MANCHESTER XI 5 ENGLAND XI 4
Bert Trautmann Testimonial
15th April 1964
Attendance 47,951
From TRAUTMANN THE BIOGRAPHY by Alan Rowlands
Bert Trautmann’s testimonial match attracted one of the largest attendances assembled for such a game. The official attendance was a doctored 47,951. The more realistic figure of 60,000 was revealed in later years.
The build up and publicity for the match was incredible, the sportswriters pulled every possible cliche out of the hat in praise of his career and Trautmann was the subject of countless interviews in England and Germany.
A truly magnificent collection of football talent lined up at 7-30pm that Wednesday evening. In the Manchester XI were Trautmann, Law, Charlton and Kevan, in opposition the team included Matthews, Finney and Armfield.
The atmosphere of the game was charged with emotion, and the noise from the crowd when Trautmann led out the two teams was ear shattering, he could feel the pin pricks at the back of his eyes as the wall of noise welcomed him on to the field.
In a match of no consequence other than to honour one man, the players exhibited all their tricks and skills to entertain the spectators, but as the end of the game approached, with the Manchester team leading 5-4, the intense sentiment of the crowd started to interrupt the game. It started with a few small boys running on to the pitch to hug Trautmann, they were followed by larger boys and finally a torrent of humanity flowed from the terraces to engulf the man of the moment. The Manchester police cleared a path to the safety of the Main Stand where Trautmann, choking back tears, said farewell.
Never forget that night as a 12 yr old boy sat with my dad in the main stand. At the end they brought on a large spotlight onto the pitch to guide the way for Bert to leave the pitch. I can remember Noel Cantwell being given the run around my Stanley Matthews. What a game What a night What a player and person. Mr Manchester City. My boyhood hero. Never to be forgotten
Same,althogh I’m a red I was 12 when my dad took me to this match,a night I will never forget and my first live match.
I went to Berts testimonial that night I remember walking to maine rd from bradford in beswick and home again because I only had enough money to get in the ground, but it was well worth it, he was a fantastic keeper and great servant for city.
Hi from Durban South Africa…I was at the game. Walked from Salford with my mate Robert Thornton. Both about 13. Had to be pulled out of the crowd onto the pitch behind Berts goal because somebody dropped cuppa down my mates neck. Hot hot tea..CTID John Dockney
I was 10 years old, went with my mate Willie (a red). What I remember most is grown men swinging on the cross bar at the scoreboard end at the end of the game until it snapped. I’ve still got the original programme from the night.
Have just read the news of the new film about Bert’s life. I was at the match as a 13 year old with my brother and a group of mates from our road in Wythenshawe. Most of us are lifelong Reds but this was a huge event with some of the great players of the post war era and was not to missed! We were behind Bert’s goal in the second half and, as youngsters often went to the front of standing adults, we saw all the action . At the end we ran on the pitch and I pulled out one of the metal pegs holding his goal net down and took it home as a souvenir but no idea where it is now!.
His is a great story and well worth telling in film, a story about a great man in a great city where football and character mattered more than prejudice.
Can’t wait to see the film!!
Went to the match with my dad when I was 8 and hearing about the film has brought it all flooding back (and brought tears to my eyes). Can’t wait to see it. Jeremy
I was at the match and my most vivid memory(apart from tears) was Maurice Setters scoring an own goal and saying afterwards he had always wanted to put one past Bert
I went to the game with my cousin. I was not yet eight years old and he was only twelve. My first night match. I remember asking my cousin what colours he thought the Manchester team would play in and he said, “red and blue makes purple, maybe purple shirts”, We were pretty naïve in those days. I was in the Kippax at the front and remember seeing Dennis Law come to the touchline, quite close to where I was standing.
I was at the game, a fitting tribute to my hero Bert Trautmann. It was his fault I became a goalie and eventually played for Manchester Boys alongside Nobby Stiles. Even visited Bert`s first house in Bremen, still intact after the War. `The Keeper` film still brings tears to my eyes. Incredible man, especially what he went through to eventually play for City….and all for £20/week wages in those days ! R.I.P Bert.
That’s my Dad, Sgt Jim Duncan, escorting Bert off the pitch at FT in the picture above. I have a framed print on our bedroom wall. I was in the Platt Lane, aged 10.
We have the official match program signed by all of the 22 players, including the likes of Puskas and Eusebio. I think we got the program from Gordon Taylor (ex Bolton Wanderers and Birmingham City player, and secretary of the football league). Our dad was great friends with Gordon’s uncle. Probably with a few quid?