Grainger's dream debut

Friday night’s friendly international at Wembley will bring back fond memories for Colin Grainger, who enjoyed a dream England debut against Brazil at the old stadium just over half-a-century ago, scoring twice in a 4-2 win.

Back in 1956, Grainger was a 22-year-old outside-left, playing for Sheffield United, when he learned that he had been called-up to the England squad for the first time.

“I was always a shy lad, so I was nervous at the prospect of meeting great players like Stanley Matthews and Billy Wright,” Grainger admits. “Stanley, who was always my favourite as a lad, had been recalled at the age of 41 and I was in awe of him.

“When I reported to Lancaster Gate Hotel, I was worried after being told I’d be rooming with ‘Mr Matthews’, only to be informed it was goalkeeper Reg Matthews I was sharing with and not Stanley! Reg was a nice, down-to-earth lad who made me welcome.”

When the game got underway, Tommy Taylor put England ahead after only three minutes and Grainger made it 2-0 a couple of minutes later.

“It was my first kick of the match,” says Grainger. “John Atyeo knocked the ball across the pitch to Johnny Haynes who controlled it and played it into space for me to run onto. The goalkeeper was out of position, so I was left with a wide open goal to knock the ball into.”

Brazil scored twice in the space of three minutes to level early in the second-half. Taylor restored England’s lead and Grainger added his second goal of the game in the 83rd minute after starting a move which involved Haynes and Matthews.

He says: “Matthews crossed from the right and I climbed high in front of the keeper, beating him with a glancing header.”

Grainger’s run of six consecutive appearances for England ended when he suffered a broken ankle and torn ligaments, playing against Wales at Wembley. He won his seventh and final cap a year later when he turned out against Scotland, again at Wembley.

“I still wasn’t fully fit and didn’t have a good game,” he explains. “In those days, if you had one bad game, that was it. Playing for England was great and I’m just sorry my international career didn’t last longer.”

Yorkshireman Grainger became a professional singer after retiring from the game and was signed to the HMV label. Now 73, he has just released his fourth CD, You’re My World, which features standards such as Strangers In The Night and Feelings.

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