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Match No. 22 vs. Wales Match No. 24 vs. Wales Match Results


England National Football Team Match No. 23

England 4 Ireland 0  [1-0]

Saturday, 28 February 1885

Match Summary and Report

Match Summary and Report Team Records England Pre-Match Ireland Pre-Match

 

Match Summary
Status: British (Home) Championship (2nd) International, match one;
Venue: Manchester Football Ground, Chorlton Road, Whalley Range, Manchester.
Attendance: 6,000;
Goals: England - Charlie Bambridge, 44th minute;
England - Jimmy Brown, unknown, but sometime in the second half;
England - Ben Spilsbury, 75th minute;
England - William Eames, 77th minute own goal;
Notes: Some sources credit England's third goal as a Joe Lofthouse goal, but match reports clearly state an Eames own goal.
Cautions: None.
Expulsions: None.
Officials: Referee - disputed - Thomas Lawrie or James E. McKillop, both from Scotland.
Umpires - Charles Wollaston, London & John M. McAlery, Belfast, Ireland;
Notes: Question marks remain over whether Thomas Lawrie, or James McKillop refereed the match against Ireland, 28 February 1885.  Five sources - The Times, The Field, Bell's Life, Sporting Life, and the Athletic News name Lawrie, another four - Alcock's Annual 1885, Northern Whig, Belfast News-Letter, and The Sportsman name McKillop.
Conditions: -
ccc

England Team
Ranking:

No official ranking system established;  2nd in Elo world ranking both before and after this match.
Unplayed in the British Championship table before this match and first place after it.
Colours: -
Coach: None; team selection by the Football Association Committee following trial games.
Captain: Norman Bailey, 9th of 15 captaincies.

England Lineup
Player Birthdate Age Pos Club App G Career
-Arthur, W. J. Herbert 14-Feb-1863 22 G Blackburn Rovers FC 1 0 GA 1885-1887
-Walters, Percy M. 30-Sep-1863 21 RB Oxford University FC & Old Carthusians FC 1 0 1885-1890
-Walters, Arthur M. 26-Jan-1865 20 LB Cambridge University FC & Old Carthusians FC 1 0 1885-1890
-Bailey, Norman C. 23-Jul-1857 27 HB

Clapham Rovers FC

 13 1 1878-1887
-Forrest, James H. 24-Jun-1864 20 HB

Blackburn Rovers FC

 2 0 1884-1890
-Spilsbury, Benjamin W. 01-Aug-1864 20 F Cambridge University FC, Derby County FC & Corinthians FC 1 1 1885-1886
-Lofthouse, Joseph M. 14-Apr-1865 19 OR Blackburn Rovers FC 1 0 1885-1890
-Pawson, Francis W. 06-Apr-1861 23 F

Swifts FC & Corinthians FC

 2 1 1883-1885
-Brown, James 31-Jul-1862 22 CF

Blackburn Rovers FC

 3 3 1881-1885
-Cobbold W. Nevill 04-Feb-1863 22 F

Cambridge University FC, Old Carthusians FC & Corinthians FC

 3 3 1883-1887
-Bambridge, E. Charles 30-Jul-1858 26 OL

Swifts FC

 11 10 1879-1887
Formation:

not known.

not known.

Ireland Team
Ranking:

No official ranking system established; 4th in Elo world ranking both before and after this match.
Unplayed in the British Championship table before this match and fourth place after it.
Colours: -
Coach: -
Captain: Jack Davison;

Ireland Lineup
Player Birthdate Age Pos Club App G Career
-Henderson, John A.W. 31-Jul-1844 40 G

Ulster FC

 1 4 GA 1885
-Hewison, George NK FB Moyola Park FC 1 0 1885
-Moorehead, Frederick W. NK FB Dublin University FC 1 0 1885
-Molyneux, Thomas B. NK HB

Cliftonville FC

 6 0 1883-1888
-Houston, William J. NK B Moyola Park FC 1 0 1885
-Eames, William L. 18-Jul-1863 20 B Dublin University FC 1 0 1885
-McWha, William B. R. NK F

Cliftonville FC

 6 0 1882-1885
-Davison, Dr. John R. NK F

Cliftonville FC

 8 0 1882-1885
-Gibb, John T. NK F Wellington Park FC 3 0 1884-1889
-Magee, George NK F Wellington Park FC 1 0 1885
-Dill, Alexander H. NK F Cliftonville FC 7 0 1882-1885
Formation:

not known.

not known.

Match Report

 

Source Notes


William L'Estrange Eames was born in India to Irish parents.  Eames' father, also called William Eames, was a minister with the Church of Ireland and went out to India as a Senior Chaplain with the East India Company.  After completing his medical studies at Trinity College, William L'Estrange Eames migrated to Australia where  he eventually became a Major General CB, CBE, VD, Royal Army Medical Corp. 

 Eames and Frederick Moorehead were the first Dublin-based players to be selected for Ireland.

Sources

Cris Freddi's invaluable research
Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats
TheFA.com
Rothman's Yearbooks
IFFHS.de
Kaye Aldous (Great granddaughter of William Eames)

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CG