There Lofthouse got the only goal of the first match. Lofthouse had thunderous, crashing shots, coupled with a burning desire to get in the right place to unleash them. The Lion Of Vienna. Its difficult to discuss Nat Lofthouse without resorting to clichs. Nat Lofthouse was Bolton in a way that the modern day equivalent of Kevin Davies, however loved by the fans, could never be. In the first match of that campaign they travelled to London to play Chelsea matching him up against hero Tommy Lawton. goals in 33 games for the Three Lions including two in the 1952 match against Austria which earned him the nickname the Lion of Vienna. This time he only managed to score a brace, the fourth and fifth goals in a 5-1 victory at Burnden Park. 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. After a 2-0 away win at the Victoria Ground where Ray Westwood bagged both goals the second leg was played seven days later and tragedy struck. I wasn't cut out to be a manager.". Cathedral Gardens Despite this disappointment the player ended the season on a high when he was named Footballer of the Year. The only identity was Nat Lofthouse. Who was known as the Lion of Vienna? - idswater.com His mother stayed at home and cared for the four boys. Mr Davies recalled the significant efforts Nat had made during the early eighties to raise money to help Wanderers avoid bankruptcy. Lofthouse was witness to a Bolton Wanderers golden age of top flight success throughout the 1930s and although the Trotters won three FA Cups in Nat's life time, he was too young to witness the 1926 and 1929 wins over Manchester City and Portsmouth. 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. Ridding had been prominent in Nat Lofthouse's successful rise and had led the Trotters to the 1953 and 1958 FA Cup finals, famously winning the second one. Please tick if you would like to receive information in this way. Please enter the following information to sign up. Former Bolton Wanderers and England striker Nat Lofthouse, one of the greats of a golden post-war generation, died in his sleep at the age of 85, the club announced on Sunday. The new forward scored twice but Lawton matched his feat and Chelsea scraped to a 4-3 win. [7] A campaign, backed by Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association and former Bolton player, was started, aiming to get Lofthouse knighted. Musil had to commit fully before I struck the ball. 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. After failing to score in the win over Scotland at Hampden the centre forward went on Englands 1952 summer tour. Next in line was a trial for Lancashire schools. 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 began playing football as a very young boy. There may have been no better example of this than in 1954 when Serie A side Fiorentina put in a lucrative offer for Lofthouse (one that would have allowed him to live very comfortably after retirement) but the club turned it down. Lion of Vienna Suite - Bolton Wanderers Sir Tom Finney and Nat Lofthouse together at the National Football Museum Hall Of Fame awards in 2002. 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. He said later; I never saw the ball enter the Austrian net for the best goal of my life. Bolton finished in the top half of the table for 6 of those 13 seasons. During the game, Nat was told to play in net, and being the kind of child that relished the opportunity to get on the field, didn't complain. During Lofthouses career, Vienna played a crucial role. Half a century after Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), they were finally recognized as contributors to the war effort by Queen Elizabeth II. Although he failed to score in the Cup Winners Cup match there is no doubt that, with 13 goals, he was the star of the show. He hit the ground before the ball went over the line, knocked out cold for one of the most famous goals of his career. Too young for military service, Nat was determined to work hard on and off the field. He holds this record to this day. May 1958. The Bolton boys launched another attack, ending with a Ray Parry shot on goal. Nat Lofthouse - Wikipedia The day for Bevin Boys was a long and tough one. Nat Lofthouse was one of the post-war giants of football who had a glittering career with Bolton Wanderers, his only club, and England. 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.". Lofthouse wasn't just a career Bolton man, he was a lifetime Bolton man. By 1942, all males in the United Kingdom aged 18-51 (with a few exceptions) were eligible to be conscripted by the government into wartime service. Entwistle, like Lofthouse, was an avid Wanderers fan and was named to the club's board in 1937. A year to the day after his death, Bolton Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside announced plans for one to be built and for the statue to be situated outside the Reebok Stadium. Once again, Nat Lofthouse made his intent known early on, scoring his first goal 3 minutes in, bounding onto the ball inside the 6-yard box and poking it in. 