England’s World Cup squad and staff pose together outside the National Recreation Centre at Lilleshall, June 1966
Five months before England won the World Cup against West Germany at Wembley, the two teams first played each other in a dry-run friendly at the same stadium on 23rd February 1966.
The England line up featured nine of the players who would go on to lift the Jules Rimet trophy that summer. Those nine were as follows…
Gordon Banks
George Cohen
Jack Charlton
Bobby Moore
Nobby Stiles
Alan Ball
Bobby Charlton
Geoff Hurst
Roger Hunt
So, as a noggin-scratcher of a pub trivia teaser, we ask you – who were the two players who took to the field in the friendly but didn’t take part in the World Cup Final?
And, for an extra bonus point, can you name the two players who replaced them in Sir Alf Ramsey’s World Cup-winning XI?
Answers below this picture of Sir Bobby showing off his shiny new mantelpiece ornament…
Reckon you’ve got it? In the February friendly, Keith Newton and Norman Hunter completed the line up.
England went on to win 1-0 thanks to a single goal from Nobby Stiles.
The Times (23 Feb 66) reveals England’s line-up for tonight’s friendly against West Germany at Wembley. pic.twitter.com/D9Ca7nHk3L
— World Cup 1966 (@WorldCup66Live) February 23, 2016
However, in the final they were replaced by Ray Wilson and Martin Peters.
England won that one too, as far as we recall.
You can follow Martin Cloake on Twitter at @MartinCloake and find more about his books and writing at www.martincloake.com