On a pitch that was heavy due to the continuous rain over the previous three days, the smaller and lighter Scottish side pushed their English counterparts hard. The Scots had a goal disallowed in the first half after the umpires decided that the ball had cleared the tape.[12]The latter part of the match saw the Scots defence under pressure by the heavier English forwards. The Scots played two full backs, two half backs and six forwards. The English played only onefull back, onehalf backand eightforwards. Since three defenders were required for a ball played to be onside, the English system was virtually a ready-madeoffside trap. Scotland would come closest to winning the match when, in the closing stages, aRobert Leckieshot landed on top of the tape which was used to represent thecrossbar.[1]At some point in the game, the England goalkeeper,Robert Barker, decided to join the action outfield when he switched places withWilliam Maynard.
Glasgow Herald (Glasgow, Scotland), Tuesday, 13 February 1872; Issue 10022.
First Elevens, the birth of international football
This page was last edited on 3 June 2018, at 21:10.
In1872Queens Park, as Scotlands leading club, took up Alcocks challenge, despite the fact there was as yet noScottish Football Associationto sanction it as thus. In the FAs minutes of 3 October 1872 it was notedIn order to further the interests of the Association in Scotland, it was decided that during the current season, a team should be sent to Glasgow to play a match v Scotland.
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All eleven Scottish players were selected fromQueens Park, the leading Scottish club at this time.[1]Scotland had hoped to obtain the services ofArthur KinnairdofThe WanderersandHenry Renny-TailyourofRoyal Engineersbut both were unavailable.[1]The teams for this match were got together with some difficulty, each side losing some of their best men almost at the last moment.[7]The Scottish side was selected bygoalkeeperand.[1]The English side was selected from nine different clubs and was selected byCharles Alcock, who himself was unable to play due to injury.[1]The match, initially scheduled for 2pm,[1]was delayed for 20 minutes. The 4,000 spectators paid an entry fee of ashilling, the same amount charged at the1872 FA Cup Final.[1]
After the 1870 matches there was resentment in Scotland that their team did not contain more home grown players. Alcock himself was categorical about where he felt responsibility for this fact lay, writing in the Scotsman newspaper:
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Arnold Kirke-Smith (Oxford University)
Robert Barker (Hertfordshire Rangers)
I must join issue with your correspondent in some instances. First, I assert that of whatever the Scotch eleven may have been composed the right to play wasopen to every Scotchman[Alcocks italics] whether his lines were cast North or South of the Tweed and that if in the face of the invitations publicly given through the columns of leading journals of Scotland the representative eleven consisted chiefly of Anglo-Scotians … the fault lies on the heads of the players of the north, not on the management who sought the services of all alike impartially. To call the team London Scotchmen contributes nothing. The match was, as announced, to all intents and purposes between England and Scotland.[4]
Alcock then proceeded to offer another challenge with a Scottish team drawn from Scotland and proposed the north of England as a venue. Alcock appeared to be particularly concerned about the number of players in Scottish football teams at the time, adding:More than eleven we do not care to play as it is with greater numbers it is our opinion the game becomes less scientific and more a trial of charging and brute force… Charles W Alcock, Hon Sec of Football Association and Captain of English Eleven.[4]One reason for the absence of a response to Alcocks challenge may have been different football codes being followed in Scotland at the time. A written reply to Alcocks letter above states:Mr Alcocks challenge to meet a Scotch eleven on the borders sounds very well and is doubtless well meant. But it may not be generally well known that Mr Alcock is a very leading supporter of what is called the association game… devotees of the association rules will find no foemen worthy of their steel in Scotland.[5]Despite this the FA were hoping to play in Scotland as early as February 1872.[6]
International sports competitions hosted by Glasgow
Bells Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday, 9 March 1872; Issue 2,697.
John Brockbank (Cambridge University)
Charles W Alcock, The Scotsman newspaper, 28 November 1870, page 7.
Scotland v England, association football, 1872
. Andy Mitchell Media.ISBN45.
