 England
Football Online |
|
|
Page Last Updated 15 April 2023 |
Éireann |
|
|
18
vs. Ireland
previous match
(350 days)
19 vs. Scotland
 |
20 |
 |
23
vs. Ireland
 |
 |
Saturday,
23 February 1884
British International Championship 1883-84
(1st) Match
Ireland 1
England 8
[0-4]
|
ENGLAND'S FIRST EVER COMPETITIVE MATCH....RETROSPECTIVELY.
No competition was inaugurated in 1883-84.
The 'beginning' of the British Championship competition was added
years later |
|
 |
Ulster Cricket Ground, Ormeau
Road, Ballynafeigh
Park, Belfast, County Antrim
Kick-off
(DMT): 'at THREE o'clock
sharp'  2.35pm
GMT
Attendance:
3,000. 'before several thousand
spectators'. |
"Johnson scored the first
goal, E.C. Bambridge took the second. Before half-time, Cursham put
the ball through twice more. On the recommencement, Johnson, EC
Bambridge, Cursham and A.L. Bambridge were each instrumental in
registering goals." - Wednesday, 27 February 1884, The
Athletic News
|
|
England's first visit to Ballynafeigh, second visit to Belfast, and
Ireland |
|
|
Jack Davison
kicked-off |
Norman Bailey won the toss |
 |
Goal times generally not known.
|
England's 24th goal vs. Ireland is now the most against
any country> |
|
[0-1]
Edward Johnson
15
'from a scrummage in front of goal Johnson
sent the ball thro'
appeal for offside declined by the
referee
[0-2]
Charlie Bambridge c18
'after a splendid run on
the left'
[0-3]
Harry Cursham ?
'Johnson sent in a sharp shot which was fisted out
by Hunter to be returned by Cursham'
[0-4]
Harry Cursham
BRACE
'from a cross from the
right' |
[1-8]
Billy McWha 88
a
shot out of a scrummage impossible to save |
[0-5]
Charlie Bambridge ?
BRACE
'after a fast run by Cursham and Charlie on
the left, the latter sending in a hot shot'
[0-6]
Charlie Bambridge ?
HAT-TRICK
'the ball had been scarcely re-started
when he repeated the operation'
appeal for offside declined by the
referee
[0-7]
George Holden ?
'after Johnson
sent in a low shot which Hunter intercepted, Holden rushing sent both
ball and man between the posts'
[0-8]
Harry Cursham header 75
HAT-TRICK
'rushing up'
to head in a
Bailey cross
|
Charlie
Bambridge injured - ten men
75 |
|
|
"The
weather was rather dull." |
|
|
|
|
 flg.jpg) Match
Summary |
 Officials
[umpires and referees are of equal relevance] |
Ireland |
Team Records |
England |
|
Umpires
|
Ireland had one shot on goal |
Nicholas Lane Jackson
34 (1 November 1849)
West Hackney,
London
(F.A. Secretary) |
Robert
M.
Kennedy
Cliftonville, Belfast |
Referee
Thomas Lawrie
29
(21 October 1854), Gorbals, Lanarkshire
Scottish F.A.
vice-President |
|
|
|
|
Ireland
Team |
| |
|
Rank |
No official ranking system established;
ELO rating
4th |
Colours |
St. Patrick blue shirts,
white shorts. |
|
Captain |
Jack Davison |
Selection |
Irish Selection Committee |
|
P 4 of 5, W 0 - D 1 - L 3 - F 2 - A 20. |
|
|
team chosen at some point after their match against Scotland on 9 February
1884 |
|
Ireland
Lineup |
|
|
Hunter, Robert John |
21/22 |
1862 |
G |
Cliftonville FAC |
3 |
19ᵍᵃ |
|
final app
1884 |
|
|
Crone, William |
20
176 days |
31 August
1863 |
RB |
Distillery FC |
4 |
0 |
|
|
Wilson, Matthew |
41/42 |
1842 |
LB |
Distillery FC |
3 |
0 |
|
final app
1884 |
|
|
Hastings, John |
25/26 |
1858 |
Half
Back |
Ulster FC |
5 |
0 |
|
|
Molyneux, Thomas Bryson |
26
219 days |
19 July 1857 or 1868 |
Cliftonville FAC |
3 |
0 |
|
|
Gaussen, Arthur David
Ash |
21
69 days |
16 December 1862 |
OR |
Moyola Park FC |
2 |
0 |
|
|
Davison, Dr. John Robert |
23
304 days |
25 April 1860
in Hunslet, England |
IR |
Cliftonville FAC |
5 |
0 |
 |
McWha, William Barrie Ritchie |
21/22 |
1862 |
Centre
Forward |
Cliftonville FAC |
5 |
1 |
|
=mst gls |
|
|
Johnston, Samuel James |
17
158 days |
18 September 1866 |
Distillery FC |
3 |
1 |
|
=mst gls |
|
|
Spiller, Edward Ashley |
21
93 days |
22 November 1861 |
IL |
Cliftonville FAC |
5 |
0 |
|
|
Dill, Alexander Harrison |
20
241 days |
27 June 1863 |
OL |
Cliftonville FAC |
6 |
0 |
|
mst apps |
|
reserves: |
not known |
|
team notes: |
Matthew Wilson, was nicknamed 'Daddy', and was
famed for his 15 inch long ginger beard.
