| WUPPERTAL COMBINED XI 0 CITY 2
Friendly 19th May 1954 Attendance ??? |
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From TRAUTMANN THE BIOGRAPHY by Alan Rowlands The final match against the Wuppertal team had attracted a capacity crowd, included amongst them large numbers of British Forces stationed in the area, and the atmosphere was exceptional for a friendly game. Behind the scenes the commercial importance of playing Bert Trautmann was further underlined. He had picked up an injury in a previous match and this developed into blood poisoning of his right leg. The pre-match publicity for this last game of the tour had been considerable, and the German officials were particurlarly anxious for him to appear, whilst City faced depositing in their bank £500 less than they anticipated. An injection from a local doctor enabled him to be sent out on to the field in acute discomfort. His humour was not improved by the gamesmanship of the opponents, particurlarly when Bill McAdams was sent off the field after a dubious incident and the match finished with the players and the crowd in an ugly mood. A number of clashes developed between the Germans and the British while the police escorted the players off the field. Les McDowall moved to the players’ tunnel to pacify his team, when he was approached by an over zealous policeman who assumed he was about to attack one of the players. In the ensuing melee he was sent sprawling down the steps (Roy Paul and Beaky Barnes were particurlarly amused by the incident) and the tour ended on a completely sour note. |
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