Lofthouses early life was typical of many of those who played in the final era before wages exploded, when the sport was still very much a working mans game. The FA XI were unbeaten in their 11 matches but Lofthouse still managed to finish on a losing side. Somehow, he managed to get the shot off before colliding with the Austrian keeper. Once Lofthouse arrived Hunt moved to right-half and was later transferred to Sheffield Wednesday. He made his debut in wartime football and in 1943 he became a Bevin boy, one of 48,000 men who were sent to work in the coal mines rather than the armed services in World War II. Nostalgia Quiz: The Lion of Vienna and the rest of the Bolton Wanderers 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. 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. Football Legends Nat Lofthouse ( 'The Lion of Vienna' ) R-I-P This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. It would have certainly resulted in a straight red card by today's standards, but was adjudged to be fair at the time. On 1 January 1994, he was appointed an OBE and on 18 January 1997, Bolton decided to name their East Stand at their new Reebok Stadium after him. Harry Gregg, a survivor of the crash who would go on to be one of United's best goalkeepers ever, could only manage to deflect the shot. Next in line was a trial for Lancashire schools. Football's Pioneers: Nat Lofthouse - Leicester City F.C. Lofthouse had thunderous, crashing shots, coupled with a burning desire to get in the right place to unleash them. Nat Lofthouse OBE, the Bolton Wanderers and England legend, has passed away aged 85, leaving countless memories. Still more fans entered and the crush resulted in the death of 33 people. M4 3BG, 2023 National Football Museum. Instead, Lofthouse would famously climb the walls at Burnden Park in order to get into the ground for free. Harry sees Nat manning the bar and the two talk for a while with Gregg finally ordering a pint. Over his international career, launched at such a late age, he scored 30 goals in 33 games, a scoring ratio that is unmatched by any England player with more than 5 appearances to this day. 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. In doing so he was elbowed in the face, tackled from behind, and finally brought down by the goalkeeper. Lofthouse would go on to play 33 games for England, but his debut on 22 November 1950 made him 25 when he finally broke into the team. Of all those conscripted into service between the ages of 18 and 25, around 10% went to work in the mines. 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. Nat Lofthouse was one of the post-war giants of football who had a glittering career with Bolton Wanderers, his only club, and England. He wasn't part of an illustrious academy early on, like those you see in the modern game. 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. 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.. The Mayor of Bolton, Alderman Entwhistle who was also a director of the club approached the youngster and asked him to sign and, along with the manager they managed to stop the local lad from leaving town although as he had already been a regular spectator at Burnden Park. . Both men were among the inaugural inductees to the Hall Of Fame. A single man did not give up. Nat would again take the caretaker reins on three more occasions including the summer of 1971 (in between seasons) and, briefly, in 1985 between Charlie Wright leaving and Phil Neal getting the job. Nat Lofthouse had endured well against a battering from the Italian defenders, despite these suggestions of poor performance. There was nowhere left to. Lofthouse was at his imperious best, plundering goals at a rate that even the sportswriters who had grown up watching the likes of, The England camp was tense as dawn broke in Vienna, Austria, on the morning of 25 May 1952. We don't charge goalkeepers around here.". That's the two words that go together and the thing about Nat was, as well, that you don't need to put his surname there, do you? When he was in the team, we played to him. The same was true of his debut, which arrived in 1940, aged just 15. The Bolton boys launched another attack, ending with a Ray Parry shot on goal. 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. He was the club's top scorer in 11 out of the 13 seasons between 1946-47 and 1958-59, with his highest tally in a season resting at 35 goals, attained in that final season of 1958-59. After failing to score in the win over Scotland at Hampden the centre forward went on Englands 1952 summer tour. By Paul Ride. Bolton Wanderers Beat Manchester United at Wembley: Bolton players chair their Captain and hero Nat Lofthouse with the cup, at the end of the match.

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