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. After Jackie Sewell restored the lead, Nat Lofthouse headed against the crossbar. We had to do something quickly and we had no identity at that time. . As with the other definitive match of his career, the match was emotionally charged, this time due to the fact that the opponents, Manchester United, had been decimated only three months earlier in the tragic Munich Air Disaster. please support us. [9], Already a Bolton Wanderers player having joined them in 1939 Lofthouse was conscripted in 1943 and worked in Mosley Common colliery as a Bevin Boy. By Paul Ride. Boltons all-time greatest player was a gentleman throughout the league. A year ago today, Bolton Wanderers announced plans to immortalize the Lion of Vienna with a statue in front of the Reebok Stadium. All Rights Reserved. We will normally only contact you via e-newsletter. He was famous for entertaining the clientele with some of the many stories about his time as a professional footballer. [3] There was a national wave of sympathy for United, who three months earlier had suffered grievously in the Munich air disaster. Lofthouse was chosen to represent Bolton schools against Bury. For England he scored a phenomenal 30 goals in 33 games. Nat Lofthouses statue now stands proudly outside the University of Bolton Stadium. 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. He really was the complete centre-forward. You just say Nat. It was, perhaps, fitting that Finney played a key role in the famous goal. For as much as Bolton Wanderers shaped him, his career and his life, he too left an indelible mark on the club, defining the team's most iconic era and playing a pivotal role in saving the club during its most ignominious age. The total number of free kicks might seem insignificant today, but for soccer in the 1950s was significant. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. [3] In doing so he was elbowed in the face, tackled from behind, and finally brought down by the goalkeeper. Nonetheless Lawtons legend was cemented locally and Nat became a huge fan, often travelling to Goodison Park to watch him play for Everton. From an early age, Nat was a Bolton Wanderers supporter. Even his nickname, the Lion of Vienna, is something you wouldn't dream of bestowing upon the modern player. [12], Lofthouse died on 15 January 2011, aged 85, in a nursing home in Bolton. 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. Why was Nat Lofthouse called the Lion of Vienna? - Sage-Answers It happened a lot in our day as it were, of course. 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? To prove it, they battered England with arms, legs and heads. The military nature of this event was further underscored by the presence of so many British soldiers in uniform. With him passed away a piece of Bolton Wanderers Football Club that will never return. He perhaps justified a claim to an earlier call-up by scoring both goals in a 22 draw against Yugoslavia at Highbury on his debut. The words so often used to describe how he acted in public fearless, brave, lionheart in the words of Stanley Matthews reflected a reputation as a player of almost biblical determination, but one who was privately beset by worry at various points throughout his career. He scored a goal but was on the losing side in the famous 1953 FA Cup Final (aka 'The Matthews Final'), having previously scored in each round. In the 11th minute, Melchior hit Eckersley with a shot that struck his arm. Nat Lofthouse: the Lion of Vienna and the gent of Bolton Speaking at Nat's "This Is Your Life" show, Bolton Wanderers' commercial manager at the time, Alf Davies shared just how crucial Nat Lofthouse's presence at the club was: "In 1982, we hit on some hard times and in 1982, we had just six weeks to live before the bank called time on our activities. 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. Why was Nat Lofthouse called Lion of Vienna? Long after his star had ascended, he could still be found riding the bus from his nearby home to Burnden Park, delighting in surprising fans who were discussing his performances on the pitch unbeknownst of his presence. I could only nod like a dim-wit. [6], Tributes were paid to Lofthouse as he celebrated his 80th birthday, including a party at the Reebok. There was a light breeze and intermittent rain during the game. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Phillips, a 78-year-old Minden resident, was Lofthouse's cousin (their mothers Lily and Jane were sisters) and said the man dubbed the "Lion of Vienna" would be shocked at all the fuss. My body became firmer and harder, I learned to take hard knocks without feeling them. His most memorable performance,. Everyone left with a scar or bruise.. [3] Lofthouse went into a challenge with the United keeper Harry Gregg and barged him into the net to score. It was no more than Nat Lofthouse deserved. In fact, there's a very funny joke from Lofthouse's time behind the bar: Harry Gregg (the Manchester United goalkeeper that Nat famously clattered over the goal line for Bolton's second goal in the 1958 FA Cup final) was driving through Bolton and decided to stop at the Castle Pub for a drink. As always, football matches were symbolic.. Two players were so injured they were never able to take to the football pitch again, and the final player, goalkeeper Ray Wood, was still recovering from injuries sustained. Bill Ridding, the man that had managed Wanderers for 18 seasons, had left the club just before the start of the 1968-1969 season. Posts 7,107 Likes 2 Location swindon wilts. In doing so he was