[Lord Snooty]

June 17:

On this date in 1954, Ron Staniforth became the first player from Huddersfield Town to play at the World Cup. Town, managed by Andy Beattie, had just finished third in the First Division and had two players selected for the World Cup squad. The other player was Bill McGarry, but he hadn't been picked for this match. Substitutes weren't allowed back then, so although he would've been sat there, he wouldn't have come on at any stage.

This World Cup had a peculiar format. Two seeded teams were drawn with two non-seeded teams in each of the four groups of four. Instead of the usual round-robin format the seeded teams only played the non-seeded teams and extra-time was used for group matches ending in a draw.

And so this game against Belgium, with the score at 3-3 after 90 minutes, became the first England international to go to extra time. England, skippered by Billy Wright, went a goal behind after five minutes, but had taken the lead by half time when Newcastle's Ivor Broadis and Bolton's Nat Lofthouse scored.

Broadis got another to put England 3-1 up after 63 minutes, but the Belgians rallied and by the 74th minute they were level. That's how it was at full time, but one minute into extra time, Lofthouse had given the English the lead.

However, Portsmouth's Jimmy Dickinson put the ball into his own net a couple of minutes later, becoming the first England player to score an own goal at a World Cup. Oddly, nobody has done so since.

So both teams took a point each. England's next game, the second and final group game, will be against the Swiss hosts, who beat Italy in their first group game.

Broadis's Newcastle team mate, Len White, is the third highest goal scorer for the Magpies, but he never gained any England caps for some strange reason. Probably because Lofthouse had the centre forwards jersey most of the time and if he wasn't playing, Len's Newcastle team mate Jackie Milburn would have it. And of course, there weren't as many meaningless friendlies back then. 

Anyway, Len left Sid James' Park in 1962 to join Huddersfield Town. He had two full seasons with us and two part seasons, scoring 39 goals.

On this date in 1994, Len died, in Huddersfield, aged 64.