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FIRST MEETING vs. IRELAND
 Ireland are the third different opposition
   
previous match (343 days)
 13 vs. Scotland
14
next match (21 days)
 15 vs. Scotland
18 vs. Ireland





Admission—6d;
Schoolboys.  3d; Ladies free.		 Saturday, 18 February 1882
 Association Friendly Match
 
 Ireland 0 England 13 [0-5]
  
Ireland is the third nation visited by England

Players lost since last match
Claud Wilson (29 June 1881) 23

We know that the first goal was scored after just three minutes. After that, Arthur Brown scored his first in 'the succeeding 15 minutes', that is, the 18th min. Jimmy B. scored his first before that point, timing not reported.

Knock Ground, Bloomfield, Belfast, County Antrim
 Kick-off (DMT): 'kick-off at 2.45'...'a few minutes after the advertised hour'.
 Attendance: 'large attendance';
Receipts: £9 19s. 7d.
England's first visit to Bloomfield, to Belfast, and to Ireland
Ireland kicked-off Charlie Bambridge won the toss
Because it has been impossible to find a complete report for this match, it is not known whose hat-trick was completed first, Vaughton's or Brown's. Howard Vaughton five goals HAT-TRICK
Jimmy Brown two goals
Arthur Brown four goals HAT-TRICK
Charlie Bambridge
Harry Cursham
most goal times unknown.
new record established of most goals scored in a half - now at eight goals
"Weather being bitterly cold, a gale blowing, accompanied at times by showers of rain and hail." Played according to IFA rules.
  

Match Summary
Officials [umpires and referees are of equal relevance]

Ireland

Team Records

England Party

Umpires

 An experimental law is introduced, that empowers the referee to award a goal in cases where, in his opinion, a goal has been prevented from a deliberate handball by the defending team.  It lasts one season only, and it is unknown as to whether it resulted in any England goals in 1881-82.
 Samuel Sinclair
Distillery FC		 William Peirce Dix
28 (winter 1853), Eccleshall
(Sheffield FA Hon. secretary)
(replaced Charlie Alcock)
Referee
Robert M. Kennedy
Hon.assistant secretary of Irish FA
 

Ireland Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 4th		 Colours 'the costume of the Irish team consisted of royal blue jersey and hose, with white knickers, each player wearing his international badge on left breast, consisting of an Irish cross, with harp in centre, surrounded with a wreath of shamrocks, the whole embroidered with golden floss on a blue silk ground'
Captain John McAlery Selection The Ireland Selection Committee
P 1 of 2, W 0 - D 0 - L 1 - F 0 - A 13.
  the team chosen following the trial match on Saturday, 11 February 1882
Ireland Lineup
one   Hamilton, James Henry 22/23 1859 G Knock FC 1 13ᵍᵃ
two   McAlery, John McCredy 32
91 days		 19 November 1849 RB Cliftonville FAC 1 0
will be an umpire in 1883 & 1885 fixtures
three   Rattray, David nk not known LB Avoniel FC 1 0
four   Martin, Donald Cargill 23
21 days		 28 January 1859 Half
back		 Cliftonville FAC 1 0
five   Hastings, John 23/24 1858 Knock FC 1 0
six   Buckle, James 27/28 1854 OR Cliftonville FAC 1 0
only app 1882
seven   McWha, William Barrie Ritchie 19/20 1862 IR Knock FC 1 0
eight   Davison, Dr. John Robert 21
299 days		 25 April 1860
in Hunslet, England		 Centre
Forward		 Cliftonville FAC 1 0
nine   Sinclair, John 26
175 days		 27 August 1855 Knock FC 1 0
will officate in the 1883-89 fixtures
ten   Dill, Alexander Harrison 18
236 days		 27 June 1863 IL Knock FC 1 0
eleven   Johnston, Samuel James 15
 154 days		 18 September 1866 OL Distillery FC 1 0
the youngest international debutant
reserves: not known
team changes: Some sources list David McCaw as starting, but he started the trial match the previous week.
John Waring (Cliftonville) was named in the original line-up, but following a 'misdemeanor', his place went to Buckle.
team notes: Confusion surrounds the birthdate of the Father of Irish Football, John McAlery.  A date of 9 September 1858 and 19 November 1848 persist. He has a plaque in his honour stating 1849, and two Irish census entries stating he was born 1850ish.
The five Knock FC players were all playing on their home ground.
 
2-2-6 Hamilton -
McAlery, Rattray -
Martin, Hastings -
Buckle, McWha, Davison, Sinclair, Dill, Johnston.
Averages: Age 22 years 337 days-
23 years 117 days10		 Appearances/Goals 1.0 0.0

 

England Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 2nd		 Colours 'the English team being arrayed in white, with the usual international badge on the left breast'.
Captain Charlie Bambridge Selection The Football Association Committee, with Secretary Charles W. Alcock having the primary influence
P 1 of 2, W 1 - D 0 - L 0 - F 13 - A 0. P 14 of 31, W 5 - D 2 - L 7 - F 38 - A 38.
¹ the team chosen on Tuesday, 7 February 1882.
England Lineup
(a record-equalling high ten changes to the previous match)

