1949–50 British Home Championship

1949–50 British Home Championship was one of the most significant competitions of the British Home Championship football tournament. This year saw the competition doubling up as Group 1 in the qualifying rounds for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. It was the first time that either England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland (IFA) had entered a World Cup competition.^[1]^[2]^[3] It was also a significant moment in the history of Irish football as it was the last time that the (Northern) Irish Football Association entered a team featuring players born in both Northern Ireland and what is now the Republic of Ireland.^[4]

Both England and Scotland began well, the Scots beating Ireland 8–2 at Windsor Park while England beat Wales 4–1 in Cardiff. Both teams continued their dominance in the second round of matches, Scotland beating Wales 2–0 whilst Ireland were again heavily defeated, this time losing 9–2 to England. In the final round of games Ireland and Wales gained some consolation points with a goalless draw while − England took first place by beating Scotland 1–0 in a hard fought game in Glasgow.

World Cup qualifying

FIFA offered two places at the 1950 FIFA World Cup to the winners and runners up of the competition. However Scotland insisted they would only enter if they won the championship outright and even though they finished second, the Scottish FA declined the opportunity to enter a team in the World Cup finals for the first time. FIFA subsequently offered their place to both France, the runners-up in Group 3 and Ireland (FAI),^[5] the runners-up in Group 5. However both teams also declined the invitation. Despite winning the championship, England failed to impress at the World Cup. After defeating Chile 2–0 they then lost 1–0 to both the United States and Spain and failed to qualify for the second stage.^[6]

Last all-Ireland team

Until 1950 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Belfast-based IFA and the Dublin-based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era played for both teams.

The game between the IFA XI and Wales at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham on 8 March 1950 marked the end of an era in Irish football history. The result was irrelevant, as both teams had lost their previous games and had nothing to play for but pride. However, the 0–0 draw saw the IFA XI field an all-Ireland team for the last time. The team included four players - Tom Aherne, Reg Ryan, Davy Walsh and the captain, Con Martin - who were born in what is now the Republic of Ireland. Since this game was also a qualifier for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, the situation led to controversy. All four players had previously played for the FAI XI in their qualifiers. Both Martin and Walsh had even scored for the FAI XI. As a result, the four players actually played for two different associations in the same FIFA World Cup tournament.

FIFA intervened, after complaints from the FAI, and subsequently restricted players' eligibility based on the political border. In 1953 FIFA ruled neither team could be referred to as Ireland, decreeing that the FAI team be officially designated as the Republic of Ireland, while the IFA team was to become Northern Ireland. The IFA objected and in 1954 were permitted to continue using the name Ireland in the British Home Championship. This practice was discontinued in the late 1970s.^[7]

Table

Rank	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Final table														Home							Away
1.	England	3	3	0	0	14	3	+11	6	X	−	−	9:2	1	1	0	0	9	2	2	2	2	0	0	5	1	4
2.	Scotland	3	2	0	1	10	3	+7	4	0:1	X	2:0	−	2	1	0	1	2	1	2	1	1	0	0	8	2	2
3.	Wales	3	0	1	2	1	6	−5	1	1:4	−	X	0:0	2	0	1	1	1	4	1	1	0	0	1	0	2	0
4.	Ireland	3	0	1	2	4	17	−13	1	−	2:8	−	X	1	0	0	1	2	8	0	2	0	1	1	2	9	1

The points system worked as follows:

2 points for a win
1 point for a draw

Results

1 October 1949

Ireland	2 – 8	Scotland
Smyth 50', 60'	Report	2', 70', 88' Morris 5', 31' (pen.) Waddell 23' Steel 24' Reilly 80' Mason

Windsor Park, Belfast

Attendance: 50,000

Referee: Reginald E. Mortimer (England)

15 October 1949

Wales	1 – 4	England
Griffiths 80'	Report	22' Mortensen 29', 34', 66' Milburn

Ninian Park, Cardiff

9 November 1949

Scotland	2 – 0	Wales
McPhail 25' Linwood 78'	Report

Hampden Park, Glasgow

Attendance: 73,782

Referee: Samuel Edgar Law (England)