Ireland become the first
opposition team not to field any debutants.
Ulster FC's Jack
Hastings was playing on his home ground. |
|
|
|
2-2-6 |
Hunter -
Crone, Wilson -
Hastings, Molyneux -
Gaussen, Davison,
McWha, Johnston, Spiller, Dill. |
|
Averages: |
Age |
23 years
267
days
-24 years
34 days |
Appearances/Goals |
4.0 |
0.1 |
|
|
|
|
England
Team |
| |
|
Rank |
No official ranking system established;
ELO rating
2nd |
Colours |
White shirts, navy blue knickerbockers |
Captain |
Norman Bailey |
Selection |
Following
the trial match,
The Football Association Committee, with Secretary Charles W.
Alcock having the primary
influence |
|
P 6 of 15, W 2 - D 0 - L 4 - F 20 - A 20. |
P 20 of 31, W 8 - D 2 - L
10 - F 64 - A 52. |
|
most captaincies so far |
team chosen at 23 Paternaster Row on Saturday evening, 26 January 1884. |
England
Lineup
(eight changes to the previous match) |
|
15 |
|
Rose,
William C. |
22
84 days |
1 December 1861 |
G |
Swindon Town FC &
Swifts FC |
1 |
1ᵍᵃ |
|
109 |
youngest
player to represent England competitively/youngest
oldest so far |
the first Swindon player to represent
England |
|
|
Dobson, Alfred
T.C. |
24
332 days |
28 March 1859 |
RB |
Notts County FC
&
Corinthians FC |
2 |
0 |
|
110 |
|
Beverley, Joseph |
27
103 days |
12 November 1856 |
LB |
Blackburn Rovers FC |
1 |
0 |
|
the fifth Rover to represent
England |
 |
Bailey, Norman C. |
26
215 days |
23 July 1857 |
Half
Back |
Clapham Rovers FC |
10 |
0 |
|
most apps 1884 |
|
|
MacRae, Stuart |
28
78 days |
7 December 1855
in Bengal, India |
Notts County FC
&
Corinthians FC |
4 |
0 |
|
oldest
player to represent England competitively so far |
|
|
Holden,
George H. |
24
140 days |
6 October 1859 |
OR |
Wednesbury Old Athletic
FC |
2 |
1 |
|
|
Bambridge, Arthur L. |
22
252 days |
16 June 1861 |
IR |
Swifts FC
&
Corinthians FC |
3 |
0 |
|
final app 1881-84 |
|
|
Johnson, Edward |
24
87 days |
28 November 1859 |
Centre
Forward |
Stoke FC |
2 |
1 |
|
youngest competitive scorer
so far |
final app
1880-84 |
|
|
Dunn,
Arthur T.B. |
23
195 days |
12 August 1860 |
Cambridge
University AFC &
Old Etonians
AFC |
2 |
2 |
|
|
Bambridge,
E. Charles,
injured off 75th min. |
25
208 days |
30 July 1858 |
IL |
Swifts FC |
8 |
10 |
|
13th brace scored by England
-
fourth hat-trick |
oldest competitive
(& 2&3) scorer
so far |
mst gls |
|
|
Cursham, Henry A. |
24
88 days |
27 November 1859 |
OL |
Notts County FC &
Corinthians FC |
8 |
5 |
|
twelfth brace scored by England
- fifth hat-trick |
final app
1880-84 |
|
reserves: |
not known |
|
team changes: |
The original eleven had
Percy de Paravicini (Old Etonians
AFC) starting, his place going to
Beverley. Cursham replaced
Nevill Cobbold (Old Carthusians
AFC &
Cambridge University AFC).
Dunn replaced
Kenneth Wilson (Hendon FC).
Clem Mitchell (Upton Park FC) and
Tom Dewhurst (Blackburn Olympic
FC) were replaced by Johnson and Holden. The first four players
were unavailable, whereas Dewhurst was dropped because of his
misconduct in a match between Blackburn Olympic FC and Northwich
Victoria FC on 9 February. |
|
team notes: |
Harry Cursham's brother,
Arthur, also played for England 1876-82.
