Dennis Wilshaw
Encyclopedia
Dennis James Wilshaw was an English
international
footballer. He scored 172 goals in 379 appearances in the Football League
, and also scored ten goals in twelve appearances for the England national team
.
described him as: "Slim but strong, at and , Wilshaw was quick and direct, with a powerful shot... Essentially left-footed but effortlessly versatile, Wilshaw could play with equal success at outside-left, inside-left, or even centre-forward."
Another journalist, Ivan Ponting, wrote that: "Wilshaw was strong, resilient and direct, an awkward customer for any opponent to control, and thus was perfectly suited to Stan Cullis
's formidable all-action Wolves side... He was capable of sudden bursts of searing acceleration which equipped him ideally to exploit gaps in opposition defences. His shooting was explosively powerful, especially with his left foot, and he was combative in the air."
in March 1944 after playing for Packmoor Boys' Club in his youth. The war
made guesting a common occurrence and so he played a game for Port Vale
on 5 May 1945, a 6-0 Potteries derby
thumping at the Victoria Ground
. He began guesting at Walsall
and had an extended loan spell at the Third Division South
side, making 74 appearances, scoring 27 goals, before returning to top flight
Wolves in September 1948. During this time he also continued his education to become a qualified teacher
.
Staying at Molineux
for another nine years, he managed a total of 117 goals in 232 matches for the club. He made his Wolves' debut on 12 March 1949, scoring a hat-trick
over Newcastle United
, he went on to score ten goals in eleven league games that season
.
Thanks to greats such as Jesse Pye
and Roy Swinbourne
, it took until the 1952–53 to establish himself in the first team, he bagged 18 goals in 30 games that season. He was a part of the Wolves side that won the league in 1953–54. Scoring 25 of Wolves' 96 goals that season, he described the players poor relationship with manager Stan Cullis
, claiming that the club's team spirit was good "because we all hated his guts".
In his time, Wolves were one of the greatest teams in the world and he played in victories over Spartak Moscow
, Dynamo Moscow
, Valencia
, Honvéd
and Real Madrid
.
In 1957, the striker was transferred to Second Division
Stoke City
for a £10,000 fee, scoring 49 goals in 108 games. He retired from professional football in 1961 after breaking
a leg in a FA Cup
tie.
for the England
, five of which were friendlies
and seven were competitive fixtures. He scored twice on his debut on 10 October 1953 against Wales
, in a 4-1 victory at Ninian Park
.
His next game was in the 1954 FIFA World Cup
, scoring a goal against Switzerland
at the Wankdorf Stadium
. He also appeared in the competition's quarter-finals, as England lost 4-2 to the Uruguayans
.
His fourth cap was in the 1955 British Home Championship
, he bagged four goals in a 7-2 win over Scotland
at Wembley. After caps against France
, Spain
, Portugal
and Wales, both his eighth and ninth goals came against Northern Ireland
in a 3-0 win. His final goal came against Finland in Helsinki
on 20 May 1956 in a 3-0 victory.
After a friendly against West Germany, he made his final international appearance at Windsor Park
, in a 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland in the 1957 British Home Championship
.
and also became a qualified FA coach and sports psychologist.
He also took up his old career as a schoolteacher and eventually became head of a school in his native Stoke. Later he joined the Social and Community Studies department at Crewe and Alsager College of Education.
He died in Stoke-on-Trent
on 10 May 2004, at the age of 78, after suffering a heart attack
.
with England
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
international
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
footballer. He scored 172 goals in 379 appearances in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
, and also scored ten goals in twelve appearances for the England national team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
.
Playing style
Brian GlanvilleBrian Glanville
Brian Lester Glanville is a leading English football writer and novelist.-Biography:Glanville was educated at Charterhouse School, where he played football to a high standard...
described him as: "Slim but strong, at and , Wilshaw was quick and direct, with a powerful shot... Essentially left-footed but effortlessly versatile, Wilshaw could play with equal success at outside-left, inside-left, or even centre-forward."
Another journalist, Ivan Ponting, wrote that: "Wilshaw was strong, resilient and direct, an awkward customer for any opponent to control, and thus was perfectly suited to Stan Cullis
Stan Cullis
Stanley Cullis was a professional footballer and manager, most notably for Wolverhampton Wanderers. During his term as manager between 1948 and 1964 Wolves became one of the strongest teams in the British game, winning the league title on three occasions, and playing a series of high-profile...
's formidable all-action Wolves side... He was capable of sudden bursts of searing acceleration which equipped him ideally to exploit gaps in opposition defences. His shooting was explosively powerful, especially with his left foot, and he was combative in the air."
Club career
Wilshaw joined Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
in March 1944 after playing for Packmoor Boys' Club in his youth. The war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
made guesting a common occurrence and so he played a game for Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
on 5 May 1945, a 6-0 Potteries derby
Potteries derby
The Potteries derby is the football local derby in Stoke-on-Trent between Port Vale and Stoke City. The fans of each club both consider the other to be their main rivals; this has led to a heated atmosphere at these matches, especially with the rise of football hooliganism and the 'Naughty Forty'...
thumping at the Victoria Ground
Victoria Ground
Victoria Ground may refer to:*Victoria Ground, the former name of Hartlepool United’s ground Victoria Park.*Victoria Ground, Stoke City’s ground from 1878 to 1997.*Victoria Ground, current home of Bromsgrove Rovers...
