Match Summary

England Team

Scotland Team

The teams had three months to prepare for this match, and because of that, they did not disappoint.  

The press of the day noted several players had exceptional games, singling out England forwards Kenyon-Slaney and Vidal for their attacking play and Goodwyn and Howell for their excellent service.  Scotland's London-based forwards Kinnaird and Renny-Tailyour excelled, too, but the Scottish team as a whole could not match England's strength.  

Even the umpires had a busy match, restoring order on numerous occasions when the over-excited crowd spilled onto the playing field.

England responded to last year's scoreless display by adopting the 2-2-6 formation the Scots favoured.  It suited England well.  

Kenyon-Slaney opened the scoring straight from a throw-in after just a minute.  After the teams changed ends following the goal, England continued to push and dominated play.  A shot by Bonsor was initially saved by Gardner, but his mistake allowed the ball to go through the goal-posts.  Yet Scotland were not to be a walk-over.  Kinnaird set up the afternoon's best goal, his excellent dribble allowing Renny-Tailyour to score.

The game settled down to a more even pace until the 20th minute, when Gibb scored Scotland's equaliser from behind a scrimmage.  But that was all for Scotland; they tired and could no longer match England's stamina.  

Thirty minutes later, England struck again, as Kenyon-Slaney scored yet another goal from a throw-in.  After an English onslaught that should have produced several more goals, Chenery secured England's first victory with the team's fourth goal.  

Most of the 3,000 spectators left the ground happy after an exceptional game, which clearly left them eager for more.  - CG

If any proof were necessary to evince the growing popularity of the winter game of wielders of the willow, there was sufficient evidence on this occasion to convince the most sceptical that football, if only aided by fine weather, is a game that could take its place among the leading pastimes of the day…

The Scotchmen were opposed to a most formidable eleven, and towards the finish they were certainly overmatched… - Bell’s Life in London and Sporting Chronicle – Sunday 9^th March, 1873

Source Notes

Brown, Alan, "Scotland - International Matches 1872-1880", Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistical Foundation [RSSSF] Archive (website)

Brown, Alan, "Scotland International Matches 1872-2001", Scottish Football Data Services (website)

Butler, Bryon, The Official History of the Football Association, pp. 14-20 (Queen Anne Press, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, U.K., revised ed. 1993)

Castle Home Video The Official History of The England Football Team 1872-1996 (Sanctuary Records Group Ltd. 1996 and 2002) (DVD)

Edworthy, Niall, England: The Official F.A. History, pp. 6-9 (Virgin Books, London, 1997)

Farror, Morley & Douglas Lamming, A Century of English International Football 1872-1972, pp. 9-12 (Robert Hale & Company, London, 1972)

The Football Association Yearbook, yearly.

Freddi, Cris, England Football Factbook, p91-256 (Guinness Publishing Ltd, London 1991)

Gibbs, Nick, England: The Football Facts, p. 142 (Facer Publishing Limited, Exeter, England, 1988)

Hockings, Ron & Keir Radnedge, Nations of Europe, vol. 1, p. 174, vol. 2, p. 222 (Articulate, Ernsworth, Hampshire, U.K., 1993)

Hurley, Jeff, United Kingdom & Eire International Database (Association of Football Statisticians 1998)

James, Brian, England v Scotland, pp. 17-20, 24-25 (Sportsmans Book Club edition, Readers Union Limited, London, 1970, originally published by Pelham Books, 1969)

Lamming, Douglas, An English Football Internationlists’ Who’s Who 1872 – 1988, passim (Hutton Press Limited, Beverly, North Humberside, U.K., 1990)

Lamming, Douglas, A Scottish Internationalists' Who's Who 1872-1986, passim (Hutton Press Ltd., Beverly, North Humberside, U.K., 1987)

Maxwell, John, Scottish International Football Archive (website)

Mourant, Andrew & Jack Rollin, The Essential History of England, pp. 8-11 (Headline Book Publishing, London, 2002)

Nawrat, Chris & Steve Hutchings, The Sunday Times Illustrated History of Football, p. 8 (1998 ed., Hamlyn, Octopus Publishing Group Ltd., London, 1998)

Robinson, Michael & Mike Ross, Soccer: The International Line-ups & Statistics Series—England 1872-1960, p. 4 (Soccer Book Publishing Ltd., Cleethorpes, South Humberside, England, 1995)

Robinson, Petra & Angus Ross, Soccer:  The International Line-ups & Statistics Series—Scotland 1872-1960, p. 3 (Soccer Book Publishing Ltd., Cleethorpes, South Humberside, England, 1995)

Rollin, Jack, Rothmans Book of Football Records, pp. 269, 314 (Headline Book Publishing, London, 1998)

The Scottish Football Association, Scottish Match Archive (website)

Shaoul, Mark & Tony Williamson, Forever England: A History of the National Side, pp. 11-12 (Tempus Publishing Ltd, Stroud, Gloucestershire 2000)

Warsop, Keith, The Early F.A Cup Finals and the Southern Amateurs, (Tony Brown).

Young, Percy M., A History of British Football, pp. 104-08, 110-11 (Sportsmans Book Club edition, Readers Union Ltd., London, 1969, originally published by Stanley Paul & Co. Ltd., London, 1968)

____________________

CG/PY