Lofthouse had thunderous, crashing shots, coupled with a burning desire to get in the right place to unleash them. A one-club man with a passionate love for his hometown and his club, his decision to remain at Burnden Park for his entire career was never truly in his hands, with no freedom of contract meaning the club had absolute power over their player. The former Bolton Wanderers and England centre forward . He was born on March 24, 1919, in Blyth, Northumberland, England. Never again will you say that England has lost the will to fight. Nat Lofthouse was everything you will not find in a footballer today. The number 9 shirt is traditionally for the club's top goal scorer, a shirt that has been cursed at Bolton for years. Club Chaplain Phil Mason added: "We are absolutely delighted with the work Sean has done; the image captures Nat perfectly - his strength both physical and mental and his great sense of purpose on and off the field. Sources: Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, The Times, Daily Mirror, The Guardian, Daily Herald; Nat Lofthouse, Goals Galore, Nat Lofthouse. Too young for military service, Nat was determined to work hard on and off the field. Nat Lofthouse OBE, the Bolton Wanderers and England legend, has passed away aged 85, leaving countless memories. The stands were filled with British troops, who had remained stationed throughout Austria in the aftermath of the war. 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. Lofthouse soon played for the Bolton Schools XI and made his debut in a 7-1 win over Bury Schools. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Lofthouse Lofthouse was dubbed the "Lion of Vienna" after scoring the second goal in England's 3-2 triumph over Austria on May 25, 1952. He was declared English Footballer of the Year, an accolade he was given on the eve of the famed Stanley Matthews Final in the FA Cup. An estimated crowd of 85,000 turned up at Burnden Park with fans climbing in after the gates had been shut. It was important not to strike the ball too soon. Foweraker was the club's most successful manager ever, bring the FA Cup trophy to Bolton on three occasions in a span of seven seasons (1923, 1926, and 1929). During the war, he was one of 48,000 men who were sent to work in the coal mines rather than the armed services with a . Merrick plucked a corner cross from the air, who threw a long, swerving ball down the middle of the field. When they won a late corner, they flooded forward, leaving Lofthouse alone with a single marker on the halfway line. Thanks to his size, a healthy 12 stone (168 pounds) by age 15, he was played up front in a center forward position and it was there that Nat thrived. As it transpired, Nats first day reporting to Burnden Park in 1939 was also Britains first full day at war with Germany. Lofthouse was buried on 26 January 2011 as thousands turned out to say goodbye at Bolton Parish Church. Just about. He hung up his boots in 1961 having scored 285 goals for Wanderers. Lofthouse opened the scoring but Austria came back, and with the game deadlocked at 2-2, began to exert significant pressure. This was the first time the team played behind the Iron Curtain, and it was also the first peacetime match in Continental Europe with a significant away following.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofsoccer_info-box-4','ezslot_8',183,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-box-4-0'); As many as 1,400 tickets were assigned to British troops, although many more were obtained through the black market. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. In that game, Blackpool came back from 3-1 down to win 4-3, largely thanks to the heroics of Matthews, although he was no doubt helped by the fact that the Wanderers were effectively down to 10 men throughout much of the second half as Eric Bell was playing through a torn hamstring. If anything, this inspired a more violent second half, with both sides desperate for a meaningful win. In 1943, Nat Lofthouse was called upon to serve as a Bevin Boy at the Mosley Common coal mine. Sun 16 Jan 2011 13.15 EST The footballer Nat Lofthouse, who has died aged 85, won 33 England caps during a career spent entirely with one club, Bolton Wanderers. Before becoming Bolton's chief scout, he became an administrative manager at Burnden. Lofthouses story wasnt as black and white as many modern accounts would have readers believe. Ultimately, the Hungarians cruelly exposed Englands insecurities in May 1954 and November 1953 against Continental opposition. Lofthouse was battered on the field and left the field. He scored 22 goals in 36 games for a Wanderers team that finished 14th. However, partially due to this, Nat Lofthouse did not always experience the utter adoration of the fans. That statue is a fitting tribute to a man who gave his all, for both club and country throughout his life. After that 1958 final, Bolton had started slipping and were ultimately relegated to the old Second Division in 1964. Quick off the mark, an ability to shoot with either foot, with strength and agility in the air an innate ability to be in the right place at the right time. As far as the future was concerned, these results were not isolated, and these signs were already in evidence. And so, Lofthouse had achieved his boyhood dream, to be a Bolton Wanderers player, at age 14. