both sides.
“England went in front in the 39th minute when a centre from Jimmy Armfield was headed in by Hitchens. Italy equalised within four minutes when Sivori acted as playmaker and striker, ending some exquisite trickery by scoring with a left-foot shot with Ron Springett well beaten.
“Italy were on top as the second half progressed and Sivori gave Sergio Brighenti the chance to put them ahead on 74 minutes. That was the cue for Sivori to do some crowd-pleasing show-boating but the roars were quickly silenced, England equalising within four minutes. Jimmy Greaves broke through and gave Hitchens the chance to shoot, the ball going through the legs of substitute goalkeeper Giuseppe Vavassori.
“Lorenzo Buffon had been injured ten minutes after half-time diving at the feet of Johnny Haynes. In the 85th minute England scored the winner in a memorable match when Haynes intercepted a pass from Giovanni Trapattoni, and put Greaves clear to finish with a left foot shot inside the post.
“It was little wonder that the Italian fans were eagerly looking forward to having the talents of Hitchens and Greaves gracing the Italian League.”