This great international, played in accordance with the association
rules, took place on Saturday afternoon, on the West of Scotland Ground
at Partick, near Glasgow, and the weather being exceptionally fine and
pleasant there was an immense attendance of spectators, computed at
8,000. Mr. Ottaway, having won the toss, Scotland kicked off about 3.30
amidst a scene of great excitement. No sooner was the ball in motion
than the English carried it down to their opponents' citadel, Hubert
Heron, Kingsford, and Chenery making some vigorous onslaughts, which for
some time were successfully repelled. At length, however, after a
desperate mélée
in front of their lines, the ball being kicked on the breast of
Kingsford, it bounded off and went between their posts, thus crediting
England with the first goal. Ends were quickly reversed, and the Scotch,
stimulated by the cheers of their partisans, renewed the strife with
increased vigour, their efforts ultimately being crowned with success,
as Mr. F. Anderson succeeded in equalising matters by securing a goal.
Both sides fought grandly, but fortune favoured the Scotch, who shortly
afterwards obtained a second goal; and notwithstanding the strenuous
efforts of Ottaway, Chenery, Heron and Kingsford, who worked hard to
retrieve their loss, England sustained a defeat, their opponents
obtaining two goals to their one.
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It
was on 7 March 1874 that Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh and son of
Queen victoria, arrived back in England, with the new Duchess of
Edinburgh, the daughter of the Russian Tsar Alexander II, following
their wedding in St. Petersburg. |
Although the game was won by Scotland it must be admitted that the
English team played splendidly and, in an individual point of view,
surpassed the Scotch team, but the latter, who all knew each other's
play, acted magnificently together, and completely puzzled their
opponents in the art of passing the ball and close dribbling.
What the Scotch lacked in
weight was amply made up in swiftness and playing-together power - a
course which was splendidly illustrated during the game, and there can
only be one opinion about the manner in which they profited by each
other's play, passing the ball, in several instances, in a way that
completely astonished their opponents. - Bell's Life,
Sunday, 8 March 1874
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