England National Football Team Match No. 237

England 2 Northern Ireland 2 [0-0]

Match Records

Match Background

Match Summary

England

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Northern Ireland

No ranking system established.

Match Report

Northern Ireland performed superbly in securing a startling draw on English soil against heavily-favoured England in an enthralling match that took dramatic twists and turns.  

England had beaten Northern Ireland 12 times in succession; the last point Northern Ireland had taken against England had come 20 years before in 1927.  This was the second post-war meeting between the two.  England had won 7-2 at Belfast's Windsor Park in their first post-war international match in September, 1946.

For the fourth successive match,  England fielded one of the greatest forward lines ever assembled--Stanley Matthews, Stan Mortensen, Tommy Lawton, Wilf Mannion and Tom Finney.  The selectors had discovered in May that they could play both Finney and Matthews in the same team by switching the versatile Finney to the left wing.  This switch brought together a marvelous attacking combination that had produced three straight one-sided away victories over Portugal, 10-0, Belgium, 5-2, and Wales, 3-0.   

England had a decided advantage in play over the first half hour, but failed to capitalize on it.  Mannion, the best England forward on the day, and Finney played well, but Matthews was quieter than usual.  As the half progressed, Northern Ireland's customary passion brought them into the game.  But a great deal of effort from both teams went unrewarded, and the half ended scoreless.

The second half was astonishing.  The Irish took the lead nine minutes in when Dave Walsh scored from a Peter Doherty pass.  Inspired, the Irish twice threatened to increase their lead, Tommy Eglington and Sammy Smyth almost breaking through England's shaky defence.

The prospect of an upset already had injected great tension into the match, but sudden reversals in fortune over the last 20 minutes took spectators to levels of excitement that surely left them drained.   

At 70 minutes, Matthews was brought down in the penalty area.  An England equalizer through the ensuing penalty kick seemed certain, but Ted Hinton saved from Mannion.

Yet England remained composed and continued to fight.  Only seven minutes remained when Billy Wright, playing well forward, set up Mannion for the equalizer.  

Mannion wasn't finished. Soon after he put Matthews clear down the right for a perfectly flighted cross that found Lawton, whose magnificent volley from 15 yards put England one up.

As the match reached its final seconds, it seemed England would prevail once again despite a spirited Irish display deserving more than another loss.  But, with the last kick of the game, Eglington sent over a fine cross, Doherty hurled himself forward, and Northern Ireland were level again.  The final whistle came right away, and jubilant Irish supporters carried Doherty, injured in his last-gasp effort, from the pitch.

For a list of England's results against Italy, see England's Opponents:  Italy

Source Notes