Arthur and Charlie
Bambridge are the second set of brothers to play in the same team
twice after the Cursham's did so last year. Their brother, Ernest (1876)
also played for England. |
|
appearance notes: |
Harry Cursham and Charlie Bambridge are the
third/fourth England players to make eight appearances, whereas Stuart
MacRea is the eleventh to make four appearances.
23 players have
now played for England three or more times, and 49 have done so more
than once.
Billy Rose is also the youngest player of the eleven
starting the match, thus breaking a record set in 1880 by
fellow goalkeeper Albemarle Swepstone, by 390
days. Rose will be the oldest youngest player until 1889. |
|
records: |
England's first competitive match, albeit,
retrospective.
Second time two hat-tricks have been scored in a single match.
Harry Cursham becomes the second England player, after Billy Mosforth,
to make seven consecutive appearances.
Norman Bailey continues his record of being the most experienced
England player to have not scored a goal. |
|
The team stayed at
The Imperial Hotel in Dublin. |
|
|
|
2-2-6 |
Rose -
Dobson, Beverley -
Bailey, MacRae -
Holden,
A.Bambridge, Johnson, Dunn,
C.Bambridge, Cursham. |
|
Averages: |
Age |
24 years 328
days |
Appearances/Goals |
3.9 |
1.0 |
oldest competitive XI
until next match
youngest competitive XI
until Wales match |
|
|
|
|
Match Report
Sporting Life, Monday, 25 February 1884
|
|
The
annual meeting, under Association rules, between the representatives
of the two countries, came off on Saturday, in the Ulster Ground,
Belfast. The attendance was very heavy, a very fast and high class
exposition of the game was witnessed. England won the toss, and
elected to play down the hill. Scarcely had the sphere been started,
than fine runs by Johnstone, C. Bambridge, and Cursham threw the home
team on their defences, and though Hunter saved his charge very
cleverly on several occasions, it was not long till a low swift shot
from G. Johnstone scored the first goal for England. In a few minutes,
E. C. Bambridge took the second, and ere the termination of a half
Cursham put the ball through twice more. On the recommencement of play
the visitors continued to act on the aggressive, and G. Johnstone, E.
C. Bambridge, Cursham, and A. L. Bambridge were each instrumental in
registering goals. In about the middle of this period, however, E. C.
Bambridge's bad leg again gave way, and he was compelled to retire.
After some capital play by Davison and Gaussen, Dill, M'Wha obtained
the only point scored for Ireland, and when the referee's whistle
announced the termination of the game, England were thus victorious by
the substantial majority of eight goals to one.
|
|
Match Report
The Times, Monday, 25 February 1884
|
|
|
Notwithstanding the fact that five of the original team elected to
represent England in this international association encounter at
Belfast on Saturday were unable to play, the English eleven secured a
somewhat easy victory over their opponents. The weather was rather
dull, but this did not prevent a large number of people visiting the
Ulster ground to watch the contest. During the first portion of the
game England obtained four goals, through the agency of Cursham (two),
E. C. Bambridge, and Johnson. After positions had been reversed, the
visitors still had matters much their own way, and Cursham, E. C.
Bambridge, Johnson and A. L. Bambridge each scored a goal. M'Wha
kicked the ball between the posts for Ireland, who were beaten by
eight goals to one.
|
|
The Belfast News-letter, Monday, 25 February 1884
|
|
It
may be mentioned that before the match the teams met at the studio of
Mr. Seggons, Castle Place, where capital photographs of the
contestants were taken. |
|
|
|
|
In Other News....
|
It was on 22 February 1884
that it was announced that the town of Tokar in Sudan had been surrendered
by British forces to the slave trader, Osman Digna. |
|
|
|
|
Other Football Results
(23 February 1884) |
Friendly Matches:
Notts County 2 Aston Villa 0
Old Trent Bridge Ground, Nottingham
(tbc)
Chaman, Emmitt |
|
County were without Dobson, MacRae or Harry Cursham |
|
|
Notts County, who had reached the F.A. Cup semi-finals for the second year in succession, defeated Aston Villa, 2-0 at Trent Bridge. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preston North End 2 Blackburn Rovers 0
North End Ground, Deepdale, Preston
(15,000)
Belger (2) |
|
Rovers were without Joe Beverley |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source Notes
|
TheFA
Jonny Dewart at
Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats
Cris Freddi's England Football Factbook
Andy Mitchell's research on
Kenneth Plumpton Wilson |
|
The Football Association Yearbook
Original Newspaper Reports Belfast news-letter, 25 February 1884
Stephen Carr & Kevin Powell
|
|
|
cg |
|