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Results 1946-1950                       Page Last Updated 14 April 2023

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239 vs. Scotland
    
previous match (128 days)
244 vs. Switzerland
245
next match (34 days)
246 vs. Sweden

'B' 03 vs. Finland
247 vs. Norway
'B' 04 vs. Netherlands
248 vs. France

253 vs. Scotland
Saturday, 9 April 1949
Home International Championship 1948-49 (54th) Match


England 1 Scotland 3 [0-1]
 
 
Empire Stadium, Empire Way, Wembley Park, Wembley, Middlesex
Kick-off (BST): 3.00pm.
Attendance: "99,500" (new Stadium record). Receipts: "£39,100;"
"Non-paying spectators brought the gate to over 100,000"


5 Players lost since last match
William Bromley-Davenport
(6 February 1949) 87
Tommy Clay (21 February) 56
Billy Hibbert (16 March) 64
Dicky Downs (24 March) 62
Harold Halse (25 March) 63




Domestic Football Results
England kicked-off

[0-1] Jimmy Mason 28
"Clever inter-passing [between] Steel and Reilly resulted in a centre by Lawrie Reilly which Mason sidefooted into the net via the post." from seven yards with his right foot
11.0 Film
2.45-4.40
England v Scotland
8.30 At the Villa Rose (play)






[1-3] Jackie Milburn 73

 "Finney swept past Young and made a short backpass. Mortensen tried a shot which was going wide when Milburn ran in scored from close range."
[0-2] Billy Steel 51
"Steel made a brilliant solo burst, passed to Billy Houliston, received the ball back and made no mistake with an open goal."
[0-3] Lawrie Reilly header 61
"Billy Waddell made [another] dash down the right wing, easily evaded Howe, and put across a perfect centre. Reilly, coming up full-tilt, hurled himself at the ball and a downward header entered the net."
Commentators: Jimmy Jewell and Peter Lloyd
 
"BOUNCING SCOTS RAIDERS JUST RIDDLED OLD ENGLAND" The People
Officials England UK ruling on substitutes Scotland
Referee
Benjamin Mervyn Griffiths
40 (17 January 1909), Abertillery, Monmouthshire
.
"Comparison by the number of bye-kicks shows how the game went. Swift had to take 18; Cowan 8. Both sides had 7 corners. England had 9 free kicks against our 5; 36 throw-ins as opposed to our 24. There were only two offside decisions—one against each team." - The Sunday Post, 10 April 1949

Teams presented to HRH Prince Philip. Also in attendance was Prime Minister Clement Attlee and the Princess Elizabeth.
Linesmen
F. Owen F. Roberts
 
England Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 3rd
Colours The 1949 home uniform - White collared jerseys, blue shorts, red socks. - with the new FA crest
P first of 43, W 0 - D 0 - L 1 - F 1 - A 3.

Captain
Billy Wright Manager Walter Winterbottom, 36 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
4th of 90, W 3 - D 0 - L 1 - F 14 - A 5. Trainer: Jimmy Trotter (Charlton Athletic FC) P 19th of 139, W 14 - D 3 - L 2 - F 67 - A 17.
  Team chosen by Selection Committee headed by Arthur Drewry on Wednesday, 30 March.
England Lineup
  five changes to the previous match (Ditchburn, Ramsey, Rowley, Haines & Hancocks out) league position (30 March)  
  Swift, Frank V. 35
104 days
26 December 1913 G Manchester City FC (FL 7th) 18 17ᵍᵃ
2 Aston, John 27
128 days
3 September 1921 RB Manchester United FC (FL 5th) 4 0
3 Howe, John R. 33
184 days
7 October 1915 LB Derby County FC (FL 3rd) 3 0
final app 1948-49
4 Wright, William A. 25
62 days
6 February 1924 RHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 9th) 19 0
5 Franklin, Cornelius 27
75 days
24 January 1922 CHB Stoke City FC (FL 8th) 19 0
6 Cockburn, Henry 27
207 days
14 September 1921 LHB Manchester United FC (FL 5th) 9 0
7 Matthews, Stanley 34
67 days
1 February 1915 OR Blackpool FC (FL 13th) 30 9
the third & oldest player to reach the 30 app milestone
8 Mortensen, Stanley H. 27
318 days
26 May 1921 IR Blackpool FC (FL 13th) 10 14
9
Milburn, John E.T. 24
333 days
11 May 1924 CF Newcastle United FC (FL 2nd) 4 3
10 Pearson, Stanley C. 30
88 days
11 January 1919 IL Manchester United FC (FL 5th) 3 1
11 Finney, Thomas 27
4 days
5 April 1922 OL Preston North End FC (FL 22nd (bottom)) 15 12
reserves: Leon Leuty (Derby County FC (FL 3rd)), Roy Bentley (Chelsea FC (FL 16th)).
team notes: England wear the new crest for the first time.
'In a possible attempt to distinguish the badge from that used by the England cricket team, a new emblem was designed by the College of Arms. The lions were re-drawn with red claws and more features, and the crowns were removed. Ten Tudor Roses were scattered around the lions probably to represent the ten regional divisions, each of which has a seat on the Football Association Council.'
records: This is England's first post-war home defeat.
This defeat ends England's post-war unbeaten record of eleven matches without loss.
 