The Scotsman newspaper, 1 December 1870, page 12.
Glasgow Herald (Glasgow, Scotland), Tuesday, 28 March 1871; Issue 9746.
Appropriately enough, the match was arranged forSt Andrews Day, and theWest of Scotland Cricket Clubs ground atHamilton CrescentinPartickwas selected as the venue.
The match itself illustrated the advantage gained by the Queens Park players through knowing each others play[10]as all came from the same club. Contemporary match reports clearly show dribbling play by both the English and the Scottish sides, for example: The Scotch now came away with a great rush, Leckie and others dribbling the ball so smartly that the English lines were closely besieged and the ball was soon behind,[10]Weir now had a splendid run for Scotland into the heart of his opponents territory[10]and Kerr.. closed the match by the most brilliant run of the day, dribbling the ball past the whole field.[7]Although the Scottish team are acknowledged to have worked better together during the first half, the contemporary account in the Scotsman newspaper acknowledges that in the second half England played similarly: During the first half of the game the English team did not work so well together, but in the second half they left nothing to be desired in this respect.[10]There is no specific description of a passing manoeuvre in the lengthy contemporary match reports, although two weeks later The Graphic reported [Scotland] seem to be adepts at passing the ball.[7]There is no evidence in the article that the author attended the match, as the reader is clearly pointed to match descriptions in sporting journals. It is also of note that the 5 March 1872 match between Wanderers and Queens Park contains no evidence of ball passing.[11]
Bells Life in London and Sporting Chronicle, Saturday 17 February 1872.
The Scots wore dark blue shirts. This match is, however, not the origin of the blue Scotland shirt, as contemporary reports of the 5 February 1872 rugby international at the Oval clearly show that the Scotch were easily distinguishable by their uniform of blue jerseys…. the jerseys having the thistle embroidered.[8]The thistle had been worn previously in the 1871 rugby international.[9]The English wore white shirts. The English wore caps, while the Scots wore redcowls.
Bells Life in London and Sporting Chronicle, 24 February 1872.
was the first ever official internationalassociation footballmatch to be played. It was contested by the national teams ofScotlandandEngland. The match took place on 30 November 1872 atWest of Scotland Cricket Clubs ground atHamilton CrescentinPartick, Scotland. The match finished in a 00 draw and was watched by 4,000 spectators.
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Scotland national football team matches
The Scotsman Monday, 2 December 1872, page 6.
Tape was used before crossbars were introduced in Scotland, although crossbars were being used under theSheffield Rulesat this time. See: The term crossbar used by Sheffield as early as March 1872: Bells Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (London, England), Saturday, 9 March 1872; Issue 2,697.
Original autographs from 1872 found
Following public challenges issued inGlasgowandEdinburghnewspapers byThe Football Association(FA) secretaryCharles Alcockthe first encounter of five matches between teams representing England and Scotland played inLondontook place on 5 March 1870 atThe Oval, resulting in a11 draw.[1]Scotland did not record a win in all five matches. The second match was played on 19 November 1870, England 10 Scotland; 25 February 1871, England 11 Scotland; 18 November 1871, England 21 Scotland; 24 February 1872 England 10 Scotland.[2]All players selected for the Scottish side in these early internationals were mainly from theLondonarea, although Scottish players were invited from Scotland. The only player affiliated to a Scottish club wasRobert SmithofQueens Park FC, Glasgow, who played in theNovember 1870 matchandboth of the 1871 games. Robert Smith andJames Smith(both of the Queens Park Club) were both listed publicly for the February 1872 game, but neither played in the actual match.[3]
Daily News (London, England), Tuesday, 6 February 1872; Issue 8042.
Scottish Football s and Sketches. By D. D. Bone 1890
Frederick Chappell (Oxford University)
The Graphic (London, England), Saturday, 14 December 1872; Issue 159.
Reginald de Courtenay Welch (Harrow Chequers)
Paul MitchellThe first international football .uk
Cuthbert Ottaway (Oxford University)
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