14

   Rawlinson, John F.P. 21
59 days		 21 December 1860 G Cambridge University AFC & Old Etonians AFC 1 0ᵍᵃ
90 only app 1882
91   Dobson, Alfred T.C. 22
327 days		 28 March 1859 RB Notts County FC & Corinthians FC 1 0
92   Greenwood, Doctor H. 21
110 days		 31 October 1860 LB Blackburn Rovers FC 1 0
  Hargreaves, Frederick W. 23
186 days		 16 August 1858 Half
back		 Blackburn Rovers FC 3 0
final app 1880-82
93   King, Robert S. 19
320 days		 4 April 1862 Oxford University AFC 1 0
only app 1882
Bambridge, E. Charles 23
203 days		 30 July 1858 OR Swifts FC 4 6
 most gls
94   Barnet, Horace H. 25
349 days		 6 March 1856 IR Royal Engineers FC & Corinthians FC 1 0
only app 1882
95
Brown, Arthur 23
77 days		 3 December 1858 Centre
Forward		 Aston Villa FC 1 4
fifth-seventh brace scored, first/second hattrick scored, first/second four goals first/second Villan to represent England
Brown, James 19
202 days		 31 July 1862 Blackburn Rovers FC 2 2
fifth-seventh brace scored - youngest goalscorer so far (first teenager)
96
Vaughton, O. Howard 21
40 days		 9 January 1861 IL Aston Villa FC 1 5
fifth-seventh brace scored, first/second hattrick, first/second scoring four, first five first/second Villan to represent England
Cursham, Henry A. 22
83 days		 27 November 1859 OL Notts County FC & Corinthians FC 2 1
                   
reserves: Arthur Mallinson (Barnsley Wanderers FC & Heeley FC, goal), Arthur Bambridge (Swifts FC, full-back), Walter Norris (full-back), Elliot Colvin (both Old Carthusians AFC, half-back), Record appearance holder Billy Mosforth (Wednesday FC, left wing), William Page (Old Carthusians AFC, centre), Percivall Parr (Oxford University AFC, centre), Edward Hansell (Old Carthusians AFC, right wing).
team changes: Norman Bailey (Old Westminsters AFC) was the original Captain and half-back. His place went to King. Vaughton also replaced George Holden (Wednesbury Old Athletic FC, right wing). Barnet replaced Ernest Wilson (Old Carthusians AFC, right wing).
team notes: Arthur and Charlie Bambridge's brother, Ernest, played for England in 1876. Harry Cursham's brother, Arthur, also played for England 1876-79.
appearance notes: Charlie Bambridge is the seventh player to have made four England appearances, whereas Fred Hargreaves becomes the twelfth to have made three appearances. Jimmy Brown and Harry Cursham are the 32nd and 33rd players to have made a second appearance.
records: This is the first match, since the very first that England have not conceded a goal.
The first time two hat-tricks have been scored in a single match.
The first time England have scored more than eight goals in a season, ending the first match with 13.
Charlie Bambridge becomes the first player to score in their first (& any) four different England matches.
'The English team stayed at the Queen's Hotel, York Street, under the hospitable roof of Mr. Shorthouse'
 
2-2-6 Rawlinson -
Dobson, Greenwood -
Hargreaves, King -
Bambridge, Barnet, A.Brown, J.Brown, Vaughton, Cursham.
Averages: Age 22 years 78 days Appearances/Goals 1.6 0.5
youngest team until 1886
"After the match the two teams dined together at the Castle Restaurant, Donegall Place, where Mr. Fisher catered for their creature comforts in excellent style, and a very enjoyable evening was spent under the presidency of Colonel Chichester, of Moyola Park, Castledawson, the President of the Irish Football Association'. - Belfast news-letter, Monday, 20 February 1882.

       Match Report Sheffield Daily Telegraph, Monday, 20 February 1882

The first International (Association) match in Ireland was played at Bloomfield, Belfast, on Saturday. The attendance of spectators was very large, the weather bitterly cold, a gale blowing, accompanied at times by showers of rain and hail. The result of the match was an easy victory for England by 13 goals to nil. England won the toss. Ireland kicked off against a perfect hurricane. The ball was driven up to the Irish goal, and within a few minutes from the start Vaughton scored a goal for England, and two others were obtained in the succeeding 15 minutes. Towards the conclusion of the game Cursham made some splendid runs on the left, for which he was loudly cheered. Bambridge also played in fine form, and his neat dribbling and passing tended considerably to the number of goals in the latter half of the game. In the centre the two Brown's played an excellent game throughout, but the Blackburn man was scarcely so effective as usual when near goal. All the English backs performed remarkably well, but Hargreaves and Greenwood were best of the quartet. As to the Irish team, it may be said they played fairly well all round, but as the majority of them have only had two seasons' practise it could scarcely be expected that they would show to advantage when pitted against such a strong team as that which represented England.
    

       Match Report The Times, Monday, 20 February 1882

On Saturday last for the first time an Irish Association team met a picked eleven of English players, at Bloomfield, Belfast. England won the toss and chose to play with a strong wind at their backs. Ireland set the ball rolling: it was soon returned and in a few minutes England forced the ball underneath the crossbar. In the result, England were pronounced victorious by 13 goals to none.
   
  
              In Other News....
It was on 17 February 1882 that Lord Donoughmore's motion was passed for a Select Committee to be set up to investigate the inefficiencies of the previous year's Irish Land Act.
  
Other Football Results (18 February 1882)
Football Association Challenge Cup Fifth Round Replay:
Great Marlow 0 Old Foresters 1
   Dolphin Ground, Slough (tbc)
Shaw
Great Marlow beat the Old Foresters 1-0 to reach the F.A. Cup semi-finals for the only time, where they were beaten 5-0 by the eventual winners, Old Etonians.
       
     

      Source Notes
TheFA
Jonny Dewart at Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats
Cris Freddi's England Football Factbook
Official matchday programme April 1970		   The Football Association Yearbook
James Corbett's England Expects
Original Newspaper Reports
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