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9 vs. Scotland
Saturday, 2 March 1878
Association Friendly Match
 
Scotland 7 England 2 [4-0]
 

 
Hampden Park, Hampden Terrace, Prospect Hill, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
The first time England have played in a purpose-built venue
Kick-off (London Time): 3:30pm.
Attendance:
'where 12,000 spectators assembled'; 'it is computed that about 15,000 spectators were present'; 'An enormous crowd, variously estimated from 10,000 to 15,000 persons'; 'played before 20,000.'














Season Record
England's first visit to Hampden Park, but fourth to Glasgow, to Lanarkshire and to Scotland
Charles Campbell won the toss Arthur Cursham kicked-off
[1-0] John McDougall 7
 'safely landed'
[2-0] John McGregor 32
 'breasted'

[3-0] Harry McNiel 39
[4-0] John McDougall 41
 'foot'




Highet is also named as the scorer of the third goal, as well as the fourth goal in some reports.
[5-0] John McDougall 46 HATTRICK
The very first international hat-trick scored
[6-0] Billy MacKinnon 62
Thomas Vallance injury - ten men 65
[7-1] Harry McNiel 70
 'rounded keeper'
 

[6-1] JG Wylie 65
'placed'

[7-2] Arthur Cursham 75
new record established for most goals in a half - now five goals scored
       "Fine, in general, with a slight shower through the match. A stiff wind prevailed." Played according to SFA rules
 

Match Summary

Officials [umpires and referees are of equal relevance]

Scotland

Team Records England Party

Umpires

 
Godfrey William Turner
24 (mid-1854), Slough
Edinburgh University
Robert Bell Colquhoun
24 (4 March 1853) Dumbarton
(SFA vice-President)
Referee
William
Anderson Dick
27 (17 July 1850), Glasgow (Hon. secretary SFA)
   
Scotland Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 1st
Colours Dark blue shirts, white shorts.
Captain Charles Campbell Selection The Scottish Football Association Selection Committee
P 4 of 9, W 4 - D 0 - L 0 - F 16 - A 3. following four trial matches, the team chosen on Tuesday, 26 February 1878
Scotland Lineup
1 Gardner, Robert 30
275 days
31 May 1847 G Clydesdale FC 5 11ᵍᵃ
was an Umpire in the 1876 match oldest opp. player/gk so far final app 1872-78
39   McIntyre, Andrew 22
205 days
9 August 1855 Backs Vale of Leven FC 1 0
4 Vallance, Thomas, injured off (eye injury) 65th min 21
279 days
27 May 1856 Rangers FC 3 0
4 Campbell, Charles 24
41 days
20 January 1854 Half
Backs
Queen's Park FC 5 1
5 Kennedy, Alexander 24
354 days
13 March 1853 Third Lanark Rifle Volunteers FC 4 0
will be an umpire in the 1888 fixture
  Richmond, James Tassie 19
345 days
22 March 1858 Forward Queen's Park FC 2 1
McGregor, John Cunningham 27
11 days
20 February 1851 Vale of Leven FC 3 1
McDougall, John 23
327 days
9 April 1854 Vale of Leven FC 3 3
the first hat-trick against England
9 Highet, Thomas Cochrane 24
198 days
16 August 1853 Queen's Park FC 4 1
final app 1875-78
MacKinnon, William Muir 26
43 days
18 January 1852 Queen's Park FC 8 3
most apps
McNiel, Henry 24/25 1853 Queen's Park FC 6 5
reserves: not known
team notes: Thomas Vallance was hurt in the melee that was England's first goal. He was forced to retire from the match 'getting a piece of turf in his eye'.
records: This is the first England match to feature just one debutant in the opposition, also a new Scottish record against England. .
They had started the previous match, against Wales on 5 March 1877 with no new debutants, thus becoming the first International team to play with new new players involved.
Harry McNiel has now scored four goals against England, making him the record opposing goalscorer.
 
 2-2-6 Gardner -
McIntyre, Vallance -
Campbell, Kennedy -
Richmond, McGregor, McDougall, Highet, MacKinnon, McNiel.
Averages: Age 24 years 195-228 days Appearances/Goals 4.0 1.4
oldest opposing team until 1879 most experienced opposing team until 1882
 
England Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 2nd
Colours White shirts with the English Arms in black on the breast, white shorts and dark blue caps.
Captain Arthur Cursham Selection The Football Association Committee with secretary Charles W. Alcock having the primary influence
P 1 of 2, W 0 - D 0 - L 1 - F 2 - A 7 P 7 of 31, W 1 - D 2 - L 4 - F 10 - A 19.
¹ team chosen on Saturday evening, 23 February 1878
England Lineup
(record-equalling low eight changes to the previous match)
eight   Warner, Conrad 27
322 days
14 April 1850 G Upton Park FC 1 7ᵍᵃ
fifty only app 1878
51   Hunter, John 26
201 days
13 August 1851 Full
Backs
Heeley FC, Providence FC, Wednesday Club & Sheffield Albion FC 1 0
52   Lyttelton, Edward 22
222 days
23 July 1855 Cambridge University AFC & Old Etonians AFC 1 0
only app 1878
4 Jarrett, Beaumont G. 22
227 days
18 July 1855 Half
Backs
Cambridge University AFC & Old Harrovians AFC 3 0
final app 1876-78
53   Bailey, Norman C. 20
222 days
23 July 1857 Old Westminsters AFC & Clapham Rovers FC 1 0
54   Fairclough, Percy 20
29 days
1 February 1858 Forward Old Foresters AFC 1 0
only app 1878
55 Wylie, John George 23
148 days
5 October 1854 Wanderers FC & Sheffield FC 1 1
only app 1878
Cursham, Arthur W. 24
353 days
14 March 1853 Notts County FC 3 1
56   Wace, Henry 24
162 days
21 September 1853 Wanderers FC & Clapham Rovers FC 1 0
10 Heron, G. Hubert H. 26
31 days
30 January 1852
 
