Match Summary

Ireland Team

England Team

On the ground of the Cliftonville Club at Belfast, on Saturday, England gained a victory over Ireland by three goals to one. The game, which attracted about 18,000 people, was favoured with ideal weather for an important match, there being neither wind nor sunshine to interfere with the players. Ireland, who were placing an international team in the field for the first time this season, enjoyed the services of eight of the eleven that beat Scotland at Glasgow last year...

Play had not lasted long when it became evident that in the matter of skill the Irishmen were no match for their opponents, and when England scored twice in less than a quarter of an hour from the start, the game was robbed of much of its interest...

Before the interval England got the upper hand again, and although shortly after change of ends the Irishmen did obtain a goal--their first against England since the match of 1899--the visitors, half-way through the second part of the game, got through once more and so placed the issue beyond all reasonable doubt. - The Times - Monday 14th March, 1904

 

Other Championship match played on 12 March 1904:

SCOTLAND 1-1 WALES
Walker (Atherton)
13,000 (Dens Park, Dundee)

 

Football League Division One 12 March 1904
Team	P	Pts
The Wednesday	27	39
Manchester City	25	35
Aston Villa	27	33
Sunderland	28	33
Newcastle United	28	33
Wolverhampton Wanderers	27	33
Sheffield United	26	32
Everton	26	30
Middlesbrough	27	25
Nottingham Forest	27	25
Bury	26	24
Blackburn Rovers	27	24
Notts County	29	22
Derby County	27	21
Small Heath	27	21
Liverpool	28	20
Stoke	28	19
West Bromwich Albion	28	19

 

Division One matches played on 12 March 1904:

BLACKBURN ROVERS 2-5 MANCHESTER CITY
Bowman, Watson (Turnbull 2, Meredith 2, Dennison)
12,000 (Ewood Park, Blackburn)

Blackburn were without Bob Crompton who captained England in Belfast, whilst City were without Herbert Burgess, who was also playing for England.

LIVERPOOL 3-0 SHEFFIELD UNITED
Robinson, Goddard, Hewitt
20,000 (Anfield, Liverpool)

Liverpool were without Dick Morris, who was playing for Wales in Dundee, whilst Sheffield United were without Common, who scored twice in Belfast, and Boyle, who was playing for Ireland.

MIDDLESBROUGH 1-3 NEWCASTLE UNITED
Cassidy (Howie, Rutherford, Appleyard)
15,000 (Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough)

Middlesbrough were without Bobby Atherton, who scored Wales' equaliser at Dundee.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 5-1 DERBY COUNTY
Spouncer, Griffiths, Shearman 2, Craig pen. (Barker)
10,000 (City Ground, Nottingham)

Derby were without Davis, who was playing for England in Belfast, and Mercer, who was playing for Ireland.

SUNDERLAND 2-0 EVERTON
Miller, Craggs
12,000 (Roker Park, Sunderland)

Sunderland were without Henry Buckle, who was playing for Ireland against England in Belfast, as was Everton's James Sheridan.

THE WEDNESDAY 1-0 STOKE
Chapman
15,000 (Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield)

The Wednesday were without Crawshaw and Ruddlesdin, who were playing for England in Belfast.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0-1 SMALL HEATH
(Green)
22,760 (The Hawthorns, West Bromwich)

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 3-2 ASTON VILLA
Smith, nk, Bevan (Hall, Little)
12,000 (Molineux, Wolverhampton)

Wolves were without Tom Baddeley, who was in goal for England in Belfast, whilst Villa were without Bache (who scored the opening goal), Brawn and Leake, who were also playing for England in Belfast, and Watkins, who was playing for Wales at Dundee.

Defending champions, The Wednesday maintained their push to retain the title, thanks to a goal scored by Harry Chapman, whose brother, Herbert went on to great things as a manager with Huddersfield Town and Arsenal.

Football League Division Two 12 March 1904
Team	P	Pts
Preston North End	26	40
Woolwich Arsenal	24	37
Bristol City	26	32
Burnley	27	32
Bolton Wanderers	27	30
Manchester United	22	28
Grimsby Town	24	25
Gainsborough Trinity	25	24
Bradford City	25	24
Chesterfield Town	25	23
Burton United	26	23
Barnsley	25	23
Glossop	27	21
Lincoln City	28	21
Leicester Fosse	27	21
Burslem Port Vale	25	20
Blackpool	26	20
Stockport County	27	18

 

Division Two matches played on 12 March 1904:

BARNSLEY 2-1 LINCOLN CITY
Wall, Lavery (Watson)
3,000 (Oakwell, Barnsley)

BRADFORD CITY 2-6 CHESTERFIELD TOWN
Drain, Forrest (Newton 2, Munday, Taylor, Arnold, Earl)
9,000 (Valley Parade, Bradford)

BRISTOL CITY 3-1 PRESTON NORTH END
Morris, Hosie, Chambers (P.Smith)
10,000 (St John's Lane, Bristol)

BURSLEM PORT VALE 5-0 BLACKPOOL
Price 2, Capes, Mullineux, o.g.
2,000 (Athletic Ground, Stoke)

BURTON UNITED 1-0 GRIMSBY TOWN
Livingstone
2,000 (Peel Croft, Burton)

GAINSBOROUGH TRINITY 4-0 LEICESTER FOSSE
Langham 2, Dixon, F.Foxall
2,000 (The Northolme, Gainsborough)

GLOSSOP 3-3 BOLTON WANDERERS
Thornley 3 (White, Stokes, Yenson)
2,500 (North Road, Glossop)

Glossop were without Archie Goodall, who was Ireland's player-manager against England in Belfast, whilst Bolton were without Dai Davies, who was making his international debut in goal for Wales at Dundee.

MANCHESTER UNITED 3-1 BURNLEY
Grassam 2, Griffths (Bell)
14,000 (Bank Street, Manchester)

WOOLWICH ARSENAL 5-2 STOCKPORT COUNTY
Coleman 2, Gooing, Linward 2 (Brittleton, Toman)
10,000 (Manor Ground, London)

Woolwich Arsenal maintained their hundred-per-cent home record with their twelfth win and sixty goals (an average of five a game), as Preston slipped to defeat at Bristol.

IN OTHER NEWS...

It was on 12 March 1904 that the first trip was made by electric train on a mainline railway converted from steam power. The journey took half an hour between Liverpool and Southport, a distance of just under twenty miles.

Source Notes

Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats
Original Newspaper Reports
TheFA.com
Rothman's Yearbooks
FA Yearbooks 1950-60
Ancestry.com
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CG