elbowed in the face, tackled from behind, and finally brought down by the goalkeeper. He scored both goals in the 1958 FA Cup Final, the second seeing him charge both keeper and ball over the line. Lofthouse opened the scoring but Austria came back, and with the game deadlocked at 2-2, began to exert significant pressure. An England international, Nat Lofthouse played his entire club career for his hometown club, Bolton Wanderers, scoring 255 goals in 452 league appearances. The Lion of Vienna, Fifty Years a Legend (Edinburgh, 1989); Billy Wright, The Worlds My Football Pitch (London, 1953); Percy M Young, Bolton Wanderers (London, 1961); England Beat Austria, Path Film; Dave Russell, Deeply Honoured: The Rise and Significance of the British Sporting Award. Born and bred in Bolton, Lofthouse earned his. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Before halftime, the English defense opened up, allowing Dienst to fire past Merrick and level the scores.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofsoccer_info-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_13',167,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-large-mobile-banner-1-0'); As the game progressed, it became more fraught. If that wasnt pressure enough, thousands of Tommies stationed in Vienna had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of their heroes for months, with many staking weeks of wages on the dim chance of an England win. Only two players from Manchester United's side that lost to Aston Villa in the previous year's final took the field on May 3, 1958, Bill Foulkes and Bobby Charlton, and a further two were survivors of the disaster. In 1957, he assumed captaincy of the club. Bolton's new number 9, Eoin Doyle, whilst playing for League Two side Swindon last season. Nat joined Burnden Parks backroom staff several years ago, eventually becoming the clubs manager in August 1968. [5], On 7 April 1993, he appeared as a special guest on the TV guest show This Is Your Life, in which the on-screen guests included Tom Finney and Harry Gregg, while others including Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker and Ian Rush appeared on screen to pay tribute to Lofthouse as they were unable to appear alongside Lofthouse due to other commitments. His career and life, like so many of the players he shared the pitch with, seems so improbable when compared to modern stars both in terms of achievements and circumstances that its hard to separate the man from the legend. His devotion to Alma was matched only by his love of Bolton, and true to form, that Saturday Nat got married in the morning then played football in the afternoon at Burnden Park. Football Legends Nat Lofthouse ( 'The Lion of Vienna' ) R-I-P He made the best out of every situation and was often the first to say that he was happy to be earning a living by playing the game that he loved so much. Nat responds: "That's alright, Harry. All the while, he kept scoring for his country as well as for his club, finishing on an incredible 30 goals in 33 caps and taking the record as the national teams all-time top goalscorer jointly with Finney. He did win the medal. Nat Lofthouse Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family With the extensive scouting networks and multi-tiered academies of nowadays simply not existing in the 1930s, Lofthouse was staring into the footballing abyss as he left school at 14. It was a close match, and neither side was shy about using force, a game far away from today's well-regulated affairs. At the age of 11 in 1936, Lofthouse tagged along with one of his brothers to watch his older sibling play for the school that they both attended, Castle Hill. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Wanderers gave the then 15-year-old his debut on 14 March 1941 in a wartime match with Bury again providing the opposition. He was made the club's Vice President for life in 1969. In 1953, it all came together. On 2 December 1989, he was made a Freeman of Bolton. But the Wanderers policy was that if you played for them you couldnt run a pub. He wasn't part of an illustrious academy early on, like those you see in the modern game. Lofthouse received a 10 signing-on fee and put pen to paper for Bolton on 4 September 1939 the day after Britain had declared war on Germany causing the abandonment of the Football League season. 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. Somehow, he managed to get the shot off before colliding with the Austrian keeper. On foreign soil, the English brave and plucky had triumphed over technologically superior opponents against all odds. He was forced to retire at the age of 35 because of his persistent injuries. There was then a Cup Winners Cup played between the winners of the North and South tournaments. However, the lead was short-lived. A vote of the Football Writers Association members, which functions like a jury, selected the professional player who best exemplified footballers precepts and examples as the player of the year. Bolton born and bred, Lofthouse was signed by Bolton Wanderers as a 14 year old apprentice in 1939. For Nat, the expectations were even greater. The title came from a prestigious match against Austria in 1952. He won 33 caps for England between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals, with one of the highest