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The United lost emotion on the whole game at the end. 1968 rolled around and Nat Lofthouse was appointed caretaker manager of the club. If he fails again to accept changes from the clean breakaways against Italy, England will be doomed. Lofthouse was well aware of his uncertain status, saying later, I knew I played poorly in Florence [but] I wasnt prepared for the reception I received in the press.. In 1968, he spent a brief time as caretaker manager of the club and took over the job full-time on 18 December. Despite that flirtation with a move to Spurs (they came back in for him a second time in 1954 but were again rebuffed) and an audacious attempt by Fiorentina to take him to Italy, Lofthouse remained a one-club man. Towards the end of the 1956-57 season there was some doubt over whether Lofthouse would remain at Bolton and it was all because of a pub. Known as the 'Lion of Vienna,' Nat Lofthouse was the epitome of the down-to-earth football star of the 1940s and 1950s. The military nature of this event was further underscored by the presence of so many British soldiers in uniform. On Jan. 15, 2011, Nat Lofthouse passed away quietly in his sleep in a Bolton nursing home at the age of 85. He is still Bolton's top scorer of all time. It was a friendly against the old Yugoslavia, with Nat scoring both England goals in a 2-all draw. 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. Lofthouse was one of the inaugural inductees to the National Football Museum Hall Of Fame in 2002, attending the event to collect his award alongside other greats of the game, including his friend and former England team-mate Sir Tom Finney. [3] There was a national wave of sympathy for United, who three months earlier had suffered grievously in the Munich air disaster. Unfortunately, Bolton were not able to right their sinking ship under the Lion of Vienna and at the end of the 1970-71 season (after Lofthouse had left the post), Bolton were in 22nd place and relegated to the Third Division (an all-time low until the 1987-1988 season). In 1957, he assumed captaincy of the club. A forward for Bolton Wanderers for the entirety of his career, Nat Lofthouse was an English professional footballer. Herbert Chapman: Arsenal FC And Huddersfield Town Manager, Miguel Muoz: First To Win European Cup As Player And Manager, Sir Bobby Robson: More Than A Football Manager In Tyneside. Additionally, he and Tom Finney had the England scoring record together until Jimmy Greaves came along. Bill Ridding, the man that had managed Wanderers for 18 seasons, had left the club just before the start of the 1968-1969 season. The day for Bevin Boys was a long and tough one. Six of their colleagues had died in the crash, including United's only goal scorer from that final, Tommy Taylor. Nat Lofthouses statue now stands proudly outside the University of Bolton Stadium. Harry Johnston (1951) and Syd Owen (1959), among others and more apparent candidates, Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney, won this award for their model-professional status, loyalty to club and country, and scrupulously fair approach to the game. But the Wanderers policy was that if you played for them you couldnt run a pub. The same was true of his debut, which arrived in 1940, aged just 15. Both men were among the inaugural inductees to the Hall Of Fame. In doing so he was elbowed in the face, tackled from behind, and finally brought down by the goalkeeper. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. On foreign soil, the English brave and plucky had triumphed over technologically superior opponents against all odds. Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour and National Service during World War II, lent his name to the conscripted miners. [11] They had two children, a son, Jeff, and a daughter, Vivien. Nat Lofthouse, the battering ram with a shrewd brain and heart of lion A one-club man to his boots, the Bolton and England striker dubbed the Tank by the Austrians, was a giant of the game. Musil had to commit fully before I struck the ball. Its difficult to discuss Nat Lofthouse without resorting to clichs. For England he scored a phenomenal 30 goals in 33 games. NAT LOFTHOUSE is a name that rings through the annals of English football history like few others. As the decade wore on, the clouds began to disperse. It was impossible for Bolton fans to feel this way for long however, he was the club's top scorer that first season after the war, with 21 goals in all competitions. final", "England List of FA Charity/Community Shield Matches", 'The Cup Comes Home' - 1958 newsreel of Nat Lofthouse in Bolton, Lancashire, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nat_Lofthouse&oldid=1150190569, *Club domestic league appearances and goals, This page was last edited on 16 April 2023, at 20:03. In the following days Weekly Dispatch, John Robertson wrote; Lofthouses first goal left me open-mouthed. In his 14 years at Bolton between . Lofthouse was chosen to represent Bolton schools against Bury. What made Lofthouses feats all the more remarkable was the manner in which he shrugged them off. Nat Lofthouse was a 'Bevin Boy', one of thousands of young men conscripted to work in Britain's mines by Ernest Bevin, the coalition government's Minister of Labour and National Service during. Following his discovery, Nat Lofthouse was signed by then-Bolton manager Charles Foweraker, who had, at that point, been manager of the club for 25 years (and would manage for a further five years). Next in line was a trial for Lancashire schools. In the Daily Herald, Clifford Webb wrote; Every man-jack did a heros job, but the player who provided the really tremendous thrill for the frantically cheering English colony was Nat Lofthouse. He hesitated before he emerged at my side. Born and bred in Bolton, Lofthouse earned his. Scot Foweraker, who started at the club as a gateman when the ground opened in 1895, had taken over as manager in 1919 and would go on to serve Wanderers for an outstanding 49 years, 25 as boss. Once Lofthouse arrived Hunt moved to right-half and was later transferred to Sheffield Wednesday. In 1945 19-year-old Nat played a big part as Wanderers captured the War Cup (North).

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