THE Home International Championship went to England after their draw in this final match of the season against Scotland. It was not a very good display and it was the Scots who gained most of the credit.

Over 98,000 spectators packed into Wembley on a glorious sunny day. The pitch looked superb and it was a very colourful scene especially when decorated by the pipes and drums of the Scots Guards. The teams were presented to the Prime Minister, Clement Atlee, before the kick-off.

The first-half belonged to Scotland. Driven on by marvellous displays from Macauley and Forbes in the midfield, they tore England apart. The rhythm that had been seen in England's previous games was completely upset and the usual inspirational pair, Raich Carter and Wilf Mannion, just could not get going against their Scottish counterparts.

After 15 minutes Scotland took the lead their play deserved. The move typified their native quality. Shaw found Pearson with a good pass. The winger dribbled down the left before laying on a perfect pass for McLaren, bursting through the middle, to shoot home a fine goal past the helpless Frank Swift.

England went from bad to worse. Pearson saw a shot blocked. Swift twice dropped the ball under pressure and there was a vociferous appeal for handball against Laurie Scott. Somehow though, England held on until half-time although at this stage they should have been out of the game completely.

To their eternal credit the half-time break was used to good effect by England and they restarted with a much more determined look about them. Within minutes a sparkling move involving Tommy Lawton, Jimmy Mullen and Cater ended with a shot into the side netting.

Two other similar moves lingered in the memory, on 56 minutes, England equalised. A superb quick passing movement between Lawton, Mannion and Carter ended with the latter shooting an excellent goal. At last England were something like their old selves again. They forced three corners in as many minutes as they searched for a winner but the Scots were not going to let that happen and they gave as good as they got, rising above themselves in a thriller.

There had been some interesting individual battles on the day with Scott doing well against Pearson, Smith worrying George Hardwick and Delaney having Neil Franklin in two minds for much of the game. Mullen, meanwhile, had a quiet but promising debut. In the end, though, the two sides shared the points and, reluctantly, settled for the draw.
  

A crowd of 98,250 gathered for this first post-war international at Wembley. victory or a draw would give England the Home Championship. Scotland were the superior side in the first half and deserved their 1-0 half-time lead from a goal by Preston inside-right Andy McLaren. England equalised in the 56th minute when Raich Carter finished off a sweeping movement involving Tommy Lawton and Wilf Mannion. With the score deadlocked at 1-1, Carter was racing unchallenged towards the Scottish goal in the dying moments when he heard a whistle and pulled up. The whistle had come from the crowd. Jimmy Mullen made his debut on the left wing, and Stanley Matthews was preferred to Tom Finney on the right wing. It was Stanley's 18th peacetime international appearance and his first since before the war. Wright and Franklin were developing into the Britton and Cullis of peacetime football. There could be no higher praise. This match saw the start of the Matthews-or-Finney controversy that lasted throughout their careers. The selectors never seemed quite sure which to pick. They were both exceptionally gifted players, but it was considered it would be too much of a luxury to play them both. It started long arguments between fans, whipped up by newspapers, as to which of them should wear the number seven shirt.
  

England had beaten both Ireland and Wales and needed only a point to secure the first post-war British Championship. Scotland had lost 3-1 to Wales at the Racecourse Ground and could finish joint runners-up at best. They had lost four out of five wartime internationals at Wembley since winning in 1938.
Scotland dominated the first half and took the lead when a pass from Pearson found Andy McLaren who shot past Swift. England's equaliser came from a very quick and incisive move which split the Scottish defence and Mannion provided the in-rushing Raich Carter with the final pass from which he drove the ball past Miller.
England were to retain the British Championship the following year, their fourth successive peacetime title, while Scotland finished bottom without a point. They returned to Wembley in 1949, however, with a much-improved side.
The 1951 Footballer of the Year, Harry Johnston, made his first Wembley appearance.
   

MYSTERY WHISTLE COST ENGLAND A VICTORY
It is doubtful if there exists an Englishman so shameless as to moan about that extraordinary Wembley incident yesterday, which resulted in England being deprived of what seemed an odds-on and winning goal against Scotland. Grey-haired Horatio Carter, the man who saved England from complete disgrace by scoring the equaliser earlier in the second half, was concerned in the incident.
As  the Derby County inside right galloped through on his own, the crowd's roar seemed to die momentarily for some reason, and a whistle sounded. Carter braked and half fell, looking back in astonishment towards the referee, who waved that he was not at fault.
Recovering his feet, Carter shot hard—and Miller saved. Without that pause, I am sure that a second goal would have been scored for England—and rank injustice done to the Scots, who were moral victors, anyway, whatever the score."

"Nevertheless, but for that misguided ass in the crowd blowing a whistle, England would have won, for to this day, I still believe Raich Carter would have scored." - Billy Wright