The footballer Tommy Banks, who has died aged 94, was a quintessential Lancastrian full-back of the 1950s and early 60s – rugged, ebullient, no nonsense, tough, yet admirably good tempered. His big year came in 1958, when he not only helped his beloved Bolton Wanderers win the FA Cup final against Manchester United, but played for England in the World Cup finals in Sweden, appearing in all four matches.
For England he had taken the place at left-back of Manchester United’s captain, Roger Byrne, who had died in the Munich air disaster earlier that year. They were very different players: Byrne composed and elegant, Banks a force of nature. But in the World Cup group stage game in Sweden against Brazil, Banks showed he could play cultured football with the best of them. At one point England’s right-back, Don Howe, mis-kicked and skied the ball, creating instant confusion. But there was Tommy, ready to step in almost casually, stretching out his left foot and coolly bringing the ball down from the air, as if to say: “Anything you Brazilians can do, I can do too.”