2-3-5 Swift -
Aston, Howe -
Wright, Franklin, Cockburn -
Matthews, Mortensen, Milburn, Pearson, Finney.
Averages: Age 29 years 54 days Appearances/Goals 12.2 3.4

England teams v. Scotland:

1948: Swift Scott Hardwick Wright Franklin Cockburn Matthews Mortensen Lawton Pearson Finney
1949: Aston Howe Milburn
 
Scotland Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 13th to 10th
Colours Blue jerseys with white collars, white shorts, blue socks with red tops.
Captain George Young Selection The Scottish Football Association Selection Committee
on Wednesday, 30 March 1949.
Trainer: Alex Dowdells (The Celtic FC)
Scotland Lineup
  Cowan, James C. 22
297 days
16 June 1926 G Greenock Morton FC 5 7ᵍᵃ
2 Young, George L. 26
163 days
27 October 1922 RB Rangers FC 13 0
3 Cox, Samuel R. 24
361 days
13 April 1924 LB Rangers FC 2 0
4 Evans, Robert 21
267 days
16 July 1927 RHB The Celtic FC 3 0
5 Woodburn, William A. 29
244 days
8 August 1919 CHB Rangers FC 6 0
661 6 Aitken, George G.M. 23
316 days
28 May 1925 LHB East Fife FC 1 0
7
Waddell, William 28
33 days
7 March 1921 OR Rangers FC 5 3
8
Mason, James 29
3295 days
18 June 1919 IR Third Lanark FC 3 2
9
Houliston, William 28
5 days
4 April 1921 CF Queen of the South FC 2 2
10
Steel, William 25
343 days
1 May 1923 IL Derby County FC, England 10 4
11
Reilly, Lawrance 20
163 days
28 October 1928 OL Hibernian FC 2 1
reserves: Travelling reserves are Telfer (St. Mirren FC) and Thornton (Rangers FC).
Full team of reserves are Brown (Rangers FC); Govan (Hibernian FC) and Young (Rangers FC); Telfer and Ian McColl (Rangers FC); Jimmy Delaney (Manchester United FC) and Orr (Greenock Morton FC); Thornton; Billy Liddell (Liverpool FC);
 
2-3-5 Cowan -
Young, Cox -
Evans, Woodburn, Aitken -
Waddell, Mason, Houliston, Steel, Reilly
Averages: Age 25 years 155 days Appearances/Goals 4.7 0.8
youngest opposing post war team so far
 
               Match Report by Mike Payne

England lost their first Home International since the war in a game watched by nearly 100,000 people. Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh joined the spectators under blue skies and a warm April sun.

For the first 25 minutes England tore into the Scottish defence with some brilliant football. Unfortunately, they found Cowan in unbeatable form and the goalkeeper virtually too England on single-handedly in this spell. Two saves from Stan Mortensen will live long in the memory as he continually kept Scotland in the match.

At the end of that period of England pressure, Cowan blocked Stan Pearson's shot after Tom Finney had centred. Mortensen followed up to flash the rebound towards the empty net, only to see Cox come from nowhere to clear from the goal-line. Twice Jackie Milburn went close and Cowan then saved brilliantly again, this time from Mortensen.

That final save brought England's superiority to an end and the Scots then hit back hard. On 29 minutes they took the lead. A throw-in by Houliston found Steel, who gave Reilly a clever pass which took John Aston out of the game. Reilly's cross was met by Mason and it was 1-0 as the ball went in off the far post.

