How many goals in total did Lofthouse score in the 33 matches he played for England? [10] He married Alma Foster in 1947 and they remained married until her death in 1985. After that, Musil crashed into me, and we both fell to the ground. Alchetron NAT THE LION | Read The League 1968 rolled around and Nat Lofthouse was appointed caretaker manager of the club. An England international, Nat Lofthouse played his entire club career for his hometown club, Bolton Wanderers, scoring 255 goals in 452 league appearances. 6) Centre forward Nat Lofthouse earned the title Lion of Vienna when he scored his second goal in England's 3-2 victory over Austria in 1952. He featured in the 1954 World Cup side. he said to me always try to bang in one or two and remember, its goals that count. Yet, Lofthouse loved being on the field and was going to take every opportunity he had. Tensions between the two countries were still high politically, and this showed in the stands and on the pitch. As it turned out, the England team ended up on the receiving end of a brutal match. Writing in his 1954 autobiography Goals Galore, Lofthouse discussed his time in the mines: "The job proved to be the best I could possibly have had. Nat Lofthouse scored his last goal for the Three Lions on Oct. 22, 1958 in a 5-1 win over the USSR. Before becoming Bolton's chief scout, he became an administrative manager at Burnden. This time he only managed to score a brace, the fourth and fifth goals in a 5-1 victory at Burnden Park. We will normally only contact you via e-newsletter. Cousin mourns UK football's 'Lion of Vienna' - NZ Herald Musil had to commit fully before I struck the ball. Doug Holden, another star of the legendary 1950s edition of Bolton, provided a succinct summation of Lofthouses influence on the team. In early 1947 he asked for a transfer with Tottenham Hotspur said to be seriously interested in his services but the Bolton board turned the request down and he quickly got back to business finishing the season as the clubs top scorer with 18 goals, a feat he repeated in the following campaign. Nat Lofthouse: Farewell to the Lion of Vienna | The Bolton News It was a typical Bolton team, and they won in a typical Bolton fashion: the measured combination of a bit of skill with a healthy helping of muscle. An estimated crowd of 85,000 turned up at Burnden Park with fans climbing in after the gates had been shut. Even his nickname, the Lion of Vienna, is something you wouldn't dream of bestowing upon the modern player. He was probably the last of the old fashioned centre forwards, leading the line with toughness, taking plenty of knocks and giving them out too. In response to penalty appeals, the referee awarded a corner. But he continued banging in goals with either foot or his head for his club and the selectors eventually decided they couldnt ignore him. A forward for Bolton Wanderers for the entirety of his career, Nat Lofthouse was an English professional footballer. Nat joined Burnden Parks backroom staff several years ago, eventually becoming the clubs manager in August 1968. Lofthouse had made his Wanderers debut back in 1941 aged 15, scoring. They did not have a particularly tough path to Wembley facing mostly Division 2 and 3 sides, although they did knockout Division 1 champions of that season Wolverhampton in the quarter finals. He also topped the list of Division 1 scorers with an impressive tally of 30 goals. Once Lofthouse arrived Hunt moved to right-half and was later transferred to Sheffield Wednesday. The crowd in the stands cheered Lofthouse on.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofsoccer_info-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_14',187,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); As Lofthouse recalls, I heard the hounds running after me. Musil began running but stopped before he reached me. This was touched on to Lofthouse on the halfway line by Finney. NAT Lofthouse, one of the most famous of all Boltonians and the town's best-loved sporting son, has died at the age of 85. But work down the mine toughened him physically and the caustic humour of his fellow miners made sure he never became arrogant about his success on the field.". Harry says to Nat: "that's very nice of you." I hit it when he was right on top of me. With him passed away a piece of Bolton Wanderers Football Club that will never return. Somehow, he managed to get the shot off before colliding with the Austrian keeper. After failing to score in the win over Scotland at Hampden the centre forward went on Englands 1952 summer tour. Any hopes of the Three Lions traditional end-of-season tour being a relatively sedate one had been dashed in their opening game, a frustrating 1-1 draw in Florence in which Englands Italian opponents had resorted to the, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Nat Lofthouse: the Lion of Vienna and the gent of Bolton, Remembering the disaster of 1991/92, Bayern Munichs worst season in modern history, Rio, 1989: Chilean skullduggery, hidden razor blades and