Rare 1911 England shirt sells for £4k at auction

A match-worn England football shirt from 1911 has sold for £4,000.

The jersey was worn by an England player in the 3-0 win against Wales at Millwall's ground The Den, and then swapped with Welsh international Ted Vizard.

Derbyshire-based auctioneers Hansons said the shirt had sold for four times its estimate.

Buyer Jim Murray said purchasing the jersey ended his 35-year hunt for a shirt from the fixture.

Mr Murray, a whisky writer and Millwall fan, said: "My first book was Millwall: Lions of The South which I started writing in 1985.

"That's when I knew I'd like to own a shirt from that game.

"But after 35 years I'd all but given up hope of ever finding one."

Welsh international and Bolton Wanderers player Vizard, swapped his short for the jersey, but it is not known which England player wore it during the match.

The family's cleaner was then gifted it in the early 1970s while the Vizards were "having a clear out".

The seller, who did not wish to be named, said: "My mother kept the shirt in a plastic bag in a drawer for years and occasionally got it out to show people and talk about how she was given it."

Left winger Vizard joined Bolton from Barry in 1910, and made 512 appearances for The Trotters, scoring 70 goals.

He earned 22 international caps for Wales.

Hansons expert David Wilson-Turner said: "I'm absolutely delighted for Jim Murray.

"There was no swaying him. He had to have it and it's wonderful to know it will be treasured."

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