16 November 1949

England	9–2	Ireland
Rowley 5', 47', 55', 58' Froggatt 28' Pearson 31', 75' Mortensen 35', 50'	Report	52' Smyth 85' Brennan

Maine Road, Manchester

8 March 1950

Wales	0 – 0	Ireland

Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

15 April 1950

Scotland	0 – 1	England
	Report	63' Bentley

Hampden Park, Glasgow

Attendance: 133,991

Referee: Reginald J. Leafe (England)

Team squads

England

Head coach: Walter Winterbottom

Pos.	Player	DoB	Games played	Goals	Minutes played				Club
DF	John Aston	3 September 1921	3	0	270	90	90	90	Manchester United
FW	Roy Bentley	17 May 1924	1	1	90	−	−	90	Chelsea F.C.
MF	Jimmy Dickinson	25 April 1925	2	0	180	90	−	90	Portsmouth F.C.
FW	Tom Finney	5 April 1922	3	0	270	90	90	90	/2^[8] Preston North End
DF	Neil Franklin	24 January 1922	3	0	270	90	90	90	Stoke City
FW	Jack Froggatt	17 November 1922	1	1	90	−	90	−	Portsmouth F.C.
FW	Johnny Hancocks	30 April 1919	1	0	90	90	−	−	Wolverhampton Wanderers
FW	Bobby Langton	8 September 1918	1	0	90	−	−	90	Bolton Wanderers
FW	Wilf Mannion	16 May 1918	1	0	90	−	−	90	Middlesbrough F.C.
FW	Jackie Milburn	11 May 1924	1	3	90	90	−	−	Newcastle United
FW	Stan Mortensen	26 May 1921	3	3	270	90	90	90	Blackpool F.C.
DF	Bert Mozley	21 September 1923	2	0	180	90	90	−	Derby County
FW	Stan Pearson	15 January 1919	1	2	90	−	90	−	Manchester United
DF	Alf Ramsey	22 January 1920	1	0	90	−	−	90	/2^[8] Tottenham Hotspur
FW	Jack Rowley	7 October 1920	1	4	90	−	90	−	Manchester United
FW	Len Shackleton	3 May 1922	1	0	90	90	−	−	Sunderland A.F.C.
GK	Bernard Streten	14 January 1921	1	0	90	−	90	−	/2^[8] Luton Town
MF	Willie Watson	7 March 1920	1	0	90	−	90	−	Sunderland A.F.C.
GK	Bert Williams	31 January 1920	2	0	180	90	−	90	Wolverhampton Wanderers
MF	Billy Wright	6 February 1924	3	0	270	90	90	90	Wolverhampton Wanderers

Scotland

Head coach: none, SFA Selection Committee

Pos.	Player	DoB	Games played	Goals	Minutes played				Club
MF	George Aitken	28 May 1925	2	0	180	90	90	−	East Fife
FW	Willie Bauld	24 January 1928	1	0	90	−	−	90	Heart of Midlothian
GK	Jimmy Cowan	16 June 1926	3	0	270	90	90	90	/2^[8] Greenock Morton
DF	Sammy Cox	13 April 1924	3	0	270	90	90	90	Rangers
MF	Bobby Evans	16 July 1927	2	0	180	90	90	−	Celtic
MF	Alex Forbes	21 January 1925	1	0	90	−	−	90	Arsenal F.C.
FW	Billy Liddell	10 January 1922	2	0	180	−	90	90	Liverpool F.C.
FW	Alec Linwood	13 March 1920	1	1	90	−	90	−	Clyde
FW	Jimmy Mason	18 June 1919	1	1	90	90	−	−	Third Lanark
MF	Ian McColl	7 June 1927	1	0	90	−	−	90	Rangers
FW	John McPhail	27 December 1923	1	1	90	−	90	−	Celtic
FW	Willie Moir	19 April 1922	1	0	90	−	−	90	Bolton Wanderers
FW	Henry Morris	17 December 1919	1	3	90	90	−	−	East Fife
FW	Lawrie Reilly	28 October 1928	2	1	180	90	90	−	Hibernian
FW	Billy Steel	1 May 1923	3	1	270	90	90	90	Derby County
FW	William Waddell	7 March 1921	2	2	180	90	−	90	Rangers
MF	Willie Woodburn	8 August 1919	3	0	270	90	90	90	Rangers
DF	George Young	27 October 1922	3	0	270	90	90	90	Rangers

