October 2014 marks a lesser known football anniversary. It will be the 41st anniversary of the day that Ferenc Puskas came to play a match at Filbert Street. On a particularly freezing cold night on 16th October 1973 a charity match between Old England and The Rest of Europe brought some of football’s greatest players to Leicester for an occasion of pure nostalgia.
I have dubbed this game the forgotten match, because nowhere in my many books on the history of Leicester City Football Club, and Filbert Street is it ever mentioned. Even when I referred it to a colleague of the authors of ‘Of Fossils and Foxes’, (before the 2nd edition was printed), he said they had no recollection of the game. I was beginning to think I had dreamt it up, along with my countless fantasies of Leicester actually winning the FA Cup or the Premier League.
In spite of this, a recent chance finding on Ebay of the actual matchday programme, and then a little help from the Leicester Mercury confirmed that the match really did happen. It was all in aid of Goaldiggers – a charity set up to help struggling clubs and to develop football at grassroots level. Whatever happened to that?.
Sadly the game only attracted an attendance of 3,181, possibly because of the bizarrely harsh sub-zero conditions on the night. But I was there with my dad all those years ago and to be honest the match was a dream come true. It may have been only an exhibition match, but the chance of seeing and possibly meeting the legendary Ferenc Puskas aka the ‘Galloping Major’ meant a lot to both me and my Hungarian-born father.
While growing up in Leicester and nurturing my devotion to LCFC my late father, a refugee from the 1956 Hungarian uprising, made me aware of Hungary’s great football tradition. Up until 1978 Hungary had had a good record against England. They had a 100% record against Brazil in several World Cup matches and had appeared in the World Cup final twice in 1938 and 1954. For me at the time, being an impressionable football crazy 10 year old, Hungarian football was something to be proud of. Unfortunately, since then, Hungarian football has taken a serious nose dive, but we won’t go into that.
Hence I couldn’t believe my eyes when on the way home from school one day in 1973 I saw a Leicester Mercury billboard that had the headlines ‘Banks and Puskas to play at Filbert Street’. Unbelievable! Why Leicester? Maybe it had something to do with our then famous hot-air balloon that kept the pitch playable all year round. But who cares? It was my good fortune, and I knew it would mean another rare trip to Filbert Street for me (my parents were generally reluctant to let me go to Filbert Street in those days on account of the reported hooliganism).
The Old England team was made up of some of England’s 1966 World Cup winners. They included Jack Charlton, George Cohen, Roger Hunt and Gordon Banks in what must have been his first return to semi-competitive football since the car crash that caused him to lose sight in one eye. Making up the rest of the England team was Bill McGarry, Bobby Robson and a quartet of Jimmys’. Jimmy Greaves, Jimmy Armfield, Jimmy Hill and the then current Leicester manager Jimmy Bloomfield.
With Puskas in the Rest of Europe team was his former Real Madrid partner, Francisco Gento, the only man to have played in 8 (yes, EIGHT) European Cup Finals and have 6 winner’s medals. Also in the team were World Cup Finalists of 66 , Uwe Seeler and Willi Schultz, as well as the Welsh “gentle giant” John Charles and Gyula Grosics, the great Hungarian goalkeeper of the 1950s. It promised to be a very interesting encounter.
The score on the night was 4-2 to Old England. Goals from Hunt, Greaves, a 30 yard strike by Charlton and a late goal by Jimmy Hill completed the scoring for England, while Puskas and Charles netted for Europe. But the result was of little significance. What was more important was the occasion, and the sheer theatre of the individual performances.
As the Leicester Mercury recalled, “ A superstar show was put on by the heaviest there – the legendary Ferenc Puskas, who warmed the crowd with a skilful display of old fashioned ball play.” They also described how Gordon Banks… “displayed all his old agility and sound positional judgement and came out on top in a personal duel with Spain’s Francisco Gento, the great winger of Real Madrid’s heyday”
My own recollection of the match recalls Puskas gamely trying to explain to his wingers where he wanted the ball delivered, right down to pointing to the spot on the ground. On several occasions the portly Puskas would follow through on crosses that had passed by him seconds earlier, just to demonstrate to the appreciative crowd his dazzling intentions.
At the full time whistle I ran onto the pitch (oooh err) to collect some autographs in the autograph-book my mum had bought me especially for the occasion. Amazingly even then, stewards were at hand to shepherd stray fans off the pitch (or maybe I was picked on as an easy target). Consequently I left the field empty handed. A further attempt at some autograph hunting later on at the players’ entrance ended up with only two paw prints. One from Jimmy Armfield, the other, Lord knows! It could have been the steward that had earlier ushered me off the pitch; such was my desperation to return home with something in my brand new autograph book.
