TeamGB Football Online
Page Last Updated 21 August 2012
 
 

TeamGB Index


Amateur History

Great Britain's Professional History
1947-
2012
(also includes United Kingdom and part-UK teams)

British players and officials listed are all English, except where stated.

 

  

  
FIFA Celebration Match
1 10 May 1947 - United Kingdom 6 Rest of Europe 1 [4-1]
Hampden Park, Mount Florida, Glasgow  (134,000)
= (5)(3)(2)(1)
Mannion [22, 33 (pen)], Steel [35], Lawton [37, 82], Parola (Italy) OG [74]
Nordahl (Sweden) [24]
HW

England Players:
George Hardwick (Middlesbrough), Tommy Lawton (Chelsea), Wilf Mannion (Middlesbrough), Stan Matthews (Stoke City), Frank Swift (Manchester City)
Reserve: Raich Carter (Derby County)
Rest of Europe Nationalities:
Denmark (2), Sweden (2), Belgium (1), Czechoslovakia (1), France (1), Italy (1), Netherlands (1), Republic of Ireland (1), Switzerland (1)

Manager: Walter Winterbottom
Captain: George Hardwick (Middlesbrough)

 

This was a match to commemorate the re-entry of the four football associations of the United Kingdom into FIFA, following a dispute over the definition of amateur players. The Rest of Europe were captained by Manchester United's Johnny Carey, who had played against England in the Home International Championship for an all-Ireland side.

Welsh FA 75th Anniversary Match  
2 3 December 1951 - Wales 3 Rest of United Kingdom 2 [2-0]
Ninian Park, Sloper Road, Cardiff (26,454)
= (5)(4)(2)
Allchurch [2, 62], Ford [6]
Fleming [64], Medley [83]
AL

England Players:
Eddie Baily (Tottenham Hotspur), Nat Lofthouse (Bolton Wanderers), Les Medley (Tottenham Hotspur), Billy Wright (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Manager: Walter Winterbottom
Captain: Jack Vernon
(West Bromwich Albion)

Irish FA 75th Anniversary Match  
3 13 August 1955 - United Kingdom 1 Rest of Europe 4 [1-1]
Windsor Park, Belfast
(35,000)
= (3)(3)(3)(2)
Johnstone [25]
Vincent (France) [27], Vukas (Yugoslavia) [78, 88, 90 (pen)]
HL

England Players:
Roy Bentley (Chelsea), Stan Matthews (Blackpool), Peter Sillett (Chelsea)
Rest of Europe Nationalities:
France (3), Yugoslavia (2), Austria (1), Belgium (1), Denmark (1), Italy (1), Portugal (1), Sweden (1)

Manager: Walter Winterbottom
Captain: Danny Blanchflower
(Tottenham Hotspur)

Prince of Wales Investiture Celebration Match  
4 28 July 1969 - Wales 0 Rest of United Kingdom 1 [0-1]
Ninian Park, Sloper Road, Cardiff (13,604)
= (5+1 sub)(3+1 sub)(3)
Lee [34] AW

England Players:
Jack Charlton (Leeds United), Bobby Charlton (Manchester United), Terry Cooper (Leeds United), Francis Lee (Manchester City), Alan Mullery (Tottenham Hotspur)
Substitute: Keith Newton (Blackburn Rovers)

Manager: Sir Alf Ramsey
Captain: Bobby Charlton (Manchester United)

European Economic Community Celebration Match  
5 3 January 1973 - The Three 2 The Six 0 [0-0]
Empire Stadium, Wembley, London (36,500)
= (5+1 sub)(2)(2)
Jensen (Denmark) [47], Stein [69] HW

England Players:
Colin Bell (Manchester City), Bobby Charlton (Manchester United), Emlyn Hughes (Liverpool), Bobby Moore (West Ham United), Peter Storey (Arsenal)
Substitute: Alan Ball (Arsenal)
Other Nationalities:
The Three: Denmark (1+1 sub), Republic of Ireland (1)
The Six: West Germany (6+1 sub), Netherlands (2+2 subs), France (2), Belgium (1), Italy (1 sub)

Manager: Sir Alf Ramsey
Captain: Bobby Charlton (Manchester United)

 

This was a match to commemorate the entry of the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and Denmark ('The Three')into the EEC, to join 'The Six', the existing members (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and West Germany). Each side actually managed to field representatives from five countries, due to the UK being made up of four nations and with players from Wales and Luxembourg not appearing on the field of play.

Friendly  
6 20 July 2012 - Great Britain 0 Brazil 2 [0-2]
Riverside
Stadium, Middlesbrough (24,721)
= (7+6 subs)(4+1 sub)
Sandro [12], Neymar [34 (pen)] HL

 

Coach: Stuart Pearce
Captain: Ryan Giggs
(Manchester United)

 

With London hosting the 2012 Olympic Games, the hosts were obliged to enter a team into the football tournament. Great Britain and Northern Ireland had not competed in the competition since 1971; firstly, due to the abolition of amateur status by the Football Association, and then, when professional players were formally accepted, from 1984, the home associations refused to compete as a unified team, due to their individual identities in all other international competitions. As the hosts did not have to qualify for the tournament, a temporary solution was reached in order that Great Britain could compete at the 2012 Games, though no Scottish or Irish players were selected.

2012 - Games of the XXX Olympiad

 

The Anglo-Welsh squad was comprised of under-23 players, apart from three over-age members (the captain, Giggs, 38, Welsh team-mate, Craig Bellamy, 33, and Manchester City's Micah Richards, 24).

xSquad Members: 18
13 5

Coach: Stuart Pearce
Captain: Ryan Giggs
(Manchester United)

Group A
7 26 July 2012 - Great Britain 1 Senegal 1 [1-0]
Old Trafford, Manchester
(72,176)
= (7+2 subs)(4+1 sub)
Bellamy [20]
Konaté [82]
HD

Craig Bellamy became the first Welshman to score at the Olympic Games since 1948.

8 29 July 2012 - Great Britain 3 United Arab Emirates 1 [1-0]
The National Stadium, Wembley, London (85,137)
= (6+3 subs)(5)
Giggs [16], Sinclair [73], Sturridge [76] HW

All five Welsh squad members started the game, the biggest ever Welsh representation in a Great Britain team.

9 1 August 2012 - Great Britain 1 Uruguay 0 [1-0]
The Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
(70,438)
= (7+3 subs)(4)
Sturridge [45] HW

Giggs was rested and Craig Bellamy captained the side in his absence. Great Britain won Group A with seven points. Senegal were runners-up with five points.

Quarter-Final  
10 4 August 2012 - Great Britain 1 Korea Republic 1 [1-1]
AET [1-1] & Penalties [4-5]
The Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (70,171)
= (7+2 subs)(4+1 sub)
Ramsey [36 (pen)]
Ji [29]
HD

Bellamy was captain again, with Giggs replacing him with five minutes remaining in normal time. Richards had gone off injured after an hour, leaving Giggs as the only over-age player in extra time. Ramsey took a second penalty, four minutes after his first, but it was saved by Yung, who went off injured in the second half, leaving his substitute, Lee to become the south-Korean hero, by saving Daniel Sturridge's kick in the shootout. The Koreans went on to win the bronze, with Mexico winning the gold medals.

Team line-ups for the games prior to 2012 (plus some other representative games involving England players) can be found here.

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GI