Brazilian flares, Brighton and Crystal Palace: the rise of a rivalry separated by 39 miles, The madness of Liverpools first foray into European competition, The tale of Queens Park: the early innovators who became last of the amateurs, Bobby Robson, Ipswich Town and a brutal quest for the 1981 treble. Who Was Known as the "Lion of Vienna"? - Sportsmanist The total number of free kicks might seem insignificant today, but for soccer in the 1950s was significant. Lofthouse, battered and semi-conscious, was taken from the field but returned as a passenger minutes later, still proving fit enough to shoot an effort 30 yards into the goal. He was elbowed in the face, tackled from behind and brought down by the goalkeeper. He hit the ground before the ball went over the line, knocked out cold for one of the most famous goals of his career. The Lion of Vienna sleeps. On top of running the Castle Pub after his retirement, Lofthouse maintained a number of different positions with Bolton Wanderers. The OBE was awarded to him in 1994. Lofthouse was consistently self-deprecating about his abilities his favourite maxim, borrowed from one of his coaches at Bolton, was that all he could do was run, shoot, and head but it slowly became apparent that by doing all three with a sort of relentless, irresistible energy, he needed little else. For as much as Bolton Wanderers shaped him, his career and his life, he too left an indelible mark on the club, defining the teams most iconic era and playing a pivotal role in saving the club during its most ignominious age. NAT LOFTHOUSE is a name that rings through the annals of English football history like few others. He later served as chief scout, caretaker manager, executive manager and as the clubs president from 1986. Lofthouse was chosen to represent Bolton schools against Bury. Lofthouse had thunderous, crashing shots, coupled with a burning desire to get in the right place to unleash them. 32 goals in 36 games for his club and four in five international matches seemed to cement his place as the countrys leading marksman. This match determined which of the two nations would call themselves Champions of Europe in many parts of Europe. [3] There was a national wave of sympathy for United, who three months earlier had suffered grievously in the Munich air disaster. Sign up to our fortnightly newsletter below. My body became firmer and harder. The Lion of Vienna - Lion Of Vienna Suite I learnt to take hard knocks without feeling them. Nat's time in that role also didn't go to plan and the legend was relieved of his duties in 1972. Nat Lefthouse Biography, Career Info, Records & Achievements - Sportskeeda Despite this, England won the game in a hostile country despite suffering physical battering. It was taken from 40 yards and swerved like a mad thing past the astonished Robertson in the Chelsea goal.. Nat Lofthouse. Despite the tense situation in Austria and Germany, British troops crossed into the Soviet sector for the match in May 1952, which took place in the Soviet sector of Vienna.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-3','ezslot_6',181,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-3','ezslot_7',181,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-medrectangle-3-0_1');.medrectangle-3-multi-181{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:15px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:15px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;min-width:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}, The historian Percy Young briefly described the situation regarding the two matches. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofsoccer_info-leader-1','ezslot_12',186,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-leader-1-0');White shirts were worn by Austria and red by England. A few years later, on Sept. 4, 1939, the day after World War II broke out in Europe, as nearly all of the Bolton first team went off to war, Lofthouse went to Burnden Park, put pen to paper and signed for Bolton Wanderers as a youth player. Needless to say, the whole country and a good portion of the 100,000 fans packed into Wembley that day were behind the battered and bruised Manchester side. For a time it appeared that he might not re-sign with the club for the 1957-58 season but he eventually relented and stayed at Burnden Park. That's the thing more than anything else. In doing so he was elbowed in the face, tackled from behind, and finally brought down by the goalkeeper. Bill Ridding, the man that had managed Wanderers for 18 seasons, had left the club just before the start of the 1968-1969 season. Having seen off Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool and Middlesbrough, Bolton were drawn to play Stoke City Stanley Matthews and all in the two-legged quarter final. ALTHOUGH he earned a great deal of his reputation, and indeed his nickname, for one performance, Nat Lofthouse, The Lion of Vienna was a tremendous servant for his country for eight years, bagging 30 goals in just 33 games, and for his