Match Summary

Scotland Team

England Team

...IN INTERNATIONAL MATCH AT HAMPDEN PARK
   The Press Association understands that there is a possibility of players being numbered in the Scotland v. England international match at Hampden Park on April 17. The English F.A. are experimenting with numbered players in amateur international matches this season.
   Should this procedure be adopted at Hampden it will create football history for a full Association international match. - 2 February 1937

SCOTS REJECT NUMBERING PROPOSAL
   At yesterday's [3 February] meeting of the Scottish F.A. the Football Association's request that players should be numbered in the Scotland v. England match was refused. - 4 February 1937

NO NUMBERS AT HAMPDEN
   BUT F.A. OFFICIAL UPHOLDS SCHEME
   That the day is not far off when players in league matches will be numbered is the forecast given yesterday [4 February] by a prominent [Football] Association official.
   The refusal of the S.F.A. to agree to a suggestion by the [Football] Association that players be numbered in the Scotland-England match at Hampden in April has brought this idea once more into the limelight.
   It was while discussing the action of the S.F.A. that Mr. [Henry] J. Huband, treasurer of the F.A., made his prophecy.
   "I am definitely in favour of numbering players," he stated. "Surely there can be no objection to it. Some of the former opposition to the scheme is being broken down, and I think the league will adopt it very soon.
   "We have on our selection committee representatives of league clubs, and I know the committee are in favour of numbering players. Anyway, somebody must start it."
   The F.A. have been experimenting with the scheme this season. Players in the England v. Wales amateur international match at Portsmouth recently were numbered and the Irish F.A. have agreed to try numbers in the amateur international against England at Belfast to-morrow week. The experiment at Portsmouth was voted a big success. - Dundee Courier, 5 February 1937

ENGLAND-SCOTLAND BROADCAST UNLIKELY
   It is unlikely that the international between Scotland and England at Hampden Park in April will be broadcast.
   The B.B.C. approached the Scottish Football Association on the question, but as they wanted free facilities their request was refused.
   Mr. George Graham, secretary of the Scottish F.A., told a Press representative yesterday:-"We certainly have refused the B.B.C. permission. But if they want to talk business we are prepared to do so." - 5 February 1937

NATIONAL BROADCAST QUESTIONS
   When the minutes of the Selection Committee were submitted to the Council, Mr. McDavid asked whether that Committee had received authority to decide whether or not the international match with England should be broadcast. The Chairman remarked that arrangements for international matches were always left in the hands of the Selection Committee.
   During the discussion it was emphasised that clubs in country districts were hard hit by such broadcasting. One member pointed out that in a game in Aberdeenshire only 18s was drawn on the occasion of the last broadcast.
   Figures of a census taken in hospitals were given by the Chairman, who added that only 5 per cent of the inmates in these institutions were in favour of listening to the broadcasts. When questioned regarding the source of these statistics, the Chairman said they had been taken from the hospitals.
   Mr. Jamison—I have been in hospitals in various parts of Renfrewshire, and they are 99 per cent in favour of the broadcasts.
   Mr. W. Struth said the Committee had made a suggestion to the B.B.C. that they should make a contribution to the infirmaries in Glasgow, but they had promptly turned it down. It was not a question of the S.F.A, looking for finance. The B.B.C. would not listen to the suggestion.
   After further discussion it was moved that the matter be taken back for further consideration, but on a vote, the decision of the Committee not to allow the broadcast was approved.

As on many occasions, the Scottish entered the field to 'Scotland the Brave', whilst the English were cheered on to the strains of Heart of Oak'.
The Attendance of 149,547 is the minimum...that is the number of tickets issued, to be taken into consideration are the complementary tickets, press tickets, police tickets, etc...taking the total well over the 150,000 mark.
SFA paid £6750 to Queen's Park FC for the use of Hampden Park.

Football League Division One 17 April 1937
Team	P	Pts
Manchester City	40	54
Arsenal	40	51
Charlton Athletic	40	50
Derby County	40	47
Brentford	40	46
Middlesbrough	40	46
Portsmouth	40	44
Wolverhampton Wanderers	39	43
Sunderland	40	43
Grimsby Town	40	39
Preston North End	41	39
Stoke City	40	38
Birmingham	40	38
Chelsea	40	38
Everton	41	37
Huddersfield Town	40	36
West Bromwich Albion	39	34
Liverpool	40	33
Bolton Wanderers	40	33
Manchester United	40	31
Leeds United	39	30
Sheffield Wednesday	39	28

 

Division One matches played on 17 April 1937:

ARSENAL 4-0 PORTSMOUTH
D.Compton 32, 79, Nelson 63, Kirchen 75
29,098 (Highbury, London)

Arsenal were without Male, who was captain against Scotland in Glasgow, and Bowden, who was a reserve against Scotland.

BOLTON WANDERERS 0-0 STOKE CITY
16,962 (Burnden Park, Bolton)

 Stoke were without Johnson, Matthews and Steele (who scored the opening goal), who were playing against Scotland in Glasgow.

BRENTFORD 1-0 CHELSEA
McKenzie pen. 85
22,042 (Griffin Park, London)

Chelsea were without Vic Woodley, who was making his international debut, in goal against Scotland in Glasgow.

DERBY COUNTY 3-1 BIRMINGHAM
Stockill 34, Astley 54, Crooks 75 (Morris 16)
10,802 (Baseball Ground, Derby)

Derby were without Dally Duncan, who was playing for Scotland against England in Glasgow.

