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The England camp was tense as dawn broke in Vienna, Austria, on the morning of 25 May 1952. He also topped the list of Division 1 scorers with an impressive tally of 30 goals. Despite that flirtation with a move to Spurs (they came back in for him a second time in 1954 but were again rebuffed) and an audacious attempt by Fiorentina to take him to Italy, Lofthouse remained a one-club man. By the end of the match, he had done just that, and earned the title of The Lion of Vienna in the process. The total number of free kicks might seem insignificant today, but for soccer in the 1950s was significant. He had been clattered by a defender as he shot and was carried from the field. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'historyofsoccer_info-leader-2','ezslot_15',169,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofsoccer_info-leader-2-0');In 452 Football League appearances for Bolton, he scored 255 goals. An estimated crowd of 85,000 turned up at Burnden Park with fans climbing in after the gates had been shut. One false start for his school team aside he was drafted in as a last-minute replacement in goal and conceded seven he began exhibiting a prodigious knack for goalscoring early on. With him passed away a piece of Bolton Wanderers Football Club that will never return. Too young for military service, Nat was determined to work hard on and off the field. Discover Nat Lofthouse's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. He was born with Bolton in his blood, and he played his football, lived his life in a way that reflected that. Awarded an O.B.E in 1994, Lofthouse suffered from dementia in his later years and passed away at the age of 84 in 2011. Nat Lofthouses statue now stands proudly outside the University of Bolton Stadium. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. ], On 3 May 1958, almost five years to the day after losing the 1953 final, Lofthouse captained Bolton in the 1958 FA Cup Final against Manchester United. Sun 16 Jan 2011 13.15 EST The footballer Nat Lofthouse, who has died aged 85, won 33 England caps during a career spent entirely with one club, Bolton Wanderers. For 47 years after the program wound up, Bevin Boys were not recognized as full contributors to the war effort (despite being conscripted). Lofthouse earned full international recognition when he was called up to play for his country against Yugoslavia at Highbury in November 1950. I learnt to take hard knocks without feeling them. The first game finished 1-1 in Italy where Ivor Broadis got Englands goal and then came the match which earned that Lion of Vienna nickname. Austria hit back to equalise, Sewell restored the advantage but the home team levelled for a second time. Seven minutes before the end, the climax occurred. Instead, Lofthouse would famously climb the walls at Burnden Park in order to get into the ground for free. Three months earlier, United had been involved in the Munich air disaster. [10] He married Alma Foster in 1947 and they remained married until her death in 1985. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Because the move came before the age of player power and agents controlling moves, Nat didn't have any say in the matter. Lofthouse opened the scoring but Austria came back, and with the game deadlocked at 2-2, began to exert significant pressure. But the Wanderers policy was that if you played for them you couldnt run a pub. Josef Musil, Rudolf, Rockl, Ernst Happel, Walter Schleger, Ernst Ocwirk, Theodor Brinek, Ernst Melchior, Gerhard Hanappi, Robert Dienst, Adolf Huber, Walter Haummer.