Ireland (IFA)

Head coach: none, managed by a committee

Pos.	Player	DoB	Games played	Goals	Minutes played				Club
DF	Tom Aherne	26 January 1919	1	0	90	−	−	90	/2^[8] Luton Town
MF	Danny Blanchflower	10 February 1926	2	0	180	90	−	90	/2^[8] Barnsley
DF/MF	Gerry Bowler	8 June 1919	3	0	270	90	90	90	/2^[8] Hull City
FW	Bobby Brennan	14 March 1925	3	1	270	90	90	90	Birmingham City
FW	Davy Cochrane	14 August 1920	2	0	180	90	90	−	/2^[8] Leeds United
FW	Eddie Crossan	17 November 1925	1	0	90	90	−	−	/2^[8] Blackburn Rovers
MF	Ray Ferris	22 September 1920	1	0	90	90	−	−	Birmingham City
DF	Jim Feeney	23 June 1921	1	0	90	−	90	−	/2^[8] Swansea Town
GK	Hugh Kelly	17 August 1919	2	0	180	−	−	90	Fulham
GK	Pat Kelly	9 April 1918	1	0	90	90	−	−	/2^[8] Barnsley
FW	Jimmy McCabe	17 September 1918	1	0	90	−	90	−	/2^[8] Leeds United
FW	Johnny McKenna	6 June 1926	3	0	270	90	90	90	Huddersfield Town
DF	Alf McMichael	1 October 1927	2	0	180	90	90	−	Newcastle United
DF	Con Martin	20 March 1923	1	0	90	−	−	90	Aston Villa
MF	Reg Ryan	30 October 1925	1	0	90	−	−	90	West Bromwich Albion
FW	Sammy Smyth	25 February 1925	3	3	270	90	90	90	Wolverhampton Wanderers
FW	Charlie Tully	11 July 1924	1	0	90	−	90	−	Celtic
MF	Jackie Vernon	26 September 1918	3	0	270	90	90	90	West Bromwich Albion
FW	Davy Walsh	28 April 1923	1	0	90	−	−	90	West Bromwich Albion

References

^ www.rsssf.com
^ The World Encyclopedia of Football (2004): Tom Macdonald
^ Guy Oliver (1992). The Guinness Record of World Soccer. Guinness. ISBN 0-85112-954-4.
^ The Boys In Green - The FAI International Story (1997): Sean Ryan
^ www.independent.ie
^ The World Cup - The Complete History (2002): Terry Crouch
^ The Boys In Green - The FAI International Story (1997): Sean Ryan
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l The number indicates the league the team played in that year.

[1] www.rsssf.com

[2] The World Encyclopedia of Football (2004): Tom Macdonald

[3] Guy Oliver (1992). The Guinness Record of World Soccer. Guinness. ISBN 0-85112-954-4.

[4] The Boys In Green - The FAI International Story (1997): Sean Ryan

[5] www.independent.ie

[6] The World Cup - The Complete History (2002): Terry Crouch

[7] The Boys In Green - The FAI International Story (1997): Sean Ryan

[league-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l The number indicates the league the team played in that year.

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v t e British Home Championship
Football in the United Kingdom: England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
Competitors	England Ireland / Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
Seasons	1883–84 1884–85 1885–86 1886–87 1887–88 1888–89 1889–90 1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 First World War 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 Second World War 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84
Rous Cup Nations Cup Matches outside the British Home Championship