. He began guesting at Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
and had an extended loan spell at the Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
side, making 74 appearances, scoring 27 goals, before returning to top flight
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
Wolves in September 1948. During this time he also continued his education to become a qualified teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
.
Staying at Molineux
Molineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
for another nine years, he managed a total of 117 goals in 232 matches for the club. He made his Wolves' debut on 12 March 1949, scoring a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
over Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, he went on to score ten goals in eleven league games that season
1948-49 in English football
The 1948–49 season was the 69th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Portsmouth won the First Division title for the first time with a team of no recognised stars and very few international players. They won the league by five points from Manchester United and Derby...
.
Thanks to greats such as Jesse Pye
Jesse Pye
Jesse Pye was an English footballer. He played in the Football League for , and and scored twice in the 1949 FA Cup Final for the former....
and Roy Swinbourne
Roy Swinbourne
Royston Harry "Roy" Swinbourne is an English former footballer who played as a centre forward in the Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers. He was capped once by England B.-Career:...
, it took until the 1952–53 to establish himself in the first team, he bagged 18 goals in 30 games that season. He was a part of the Wolves side that won the league in 1953–54. Scoring 25 of Wolves' 96 goals that season, he described the players poor relationship with manager Stan Cullis
Stan Cullis
Stanley Cullis was a professional footballer and manager, most notably for Wolverhampton Wanderers. During his term as manager between 1948 and 1964 Wolves became one of the strongest teams in the British game, winning the league title on three occasions, and playing a series of high-profile...
, claiming that the club's team spirit was good "because we all hated his guts".
In his time, Wolves were one of the greatest teams in the world and he played in victories over Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian football club from Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 9 of 19 Russian championships they are one of the country's most successful clubs. They have also won the Soviet Cup 10 times and the Russian Cup 3 times...
, Dynamo Moscow
FC Dynamo Moscow
Dynamo Moscow is a Russian football club based in Moscow, currently playing in the Russian Premier League. Dynamo's traditional kit colours are blue and white...
, Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, Honvéd
Budapest Honvéd FC
Budapest Honvéd FC |football]] team. "Honved" means the Homeland Defense. Originally formed as Kispest AC, they became Kispest FC in 1926 before reverting to their original name in 1944. The team enjoyed a golden age during the 1950s when it was renamed Budapest Honvéd SE and became the Hungarian...
and Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
.
In 1957, the striker was transferred to Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
for a £10,000 fee, scoring 49 goals in 108 games. He retired from professional football in 1961 after breaking
Bone fracture
A bone fracture is a medical condition in which there is a break in the continuity of the bone...
a leg in a FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
tie.
International career
Wilshaw earned 12 capsCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for the England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, five of which were friendlies
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
and seven were competitive fixtures. He scored twice on his debut on 10 October 1953 against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
, in a 4-1 victory at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
.
His next game was in the 1954 FIFA World Cup
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
, scoring a goal against Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
at the Wankdorf Stadium
Wankdorf Stadium
The Wankdorf Stadium was a football stadium in the Wankdorf quarter of Bern, Switzerland, and the former home of Swiss club BSC Young Boys. It was built in 1925, and as well as serving as a club stadium, it hosted several important matches, including the 1954 FIFA World Cup Final, the 1961...
. He also appeared in the competition's quarter-finals, as England lost 4-2 to the Uruguayans
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
.
His fourth cap was in the 1955 British Home Championship
1955 British Home Championship
The 1955 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1954–55 football season. It was won by a strong England side which included players such as Johnny Haynes and Nat Lofthouse as well as future manager Don Revie...
, he bagged four goals in a 7-2 win over Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
at Wembley. After caps against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and Wales, both his eighth and ninth goals came against Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
in a 3-0 win. His final goal came against Finland in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
on 20 May 1956 in a 3-0 victory.
After a friendly against West Germany, he made his final international appearance at Windsor Park
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, in a 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland in the 1957 British Home Championship
1957 British Home Championship
The 1957 British Home Championship was the final full championship before the Munich air disaster would kill senior members of all four squads mid-way through the following tournament. A close-fought competition between England and Scotland, the tournament also featured some very good performances...
.
Post-retirement
After retiring as a player, Wilshaw stayed with Stoke City as a scoutScout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
and also became a qualified FA coach and sports psychologist.
He also took up his old career as a schoolteacher and eventually became head of a school in his native Stoke. Later he joined the Social and Community Studies department at Crewe and Alsager College of Education.
He died in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
on 10 May 2004, at the age of 78, after suffering a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
Honours
with Wolverhampton Wanderers- Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
champion: 1953–54 - Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
runner-up: 1949–50 & 1954–55
with England
- British Home ChampionshipBritish Home ChampionshipThe British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
winner: 19551955 British Home ChampionshipThe 1955 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1954–55 football season. It was won by a strong England side which included players such as Johnny Haynes and Nat Lofthouse as well as future manager Don Revie...
, 19561956 British Home ChampionshipThe 1956 British Home Championship was a football tournament played during the 1955–56 season between the British Home Nations. It was the only occasion during the hundred year run of the Home Championship in which all four teams finished level on points...
& 19571957 British Home ChampionshipThe 1957 British Home Championship was the final full championship before the Munich air disaster would kill senior members of all four squads mid-way through the following tournament. A close-fought competition between England and Scotland, the tournament also featured some very good performances...