goals-per-game ratios of any England player. The plaudits for the Lion of Vienna didn't stop after he hung up his boots though. In doing so he was elbowed in the face, tackled from behind, and finally brought down by the goalkeeper. The Lion of Vienna - Lion Of Vienna Suite I hit it when he was right on top of me. In a rare show of off-field bullishness, Lofthouse later remembered that he made it his sole purpose to make one particular writer eat his words even if he choked. The Lion Of Vienna | Family History UK Forum - Free UK Genealogy I would say without fear or favor the man was more important to Bolton from 82 onwards than ever he was in the 50s.". Thousands of people gather for the funeral of former Bolton Wanderers and England football legend Nat Lofthouse. Nat Lofthouse OBE, the Bolton Wanderers and England legend, has passed away aged 85, leaving countless memories. The plan was for the statue to be funded by public donations, with help from the club. Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour and National Service during World War II, lent his name to the conscripted miners. He is third in the Premier League (old Division 1) list behind Jimmy Greaves (357) and Alan Shearer (283). Mr Lofthouse, known as the Lion of Vienna, died on 15 January aged 85. In the swing of things and in its heyday, the stadium could hold up to 70,000 people (albeit in close quarters) so one boy without a ticket would not be easily noticed. Nat Lofthouse scored his last goal for the Three Lions on Oct. 22, 1958 in a 5-1 win over the USSR. Shortlisted for the Telegraph Sports Book Awards Biography of the Year. He featured in the 1954 World Cup side. Lofthouse returned to Burnden Park full-time in 1968 spending a mostly nondescript three-year spell as manager. They overcame Southport (Lofthouse got a hat-trick), Accrington Stanley (where he scored twice), Blackpool (where he hit five over the two legs), Newcastle (three more for Lofthouse) and Wolves, where he shockingly failed to score, before beating Manchester United 3-2 on aggregate in the final. All in all, he tallied up 255 goals in 452 league games, and 30 goals in 51 cup matches. [3], On 26 November 1958, Lofthouse made his final England appearance, against Wales, at the age of 33, and he officially retired from the game in January 1960 because of an ankle injury, although his final league game was not until 17 December of that year, when he suffered a knee injury against Birmingham City. As a result, Nat Lofthouse was nicknamed the Lion of Vienna. In his 1999 book, Bolton Wanderers, Dean Hayes illustrated what a typical day looked like for Lofthouse: "Bevin Boy Lofthouse's Saturdays went like this: up at 3.30 a.m., catching the 4.30 tram to work; eight hours down the pit pushing tubs; collected by the team coach; playing for Bolton. 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. How many goals in total did Lofthouse score in the 33 matches he played for England? . He didnt need to be asked twice. It made me fitter than ever I had been before. On top of running the Castle Pub after his retirement, Lofthouse maintained a number of different positions with Bolton Wanderers. Even at that time, Bolton was an unfashionable club that hadn't exactly been lighting up the league for 10 years, and Nat felt this was slowing down his career. Lofthouse found the step up in quality in First Division defences hard to cope with, and he briefly considered leaving the game, as well as entertaining an offer from Tottenham, then of the Second Division. Nat Lofthouse was born on 27 August, 1925 in Bolton, Lancashire, England, UK, is an Actor. [17] It was unveiled on 24 August 2013, three days before what would have been Lofthouse's 88th birthday. Telephone: 0161 605 8200. But you always associate Nat with Bolton. 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. 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). ". A forward for Bolton Wanderers for the entirety of his career, Nat Lofthouse was an English professional footballer. The FA XI were unbeaten in their 11 matches but Lofthouse still managed to finish on a losing side. The same was true of his debut, which arrived in 1940, aged just 15. Austria and England played a classic international match in Vienna, combining physical, influential English players with a technically proficient Austrian team to display steel and brute strength when needed. When he awoke several moments later, groggy and with a good deal more pain than even he was used to, he was informed that he had just scored one of the defining goals of his career. Capped 33 times by the Three Lions, Lofthouse picked up the nickname 'the Lion of Vienna' after his two goals against Austria and represented England in the 1954 World Cup. Outside the church, it was former Bolton manager Jimmy Armfield (1971-1974) who perhaps summed it all up best: "It's the fact that he was a one-club man. . Back in the England line up for the World Cup, he scored three times including one in the 4-2 quarter final defeat at the hands of Uruguay. In 1953, it all came together. The climax of the match led Peskett to show his joy: This was more than any other British triumph to have befallen a side abroad this was an ending to a schoolboys story., The Daily Express Desmond Hackett writes, For Austria, it was the win they never saw coming..