It wasn’t unusual for England footballers to be mentioned in morning assembly at the grammar school I attended in Stoke-on-Trent in the fifties.
Dennis Wilshaw, the Wolverhampton Wanderers and England inside forward, taught us PE and maths, and so we frequently heard of his achievements.
One spring morning in 1955, the headmaster announced casually, ‘At Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Mr Wilshaw scored four goals in the Association Football international against Scotland.’
This made Dennis the first