As for meeting Puskas himself? Well, all the players were treated to a huge banquet after the match that went on until the early hours. My dad and I waited outside a dimly lit Filbert Street for over an hour, listening to the feast that was obviously going on within and freezing to death in the process. In the end two factors determined my fate. I had school in the morning and Puskas is renowned for his love of food, so I suppose our meeting was never to be.
Still, I was there and enjoyed this rarely mentioned historical event at Filbert Street. Therefore now, exactly 30 years later I feel compelled to echo the sentiments of the song that was played out as the teams left the field that cold and wintry October evening back in 1973. “Thanks for the Memory”.
18 November 2014
EXXO
Great story Mick, thanks for that.
Often mispronounced as “Ferench” or “Ferenk”. Should be “Ferents” ˈ/ferents/.
Means ‘Francis’ or ‘Frank’.
Sometimes a myth outside Hungary that Ferencváros was named after him. It wasn’t named after him nor the other Ferenc who was one of its founders, but after the district Ferencváros which in turn was named after King Ferenc (Francis) 1st, and thereafter the parish church of St. Francis.
There is however another team named after him – the Videoton youth team Puskás Akadémia FC
Wonderful that we can see the youtubes of some of his performances for Hungary and Real.
@Bobby Svarc – That was wonderful to read. I have read that Ferenc took part in a fundraising match at South Liverpool in 1967, agreeing to do this at a moment’s notice. This seems to fit with all I know, as his popularity was widespread through all walks of life. I have a friend who came to England in 1956 when he was 5 years old and in 1966 we went to the old Roker Park to watch Hungary lose to USSR. To this day I still believe that if Gordon Banks had been Hungarian, they may well have won the World Cup.
18 November 2014
Bobby SVARC
Thanks Peter/Exxo, It really is a great letter that has perhaps only been read by Leicester City supporters, I’m good mates with both Gary and Simon of ‘The Fox’ (Both full on Biscuiteers) and they’ll be pleased that the story will be read on this forum.
BTW Miss Biscotti is out at Fakenham again today (3.00) I shall have a bet today
Growing up round the corner from there a few years later, my big event memories (the 1977 Cup Final It’s a Knockout) are somewhat spoiled by Stuart Hall’s extra-curricular activities.
18 November 2014
peter mcornithologist
@Paul F. Great stuff. Thank you.
18 November 2014
toastkid
@Paul F, that’s a brilliant story.
18 November 2014
BrumbiscUit
His surname, which comes first in Hungarian, is pronounced: Pooshcash, with stress on the first syllable. Was given the titular rank in the army of major, hence the nickname The Galloping Major.
18 November 2014
peter mcornithologist
@ Bobby Svarc. I’ve been chatting with the lad I went with to the match in 1966 and 2 of the Hungarians were at Filbert Street in 1973. He said he recalls Rakosi thumping the turf in disbelief as Yashin pulled off his 10th ludicrous save.
18 November 2014
Bobby SVARC
@Peter: Yashin came to Filbert Street in 1970 to play for a world XI, he never played though, he was however presented with a gift before the game from Peter Shilton, of which I have a cutting that appeared in the following nights Leicester Mercury.
18 November 2014
EXXO
@myself (comment #2)
About a week to go ’til this Puskas award thingy and 13/4 still available on Roche’s goal. Still value at that price, cos there’s been a bit of a worldwide campaign for it among women players, and v. nice to be sitting on 20/1.
3 January 2015
Dirk Hofman
…and as the Russian tanks stomped on the resistance Ferenc and a few others stayed in Spain leading to his playing at Real Madrid.
15 April 2015
Peter Roberts
Hello I have got the programme and it has been signed by all the players, as well as Eric morecambe and jimmy hill.
23 January 2017
John Kemble
I too went to the game at Filbert Street when I was 12 years old. I went with a couple of school friends and agree that I sometimes wondered if it was a dream due to no information regarding the game anywhere to be found. So, thank you for passing on all your recollections and confirming the score, 4 – 2, although, I did remember that part.
9 February 2018
PETER MCORNITHOLOGIST
Whilst he was in Madrid, Ferenc owned a sausage factory . May explain his expanding waistline . Bobby Svarc mentioned earlier that The Galloping Major was famed for his great love of food .
Bobby SVARC
http://s13.postimg.org/68hj25hsn/image.jpg
October 2014 marks a lesser known football anniversary. It will be the 41st anniversary of the day that Ferenc Puskas came to play a match at Filbert Street. On a particularly freezing cold night on 16th October 1973 a charity match between Old England and The Rest of Europe brought some of football’s greatest players to Leicester for an occasion of pure nostalgia.