club for over 30 years. His funeral service was attended by more than 500 invited guests and members of the public. Bolton born and bred, Lofthouse was signed by Bolton Wanderers as a 14 year old apprentice in 1939. Merrick plucked a corner cross from the air, who threw a long, swerving ball down the middle of the field. The third? Urbis Building He continued playing for Bolton throughout the war and on Saturdays would wake at 3:30 a.m. go to his mining job at 4:30 a.m and work for eight hours before going on to play for his club. They could not receive service medals and were not guaranteed a return to their old jobs, unlike those serving in the armed forces. The FA XI were unbeaten in their 11 matches but Lofthouse still managed to finish on a losing side. In the 11th minute, Melchior hit Eckersley with a shot that struck his arm. Posts 7,107 Likes 2 Location swindon wilts. On 24 January 2011 in Bolton Wanderers first home game since his death against Chelsea, a pre-match period of a minute's silence, thunderous applause, black-and-white footage of Lofthouse in action and the laying of floral tributes by Kevin Davies and John Terry took place before the start of the match. That was the last moment of real glory for Lofthouse's playing career, and for Bolton as well. He was forced to retire at the age of 35 because of his persistent injuries. This came at the end of another fine season for Wanderers in which he scored 17 goals in 31 league matches and finally won a major domestic honour, bagging the two goals that saw Wanderers capture the FA Cup, seeing off a Manchester United team decimated by Munich 2-0 to give Lofthouse his winners medal having scored in every round of the competition. The 1958-59 campaign provided a final high point in Lofthouses international career. Lofthouse was at his imperious best, plundering goals at a rate that even the sportswriters who had grown up watching the likes of Dixie Dean and others agreed was exceptional. In addition to their colorful rosettes, red, white, and blue rattles, and chants of England, they instilled a carnival atmosphere around the stadium, evoking the atmosphere associated with an FA Cup match. His most memorable performance,. When he wasnt on form, neither was the team. Thankfully for Bolton, the games in which Lofthouse wasnt on song were becoming fewer and fewer. There Lofthouse got the only goal of the first match. By Paul Ride. On the pitch his place in the national side was gone, replaced as spearhead by Manchester Uniteds Taylor. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. There was a tense atmosphere in both countries in 1952 when memories of recent misfortunes were mixed with a present sense of injustice and a zeal for spiritual and national renewal. Cathedral Gardens Six years later, he was promoted to the head coach position, and the following year, he took to managing the club. Football hero: Nat Lofthouse - Manchester Evening News The United lost emotion on the whole game at the end. His lifelong dedication to the club was not work, but a manifestation of who he was. However, given his family's financial stance and the need to care for four boys, the young Lofthouse could not afford to pay for entry into Burnden Park to watch his beloved Whites. Lofthouse would later say; The miners of Britain are the finest fellows in the world. Not once after that did Nat protest or fight Bolton's decision. In his 14 years at Bolton between . Owning the public house was not the most rewarding career choice to the man who only wanted to see his boyhood club do well. ALTHOUGH he earned a great deal of his reputation, and indeed his nickname, for one performance, Nat Lofthouse, 'The Lion of Vienna' was a tremendous servant for his country for eight years, bagging 30 goals in just 33 games, and for his club for over 30 years. The key to his appeal, beyond his fantastic abilities on the pitch, was his humility. Injured for the next match, in the quarter final game against Uruguay he equalized in the 16th minute, after receiving the ball in the 18-yard box.[which? The 285 goals he scored between 1946 and 1961 still make him Boltons top goalscorer. In 1945 19-year-old Nat played a big part as Wanderers captured the War Cup (North). RIP Nat Lofthouse. Disappointing loss aside, Lofthouse scored the first goal of the match just 75 seconds in, meaning he scored in every round of the competition that season. [3] Lofthouse went into a challenge with the United keeper Harry Gregg and barged him into the net to score. There are many stories about footballers of the day who started developing at a later age simply because they were not able to afford even basic footwear and it was a gift of shoes by a family member or friend that really allowed them to get going. Playing career [ edit] Lofthouse played his last match against Birmingham City in December 1960 due to an ankle injury. During his playing career, Nat Lofthouse was deservedly celebrated for his numerous on-pitch achievements.

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