ENGLAND moved a step nearer to the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden as they beat off the challenge of the Republic of Ireland. Although the scoreline looks convincing enough. the actual performance by the home side was not entirely inspiring. For long periods in the second half, Eire were on top, producing a clever brand of football that at times was reminiscent of Hungary or Austria at their best. Alas, for the Irish, they could find no finish to this attractive approach play.

England did all the damage in the first half and their start was undoubtedly Johnny Haynes. He really looked the part and his all around contribution  was once again the key. With John Atyeo being used in a twin-pronged attack alongside Tommy Taylor, the home side took the lead in the ninth minute.

Stan Matthews showed some skilful footwork before laying the ball inside to Ronnie Clayton. The wing-half then produced a lovely through pass and Taylor raced in, sold a dummy to the defence, and hit a good shot past Kelly. Just after the quarter-hour, England made it 2-0 when Haynes fed Tom Finney. When the winger's pass came inside Taylor was there again to fire an 18-yard shot past a strangely flat-footed Kelly. England attacked at will and before the interval they added two more goals.

Many of their best attacks had involved the in-form Finney. His influence on the first half was enormous and it was the Preston player who set up number three. Receiving possession from Duncan Edwards, he cut inside and hit a fierce shot at goal. Kelly could only parry the ball upwards and before the goalkeeper could recover, Atyeo pounced to head home.

Almost immediately poor Kelly was again fishing the ball out of the back of his net, this time after Taylor had soared gloriously to head in Finney's corner. The scoreline was emphatic to say the least with Taylor having scored his eighth goal in only three and a half internationals. It is often difficult for a team to raise their game in the second half when they are so far in front and that is just how it proved as England gave a lethargic display after the break.

All credit to the Irish, though, as they refused to give up and, indeed, came back at them strongly.

England looked jaded with Edwards, particularly, looking very tired after his many games in the season just ended. The Irish put some excellent football together at this stage and scored a deserved goal when Curtis headed in a left-wing centre from little Joe Haverty. They continually pressed forward and Farrell shot high over when well placed. Shortly after that incident Alan Hodgkinson was relieved to see Whelan's close-range shot crash against the crossbar.

Those missed chances did not help Ireland's cause at all and just to rub salt into the wound, England snatched a fifth goal in the last minute. Haynes and Finney again combined and from Finney's pass Atyeo was again the man in the right position to beat Kelly.

Now England faced two different return games in Copenhagen and Dublin to see who goes to Sweden. It would not be easy for them.
       

A second successive Tommy Taylor hat-trick - all his goals coming in the first-half - and two from John Atyeo crushed an outgunned Irish team in this second of England's four World Cup qualifying matches. This was, sadly, to be the last match in which Jeff Hall and Roger Byrne were to partner each other. Jeff contracted polio and died on April 4 1959. Born in Scunthorpe on September  7 1929, he started his career as an amateur with Bradford Park Avenue before becoming a regular in Birmingham City's defence. He would have had, statistically, the best individual England record of any player but for the 2-1 defeat by Wales in 1955. In 17 matches he was on the beaten side only once. England won twelve of the games and drew four. Roger Byrne was his partner in every game.
  

Both teams had already beaten Denmark at home in Group One They had met each other only twice before, England had won 1-0 at Dalymount Park, Dublin, in 1946. Ireland surprisingly winning 2-0 at Goodison Park three years later. England's first home defeat by a foreign team. Ireland had yet to qualify for a World Cup.
In the ninth minute of Wembley's first World Cup match Tommy Taylor opened the scoring, taking a pass from Clayton to shoot England in front. Nine minutes later Finney's pass gave Taylor the chance to score again and once more Kelly was beaten. Then Kelly just saved from Finney but John Atyeo headed in the rebound.
Taylor completed a first half hat-trick with a header from a Finney corner. England relaxed a little in the second half and the Irish pulled one back when Dermot Curtis headed in a centre from Haverty but in the dying seconds England restored their four-goal advantage when Finney crossed and Atyeo came charging in to score again.
England won the group 11 days later with a 1-1 draw in the return at Dalymount Park. This was only achieved, however, by a last-minute equaliser from Atyeo. It was to be 19 years before Republic of Ireland appeared at Wembley again.
At the age of 42 Stan Matthews made his 27th and final appearance at Wembley. Strangely he never scored at the stadium.
  

In the second of England's World Cup preliminary matches, 52,000 people saw the home team win at Wembley against the Irish Republic by 5 goals to 1. As a spectacle, the match was virtually over long before half-time, when England led by three goals from Taylor and one from Atyeo. This comfortable margin of goals undoubtedly removed much of the inspiration from the English attacking machine in the second half, and the Irish forwards, especially Haverty, played some good football before Curtis scored for them. Shortly before the final whistle, however, Atyeo scored again with a first time drive from Finney's centre and England finished easy winners against a side whose defence was far short of World Cup standards.