The 1950s was one of the most dramatic and exciting decades in soccer history, with goals galore and wingers thrilling packed houses with their dazzling touchline runs. But it was also a time when, even if you were Stanley Matthews or Tom Finney, the most you could expect to earn was ?17 a week, and there was hardly a foreign player in sight! They even spoke a different soccer language in the 1950s: there were wing-halves, inside-forwards, two points for a win, and shoulder charges were allowed against goalkeepers. Red and yellow cards were something associated with magicians, and referees took names only for tackles that caused grievous bodily harm. In today’s transfer market the likes of such gifted players such as Matthews, Finney, Lawton, Mannion, Shackleton, Lofthouse, and Carter would be valued in the zillions. As well as an all-encompassing look at the domestic scene with reports on all the major finals and key matches, Footballing Fifties also carries eyewitness accounts of...