England National Football Team Match No. 2

England 4 Scotland 2
* please note that there is no half-time score

Saturday, 8 March 1873

Match Summary and Report

Match Summary

Not known.

England Team

No official ranking system established; 1st in Elo world ranking both before and after this match.

England Lineup

2-2-6

Morten - 
Greenhalgh, Howell - 
Goodwyn, Vidal - 
von Donop, Chenery, Clegg, Bonsor, Kenyon-Slaney, Heron.

Scotland Team

No official ranking system established; 2nd in Elo world ranking both before and after this match.

Scotland Lineup

2-2-6

Gardner  -
Taylor, Ker  -
Thomson, Smith  -
MacKinnon, Renny-Tailyour, Kinnaird, Blackburn, Gibb, Wotherspoon.

Match Report

 

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

Source Notes

England's goalkeeper is believed to be the Alexander Morten who was born in Middlesex in 1831 or 1832 and who died at Earl's Court on 24 February 1900.  If that is correct, he is England's oldest debutant.

The Crystal Palace club for which Alexander Morten and Charles John Chenery played was not the Crystal Palace FC we know today.

Sources

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, pp19-20 (Queen Anne Press, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UK,. revised edition 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, p9 (Virgin Books, London 1997)

Farror, Morley & Douglas Lamming, A Century of English International Football 1872-1972, p12 (Robert Hale & Co, London 1972)

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

Gibbs, Nick  England:The Football Facts, p142 (Facer Publishing Ltd., Exeter 1988)

Hockings, Ron & Keir Radnedge  Nations of Europe, vol 1, p174. vol 2, p222 (Articulate, Ernsworth, Hampshire 1993)

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

James, Brian  England v Scotland p20-22, 25-26 (Sportsmans Book Club edition, Readers Union Ltd., London 1970, originally published by Pelham Books 1969)

Lamming, Douglas  An England Football Internationalists' Who's Who 1872-1988, passim (Hutton Press Ltd., Beverly, North Humberside 1990)

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

Maxwell, John Scottish International Football Archive (website)

Nawrat, Chris & Steve Hutchings The Sunday Times Illustrated History of Football, p8 (Hamlyn, Octopus Publishing Group Ltd., London 1998)

Robinson, Michael & Mike Ross Soccer:The International Line-Ups & Statistics Series - England 1872-1960 p4 (Soccer Book Publishing Ltd, Cleethorpes, South Humberside 1995)

Robinson, Petra & Angus Ross Soccer:The International Line-Ups & Statistics Series - Scotland 1872-1960 p3 (Soccer Book Publishing Ltd, Cleethorpes, South Humberside 1995)

Rollin, Jack Rothmans Book of Football Records pp269, 314 (Headline Book Publishing, London 1998)

Shaoul, Mark & Tony Williamson Forever England: A History of the National Side p13 (Tempus Publishing Ltd., Stroud, Gloucestershire 2000)

Young, Percy M. A History of British Football p108, 110-111 (Sportsman Book Club Edition, Readers Union Ltd, London 1969, originally published by Stanley Paul & Co Ltd., London 1968)

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CG/PY