EVERTON 2-2 CHARLTON ATHLETIC
Dean pen. 29, Cunliffe 55 (Tadman 40, 80)
11,105 (Goodison Park, Liverpool)

Everton were without Cliff Britton, who was playing against Scotland in Glasgow, whilst Charlton were without Don Welsh, who was a reserve against Scotland.

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-3 GRIMSBY TOWN
(Glover 4, 9, Craven 35)
6,189 (Leeds Road, Huddersfield)

Huddersfield were without Alf Young, who was playing against Scotland in Glasgow.

MANCHESTER UNITED 2-1 MIDDLESBROUGH
Bamford 43, Bryant 53 (Cochrane 14)
17,656 (Old Trafford, Manchester)

PRESTON NORTH END 2-5 MANCHESTER CITY
Vernon, Dougal (Doherty 3, Herd, Donnelly)
21,804 (Deepdale, Preston)

Preston were without Beattie and O'Donnell, who were both making their international debut, for Scotland against England in Glasgow, with O'Donnell scoring the equaliser, whilst City were without Barkas and Bray, who were playing against Scotland.

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 2-3 WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Millership 75, Dewar 85 (Robbins 54, 64, Mahon 77)
12,002 (Hillsborough, Sheffield)

SUNDERLAND 4-2 LIVERPOOL
Gurney 16, 69, Duns 43, Burbanks 51 (Nieuwenhuys 40, Hanson 53)
14,255 (Roker Park, Sunderland)

Sunderland were without Raich Carter, who was playing against Scotland in Glasgow.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 3-0 LEEDS UNITED
Clayton 23, 87, Thompson 89
13,688 (Molineux, Wolverhampton)

There was a scare for Manchester City when they were two goals down at Preston at half-time, with Arsenal leading, and threatening to close the gap to a point, but Peter Doherty's sharpness destroyed their opponents and took them to a sixth successive victory and a twentieth consecutive league match without defeat. They stayed unbeaten since Christmas Day and won their first title, a week later.

Football League Division Two 17 April 1937
Team	P	Pts
Blackpool	41	54
Leicester City	40	52
Bury	41	50
Plymouth Argyle	40	49
Newcastle United	41	47
Sheffield United	40	45
West Ham United	39	44
Aston Villa	40	44
Tottenham Hotspur	39	42
Fulham	40	42
Coventry City	40	41
Blackburn Rovers	40	40
Chesterfield	40	39
Burnley	40	39
Barnsley	40	37
Norwich City	40	34
Southampton	40	34
Swansea Town	40	34
Bradford	41	32
Nottingham Forest	39	30
Bradford City	41	30
Doncaster Rovers	40	23

 

Division Two matches played on 17 April 1937:

ASTON VILLA 0-2 WEST HAM UNITED
(KIrkaldie, Small)
19,908 (Villa Park, Birmingham)

Villa were without Starling, who was playing against Scotland in Glasgow, and Massie, who was playing for Scotland.

BRADFORD CITY 2-0 NORWICH CITY
Murphy, Buttery
6,471 (Valley Parade, Bradford)

BURNLEY 3-0 BARNSLEY
Brocklebank 2, Rayner
4,919 (Turf Moor, Burnley)

CHESTERFIELD 2-5 LEICESTER CITY
Bonass, Ponting (Stubbs 2, Bowers, Maw, Smith)
13,200 (Recreation Ground, Chesterfield)

COVENTRY CITY 1-2 BLACKPOOL
Roberts (Munro, Finan)
16,725 (Highfield Road, Coventry)

DONCASTER ROVERS 1-1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Dutton pen. (Morrison)
3,560 (Belle Vue, Doncaster)

Regardless of this result, the points won elsewhere by Bradford City and Nottingham Forest confirmed Doncaster's relegation after two seasons in the second division.

FULHAM 4-0 SHEFFIELD UNITED
Rooke 3, Arnold
8,439 (Craven Cottage, London)

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1-0 BURY
Betts
8,484 (City Ground, Nottingham)

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 2-0 BLACKBURN ROVERS
Dyer, Connor
17,294 (Home Park, Plymouth)

SOUTHAMPTON 0-0 BRADFORD
9,584 (The Dell, Southampton)

SWANSEA TOWN 1-2 NEWCASTLE UNITED
Harris (Rogers, Smith)
9,310 (Vetch Field, Swansea)

Blackpool's only win of their last six games was enough to clinch promotion for them, after four seasons out of the top flight, but Leicester won their last five games to take the title from them.

Division Three on 17 April 1937:

Lincoln City led the northern section by two points from Stockport County, who had a game in hand. They met, two weeks later, on the last day of the season in front of 26,135 at Edgeley Park. Stockport won 2-0 and ended a run of eleven seasons in the third division. Notts County led the southern section by four points from Luton Town, who had a game in hand, but they seemed destined to finish runners-up for the second season in succession. However, County did not win another point, whilst Luton did not drop a point in their last three games to clinch their first ever promotion. In their last six games Joe Payne scored an incredible 14 goals.

IN OTHER NEWS...

It was on 18 April 1937 that the rehearsal for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth's coronation began at 6:30am with the procession of the spectacular horse-drawn Gold State Coach, without the royal couple. Though it was so early on a Sunday morning and the first day of British Summer Time, with the clocks having gone forward by an hour during the night, thousands of people lined the route to watch the proceedings. The coronation went ahead, as planned, just over three weeks later.

Source Notes

Scottish Football Association
Scotland - The Complete International Record: Richard Keir
London Hearts
original newspaper reports
FA Yearbooks 1950-60
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CG