After the interval Scotland inspired by the goal, were a changed side. Now moving quickly and effectively they were winning all of the loose balls and most of the tackles. Only Neil Franklin stood firm for England as Steel and Mason took control of the game.

In the first 15 minutes of the second-half, Scotland scored two more goals to virtually settle the result. Swift inter-passing between Mason and Steel found Houliston. The centre-forward back-heeled out of a ruck of English defenders and Steel was left with the easy task of walking the ball into the net. When Reilly headed home Waddell's perfect cross a few minutes later, the England defence was again caught flat-footed.

The home side, devastated by these two goals, manfully tried to fight back and in the last quarter of an hour came close to sensationally saving the game. Milburn pulled one goal back when he diverted a Mortensen shot and then Stanley Matthews saw a goalbound shot blocked by Milburn. Finally, in a rousing finish, a Pearson header hit the bar.

Over all, Scotland had deserved their win, but had it not been for the superb early work of Cowan, then it might have been a different story.

     

               Match Report by Norman Giller

The selectors decided to make five changes in the team that beat Switzerland 6-0. With Derby County dynamo Billy Steel at his most potent, Scotland tore into England after Scottish goalkeeper Jimmy Cowan had almost played England on his own in the opening twenty minutes. Jimmy Mason, Steel and Lawrie Reilly put the Scots on the way to the Home Championship before Milburn snatched a consolation goal. Scotland's goalkeeper Jimmy Cowan was rightly hailed as the hero because of a string of wonderful saves in the first twenty minutes, but the real match winner for the Scots was their left-back Sammy Cox. He usually played as a wing-half and everybody expected Stanley Matthews to give him a roasting. But Sammy cleverly cut Stanley out of the game by intercepting many of the passes meant for the Maestro.
   

               Match Report by Glen Isherwood

Both England, the reigning British Champions, and Scotland had won both their previous matches. For England a point would give them their fifth successive peacetime Championship. Scotland had not beaten England since 1938 and had not won the Championship outright since 1936.
For the first 25 minutes it was all England, but the Scotland goalkeeper Jimmy Cowan made save after save to keep them out. Then Scotland struck. Reilly crossed and Jimmy Mason flicked the ball just wide of Swift to give the Scots a surprise lead. With an hour's play gone Scotland were, incredibly, three goals up. First. Billy Steel put Houliston through. Swift was slow in coming off his line but Aston managed to stab the ball away from the attacker before he could shoot only for Steel to net the attempted clearance. Then a Waddell cross was headed in by Lawrie Reilly. England finally got a goal back in the last 15 minutes when Finney laid the ball back for Mortensen whose shot was turned in by Jackie Milburn.
England regained the Championship the following year and qualified for their first World Cup in the process. Scotland finished runners-up after losing 1-0 to England at Hampden Park.

 

               Match Report as appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1949-50, page 24

On April 9th 1949 came the last of the home Internationals of the season, England v. Scotland, at Wembley, the match which was to decide the International Championship. Both sides played first-class football, but it was the Scottish superiority in finishing which enabled them to score three goals to England's one, thus inflicting on England their first defeat in the Championship since the war.
The match was divided into two distinct phases. In the first England were consistently on the offensive, foiled only by a series of brilliant saves by Cowan.
Then Scotland passed to the offensive. Their first goal came in the 29th minute, when a quick series of passes from Steel to Reilly and from Reilly to Mason enabled Mason to tap the ball into the English net.
England's defence was now shaken, and five minutes after the interval Scotland went further ahead with another goal from Steel. Within a few minutes, Waddell again beat Howe, and presented Reilly with a perfect centre to head into goal.
In the last quarter of an hour, England fought back heroically. Milburn, diverting a shot from Mortensen, gave England their only goal of the match. But England's last minute effort raised no more than a forlorn hope. Scotland had already made sure of the Championship.

 

       In Other News....
It was on 8 April 1949 that a three-year-old girl, Kathy Fiscus fell into an abandoned well in California, and despite a massive rescue effort involving three giant cranes, power drills, and fifty floodlights rushed from Hollywood, the little girl died from a lack of oxygen. A local television crew arrived and was the first to provide live coverage of a rescue attempt such as this. It took two days for them to reach the body, by which time 12,000 people had turned up to watch the tragic event.
  
               Source Notes
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
London Hearts.com
Glen Isherwood's Wembley: The Complete Record
  Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record

Norman Giller, Football Author
British Pathé
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