I have dubbed this game the forgotten match, because nowhere in my many books on the history of Leicester City Football Club, and Filbert Street is it ever mentioned. Even when I referred it to a colleague of the authors of ‘Of Fossils and Foxes’, (before the 2nd edition was printed), he said they had no recollection of the game. I was beginning to think I had dreamt it up, along with my countless fantasies of Leicester actually winning the FA Cup or the Premier League.
In spite of this, a recent chance finding on Ebay of the actual matchday programme, and then a little help from the Leicester Mercury confirmed that the match really did happen. It was all in aid of Goaldiggers – a charity set up to help struggling clubs and to develop football at grassroots level. Whatever happened to that?.
Sadly the game only attracted an attendance of 3,181, possibly because of the bizarrely harsh sub-zero conditions on the night. But I was there with my dad all those years ago and to be honest the match was a dream come true. It may have been only an exhibition match, but the chance of seeing and possibly meeting the legendary Ferenc Puskas aka the ‘Galloping Major’ meant a lot to both me and my Hungarian-born father.
While growing up in Leicester and nurturing my devotion to LCFC my late father, a refugee from the 1956 Hungarian uprising, made me aware of Hungary’s great football tradition. Up until 1978 Hungary had had a good record against England. They had a 100% record against Brazil in several World Cup matches and had appeared in the World Cup final twice in 1938 and 1954. For me at the time, being an impressionable football crazy 10 year old, Hungarian football was something to be proud of. Unfortunately, since then, Hungarian football has taken a serious nose dive, but we won’t go into that.
Hence I couldn’t believe my eyes when on the way home from school one day in 1973 I saw a Leicester Mercury billboard that had the headlines ‘Banks and Puskas to play at Filbert Street’. Unbelievable! Why Leicester? Maybe it had something to do with our then famous hot-air balloon that kept the pitch playable all year round. But who cares? It was my good fortune, and I knew it would mean another rare trip to Filbert Street for me (my parents were generally reluctant to let me go to Filbert Street in those days on account of the reported hooliganism).
The Old England team was made up of some of England’s 1966 World Cup winners. They included Jack Charlton, George Cohen, Roger Hunt and Gordon Banks in what must have been his first return to semi-competitive football since the car crash that caused him to lose sight in one eye. Making up the rest of the England team was Bill McGarry, Bobby Robson and a quartet of Jimmys’. Jimmy Greaves, Jimmy Armfield, Jimmy Hill and the then current Leicester manager Jimmy Bloomfield.
With Puskas in the Rest of Europe team was his former Real Madrid partner, Francisco Gento, the only man to have played in 8 (yes, EIGHT) European Cup Finals and have 6 winner’s medals. Also in the team were World Cup Finalists of 66 , Uwe Seeler and Willi Schultz, as well as the Welsh “gentle giant” John Charles and Gyula Grosics, the great Hungarian goalkeeper of the 1950s. It promised to be a very interesting encounter.
The score on the night was 4-2 to Old England. Goals from Hunt, Greaves, a 30 yard strike by Charlton and a late goal by Jimmy Hill completed the scoring for England, while Puskas and Charles netted for Europe. But the result was of little significance. What was more important was the occasion, and the sheer theatre of the individual performances.
As the Leicester Mercury recalled, “ A superstar show was put on by the heaviest there – the legendary Ferenc Puskas, who warmed the crowd with a skilful display of old fashioned ball play.” They also described how Gordon Banks… “displayed all his old agility and sound positional judgement and came out on top in a personal duel with Spain’s Francisco Gento, the great winger of Real Madrid’s heyday”
My own recollection of the match recalls Puskas gamely trying to explain to his wingers where he wanted the ball delivered, right down to pointing to the spot on the ground. On several occasions the portly Puskas would follow through on crosses that had passed by him seconds earlier, just to demonstrate to the appreciative crowd his dazzling intentions.
At the full time whistle I ran onto the pitch (oooh err) to collect some autographs in the autograph-book my mum had bought me especially for the occasion. Amazingly even then, stewards were at hand to shepherd stray fans off the pitch (or maybe I was picked on as an easy target). Consequently I left the field empty handed. A further attempt at some autograph hunting later on at the players’ entrance ended up with only two paw prints. One from Jimmy Armfield, the other, Lord knows! It could have been the steward that had earlier ushered me off the pitch; such was my desperation to return home with something in my brand new autograph book.
As for meeting Puskas himself? Well, all the players were treated to a huge banquet after the match that went on until the early hours. My dad and I waited outside a dimly lit Filbert Street for over an hour, listening to the feast that was obviously going on within and freezing to death in the process. In the end two factors determined my fate. I had school in the morning and Puskas is renowned for his love of food, so I suppose our meeting was never to be.
