This was truly an amazing victory by the plucky Irishmen on their first visit to English soil. Every one of their team was a hear as they defied all of England's efforts.

Yet at the start, there was no inkling as to the drama that was to follow. Indeed, England could have scored after only 20 seconds. Straight from the kick-off, Wilf Mannion sent Tom Finney away and from the winger's centre, Jesse Pye headed just wide.

England immediately took hold of the game. A move between Johnny Morris and Pye ended with the centre-forward having his shot blocked. Finney that shot straight at Godwin when it seemed he must score.

This early dominance encouraged England but the Irish defended well and they were dangerous when they broke quickly. Dave Walsh and  Farrell provided their main threat and they caused England some problems with Jimmy Dickinson particularly suspect.

After 32 minutes there came the first hint of what lay ahead. A quick pass by Moroney sent Desmond free inside the box. Bert Mozley, trying to recover, succeeded only in bringing the number-ten down from behind for an obvious penalty. It was Martin who scored from the spot to give Eire a sensational lead.

The second half was one-way traffic. With a swirling wind at their backs, England threw everything at the beleaguered Irish defence. They had 90% of the possession and a whole series of amazing escapes somehow left Eire's lead intact.

Pye, Morris and Finney all hesitated when in good positions, Morris shot straight at Godwin from ten yards and then Pye did the same. Twice the inside-forwards dawdled with the goal at their mercy and Godwin made flying saves from both Peter Harris and Wright; and when the goalkeeper was beaten, Bill Walsh and Martin cleared shots from the goal-line.

So, in rising excitement, the Irish clung on. Then, with only five minutes to go, the unbelievable happened. With England pushing everyone forward, Desmond's pass put Farrell through and suddenly the match was all over as the number-eight shot past Bert Williams.
  

England were beaten on English soil by a non-British team for the first time in their history. Nine of the Irish players were with Football League clubs and two from Shamrock Rovers but all of them were born in Ireland. Johnny Carey was a magnificent captain, and Con Martin (penalty) and Peter Farrell scored in each half to produce a stunning result. Derby defender Bert Mozley made his England debut at right-back on his 26th birthday. It was an unhappy debut, too, for Wolves centre-forward Jesse Pye and Pompey's John Harris, who struck a shot against the bar with the score at 1-0. It sounded as if the majority of the 52,000 fans packed into Goodison were supporting the Irish as they battled their way to an amazing victory. Even big-hearted Billy Wright could not turn back the green tide that swept across the Goodison pitch. It was one of those days when nothing would go right for England. They had a strong wind at their backs in the second half, but still could not break down the Irish defence in which captain Johnny Carey was a colossus. England might have had three or four goals, but the ball just would not go into the net.
 

The opening of the 1949-50 season presented a new problem - to find a team and reserves to represent England, should she be called upon to take part in the World Cup Tournament in Brazil. The Selection Committee had to test players whose performance in League games had been outstanding, bearing in mind the type of player required to cope with fast-moving Continental football, and they had to find the right blend of team, particularly in the forward-line, where there had been many changes in the previous season. England's performance in the season's international matches which, though the International Championship was regained, may appear rather disappointing, must be viewed in the light of this problem.

The international season opened on September 22nd with a severe shock for England, when Ireland (Eire) won their first match on English soil by 2 goals to 0. Luck was certainly with the Irish throughout, but England's experimental forward-line, including two new caps, Pye and Harris, persistently missed chances. Ireland's first goal came in the 32nd minute when Martin scored from a penalty, making the score 1-0 at the interval.
The second half saw England attacking and there was an extraordinary series of escapes for Ireland. Pye, Morris and Finney all hesitated at close range, while Godwin, the Irish goalkeeper, made several remarkable saves from shots by Harris and Wright. Then with only five minutes left and England up in attack, Farrell broke through to score Ireland's second goal.
 

 

Domestic Football Results (21 September 1949)
The Football League Division Three (South):  Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1    Dean Court, Bournemouth (8,899) Cheny, Lunn, McGibbon ~ Stone   Reading 2 Millwall 0    Elm Park, Reading (13,368) Allen (2)		Division Three (South) Table Top Three Only Team P Home Away F A ₧ W D L W D L Reading 10 5 0 0 1 2 2 21 11 14                       Notts County 8 4 1 0 2 0 1 21 8 13 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 10 3 2 0 2 1 2 15 11 13
Although another home win took Reading to the top, they were to lose at home to Notts County, three days later, and had still played two games more than them. Both Bournemouth and Reading finished in mid-table. Bristol City were 11th and Millwall were 15th. The Londoners were to finish bottom, but avoided having to apply for re-election, because the division was extended to 24 clubs.