The Association
International match for this year was played on Hampden Park, Glasgow,
on Saturday, before 14,000
spectators. Both sides were well represented,
the eleven from England being looked upon as the best and strongest
combination ever sent over the border to oppose the Scotchmen at what
was, not so many years ago, considered their own game. The players
that represented Scotland on Saturday were about the best that could
have been chosen, but it was conceded that the English eleven were superior
men all round, and during the progress of the play the liveliest interest
and excitement were evinced by the spectators as their favourites made
some good points of play. During the week a large quantity of snow
fell, and up till Friday evening, the country was wholly covered.
However, the ground was made all right by this morning, and excepting
that the going was a little heavy, everything favoured a rattling
game. The play for the first quarter of an hour was cautious, but
after that the Englishmen put on pressure, and had several shires at
the Scotch goal, Lindsay doing immense work of a saving kind. The
Englishmen, however, after forty minutes' play, got a corner kick, and
Howarth (Accrington) placing the ball neatly, the first goal fell to
England. When, two minutes afterwards, from another corner kick,
England scored a second goal, consternation was expressed by all, as
it seemed all up with
Scotland. Yet another point fell to the visitors in about five
minutes, the ball being cleverly headed through by Dewhurst (North
End). Three goals to none fairly surprised everyone, and it was felt
impossible, under the most favouring of circumstances, for Scotland to
make up the loss. The fourth point for England was taken from a foul
just in front of the Scotch posts, and was easily secured indeed. What
a surprise to Scotchmen this was�four goals to none, and half-time
near at hand! but so it was, and no mistake. The Englishmen kept at
it, and fairly smothered their opponents, who seemed to be perfectly
bewildered. Half-time brought no change. The second portion was not very
old when Dewhurst put on a fifth goal for England. This was piling on
the agony in earnest; but, do all they could, the Scotch were unable
to score, although they played up wonderfully well. The second half of
the game was only conspicuous in this respect, that the Scotchmen
offered a stubborn resistance to the encroachments of their opponents,
but they could not make any headway against the Englishmen, who, man
for man, were clearly better players than themselves. The spectators
seemed also of this opinion, as they derisively called upon the best
known of the Scotch team to play up, and at least score a goal. This
the Scotchmen could not do, although for the last five minutes of the
game they hemmed in their opponents very much. The visitors won the
match on their merits, as they were far and away a superior lot to the
Scotch eleven.
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It was on 16 March 1888 that the first
German Emperor, Wilhelm the Great, was buried in Berlin. He had died,
seven days earlier, at the age of 90.
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