Wanderers FC & Swifts FC
 
5 0
was an umpire in the previous match most apps
final app 1876-78
11 Mosforth, William 20
59 days
2 January 1858 Sheffield Albion FC 2
reserves: not known
team changes: The original line-up included Cambridge University AFC's Lindsay Bury and Royal Engineers FC's Robert Hedley. Their places went to Lyttlelton and Wace.
team notes: Hubert Heron's brother, Frank, played for England in 1876. Edward Lyttelton's brother, Alf, played for England a year later. Heron's were the third brothers, to play, the Lyttelton's the fourth.
Cuthbert Ottaway, England's first ever captain, died a month after this match, on 2 April 1878.
records: This is the first time that England have lost three matches in a row.
Arthur Cursham on his third outing, becomes the most experienced England player to score a goal.
Meanwhile, in his final outing Hubert Heron is the most experienced player to have not scored a goal.
 
2-2-6 Warner -
Hunter, Lyttelton -
Jarrett, Bailey -
Fairclough, Wylie, Cursham, Wace, Mosforth, Heron.
Averages: Age 23 years 213 days Appearances/Goals 1.8  0.2
most experienced team until next match
"The Englishmen were entertained at dinner by the Scottish Association, at the Royal Hotel." - Monday, 4 March 1878, Sheffield Daily Telegraph.
 
       Match Report The Times, Monday, 4 March 1878

About 15,000 spectators were present at Hampden-park, near Glasgow, on Saturday, to witness the seventh annual match between England and Scotland, under Association Rules. Unfortunately, heavy rains on Thursday and Friday caused the ground to be in a very moist, slippery condition on the Saturday. A close contest had been anticipated, although it was generally admitted that the English possessed a stronger team than their rivals. The home team always have an advantage, however, in having a larger number of players to select from, owing to the difficulty in getting players to travel so far north or south, as the case may be. The consequence was that Scotland sent a very formidable 11 into the field, and as they were lighter and passed the ball better than the Southerners, the result was an easy victory.
 
The Scotch were successful in the toss, and chose to play at first with the wind, which blew rather strongly, at their backs. With this powerful ally they soon pushed the warfare into the enemy's territory, and it was not long before M'Dougal kicked a goal for Scotland. This was soon after followed by a second goal obtained by M'Gregor. The English now strove hard to stem the tide, which appeared to have set in so unfavourably against them. They were unable to do so, however, as before half-time had arrived the Scotch had doubled their previous score, M'Neil and Highet each being credited with a goal. With the change of ends and with the wind at their backs it was expected that a change would follow in the fortunes of the Southerners. But their hopes were soon dispelled, as a minute had hardly passed before M'Dougal kicked a fifth goal for Scotland, and M'Kinnon a few minutes later obtained a sixth. A check to these continued successes was now made through a combined rush on the part of the English forwards, and Wace getting in possession of the ball, kicked it between the posts. This success, however, was of short duration, as M'Neil quickly scored a seventh goal for Scotland. Before the conclusion of the match the Southerners made another raid into their opponents' territory, and a second goal was secured. "Time" was soon afterwards called, and the Scotch were pronounced victors by seven goals to two. Of the seven matches which have been played, Scotland claims four victories, England one, and two games have been drawn.

  

       Match Report Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle, Sunday, 3 March 1878
"The England players we had down this time were a splendid lot of players individually, but to my idea they played very selfishly, each one of them appearing to play for himself and not for the success of the side" - 'A Disgusted Englishman'
 
"The cause was not so much the want of English pluck and endurance as the superiority shown by the Scotch in playing together, power, and the result of incessant practise. The strangers fought bravely and well but the hardy Scots fought better, and the game was won."
  
       In Other News....
It was on 3 March 1878 that Russian forces liberated Bulgaria at the Treaty of San Stefano after 500 years as part of the Ottoman Empire.
  
       Source Notes
J.Turner Umpire:- J.Turner, Swifts and G.Turner, Edinburgh University, the umpire in 1878, are both the same person... Godfrey William, baptised 26 July 1854 in his birthplace, Upton-cum-Chalvey (now a suburb of Slough), sometime in that quarter prior. Godfrey, and his younger brother, Charles George (b.1859), established football in the rugby-stronghold city of Edinburgh. They were both at Edinburgh University and established its first football club and arranged its first fixture (vs. Glasgow University). Godfrey was unanimously voted in as the club's first captain. He died on 17 July 1936 and is buried in St Mary's Churchyard in Slough.
    

The Football Association Yearbook
original newspaper report & Independent, 4 March 1878
Douglas Lamming's A Century of English International Football 1872-1988
Douglas Lamming's A Scottish Internationalists' Who's Who 1872-1986
Cris Freddi's England Football Factbook
Nick Gibbs England: The Football Facts

  John Maxwell's Scottish International Football Archive (website)
Jack Rollin's Rothmans Book of Football Records
The Scottish Football Association, Scottish Match Archive
James Corbett's England Expects
The Official History of the England Football Team (DVD)
LondonHearts.com
John Treleven
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