Still, I was there and enjoyed this rarely mentioned historical event at Filbert Street. Therefore now, exactly 30 years later I feel compelled to echo the sentiments of the song that was played out as the teams left the field that cold and wintry October evening back in 1973. “Thanks for the Memory”.
18 November 2014
EXXO
Great story Mick, thanks for that.
Often mispronounced as “Ferench” or “Ferenk”. Should be “Ferents” ˈ/ferents/.
Means ‘Francis’ or ‘Frank’.
Sometimes a myth outside Hungary that Ferencváros was named after him. It wasn’t named after him nor the other Ferenc who was one of its founders, but after the district Ferencváros which in turn was named after King Ferenc (Francis) 1st, and thereafter the parish church of St. Francis.
There is however another team named after him – the Videoton youth team Puskás Akadémia FC
Wonderful that we can see the youtubes of some of his performances for Hungary and Real.
But talking of Youtube, anyone with a Unibet account could do worse than have a fiver on their 20/1 for Stephanie Roche of Peamount United to win the 2014 Puskás award for “the most beautiful goal.” Interweb campaigns, etc.
18 November 2014
Bobby SVARC
The above letter was first published in the Fox Fanzine 2003; here are the teams from the game.
18 November 2014
peter mcornithologist
@Bobby Svarc – That was wonderful to read. I have read that Ferenc took part in a fundraising match at South Liverpool in 1967, agreeing to do this at a moment’s notice. This seems to fit with all I know, as his popularity was widespread through all walks of life. I have a friend who came to England in 1956 when he was 5 years old and in 1966 we went to the old Roker Park to watch Hungary lose to USSR. To this day I still believe that if Gordon Banks had been Hungarian, they may well have won the World Cup.
18 November 2014
Bobby SVARC
Thanks Peter/Exxo, It really is a great letter that has perhaps only been read by Leicester City supporters, I’m good mates with both Gary and Simon of ‘The Fox’ (Both full on Biscuiteers) and they’ll be pleased that the story will be read on this forum.
BTW Miss Biscotti is out at Fakenham again today (3.00) I shall have a bet today
18 November 2014
paul f
That South Liverpool game…
Growing up round the corner from there a few years later, my big event memories (the 1977 Cup Final It’s a Knockout) are somewhat spoiled by Stuart Hall’s extra-curricular activities.
18 November 2014
peter mcornithologist
@Paul F. Great stuff. Thank you.
18 November 2014
toastkid
@Paul F, that’s a brilliant story.
18 November 2014
BrumbiscUit
His surname, which comes first in Hungarian, is pronounced: Pooshcash, with stress on the first syllable. Was given the titular rank in the army of major, hence the nickname The Galloping Major.
18 November 2014
peter mcornithologist
@ Bobby Svarc. I’ve been chatting with the lad I went with to the match in 1966 and 2 of the Hungarians were at Filbert Street in 1973. He said he recalls Rakosi thumping the turf in disbelief as Yashin pulled off his 10th ludicrous save.
18 November 2014
Bobby SVARC
@Peter: Yashin came to Filbert Street in 1970 to play for a world XI, he never played though, he was however presented with a gift before the game from Peter Shilton, of which I have a cutting that appeared in the following nights Leicester Mercury.
18 November 2014
EXXO
@myself (comment #2)
About a week to go ’til this Puskas award thingy and 13/4 still available on Roche’s goal. Still value at that price, cos there’s been a bit of a worldwide campaign for it among women players, and v. nice to be sitting on 20/1.
3 January 2015
Dirk Hofman
…and as the Russian tanks stomped on the resistance Ferenc and a few others stayed in Spain leading to his playing at Real Madrid.
15 April 2015
Peter Roberts
Hello I have got the programme and it has been signed by all the players, as well as Eric morecambe and jimmy hill.
23 January 2017
John Kemble
I too went to the game at Filbert Street when I was 12 years old. I went with a couple of school friends and agree that I sometimes wondered if it was a dream due to no information regarding the game anywhere to be found. So, thank you for passing on all your recollections and confirming the score, 4 – 2, although, I did remember that part.
9 February 2018
PETER MCORNITHOLOGIST
Whilst he was in Madrid, Ferenc owned a sausage factory . May explain his expanding waistline . Bobby Svarc mentioned earlier that The Galloping Major was famed for his great love of food .
16 April 2019
brumbiscuit
I wonder if he styled his wares on the famous Hungarian company’s offerings: https://pick.hu/en/the-pick-brand/about-us
‘Pick’ also means ‘pork sword*’ in Dutch, which is quite appropriate, given the source of the food and the shape.
* Well, ‘cock’ to be more precise, so I’m told.
16 April 2019
brumbiscuit
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/nov/17/the-forgotten-story-ferenc-puskas-merseyside
1 April 2020