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239 vs. Scotland
Saturday, 12 April 1947
Home International Championship 1946-47 (52nd) Match


England 1 Scotland 1 [0-1]
 
 
Empire Stadium, Empire Way, Wembley Park, Wembley, Middlesex
Kick-off (BST): 3.00pm.
Attendance: 98,250 (a new record crowd for England at Wembley)
Receipts £34,200.


Players lost since last match
Bill Ashurst (26 January 1947) 52

Domestic Football Results
George Hardwick won the toss Scotland kicked off
  [0-1] Andy McLaren 15
12-yard right-footed stretched shot into the left-hand corner of an empty goal following a Jimmy Delaney interception
4.5 England v Scotland
4.40-5.5 Close up
  
[1-1] Raich Carter 56
 eight yard right-footed shot over Miller from Wilf Mannion's inch perfect lay-off
 
Final 35 minutes only - Commentator: Jimmy Jewell
 

"ENGLAND CAN THANK THEIR LUCKY STARS" Sunday Mirror

Officials          England

UK ruling on substitutes

Scotland
Referee
Charles Adolphe Delasalle
49 (8 December 1897), France.
   Goal Attempts   
  Attempts on Target  
Linesmen 32 Throw-ins 18
M. Andrew Watt
Edinburgh
George Henry Hann
50 (1 January 1897), Yeovil, Somerset
4 Corner Kicks Won 5
15 Bye-kicks 14
Teams presented to the Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Clement Richard Attlee PM, and A.Brook-Hirst, FA Chairman.
Attlee also presented George Hardwick with the Jubilee Trophy following the match.
25 Free-kicks 12
  Possession from Sunday Post
   
England Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 4th
Colours The 1946 home uniform - White collared jerseys, blue shorts, red socks.
P 5th of eighteen, W 4 - D 1 - L 0 - F 20 - A 5.

Captain
George Hardwick Manager Walter Winterbottom, 34 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
5th of 13, W 4 - D 1 - L 0 - F 20 - A 5. P 5th of 139, W 4 - D 1 - L 0 - F 20 - A 5.
  Team chosen by Selection Committee headed by Arthur Drewry, on Friday, 28 March, in Harrogate.
England Lineup
  two changes to the previous match (Matthews & Mullen>Finney & Langton) league position (28 March)  
  Swift, Frank V. 33
107 days
26 December 1913 G Manchester City FC (FL2 TOP) 5 5ᵍᵃ
2 Scott, Lawrence 29
354 days
23 April 1917 RB Arsenal FC (FL 17th) 5 0
3 Hardwick, George F.M. 27
69 days
2 February 1920 LB Middlesbrough FC (FL 5th) 5 0
4 Wright, William A. 23
65 days
6 February 1924 RHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL TOP) 5 0
5 Franklin, Cornelius 25
78 days
24 January 1922 CHB Stoke City FC (FL 7th) 5 0
6 Johnston, Harry 27
198 days
26 September 1919 LHB Blackpool FC (FL 2nd) 2 0
7 Matthews, Stanley 32
70 days
1 February 1915 OR Stoke City FC (FL 7th) 18 8
7 years 329 days after his last appearance
8
Carter, Horatio S. 33
112 days
21 December 1913 IR Derby County FC (FL 11th) 11 6
9 Lawton, Thomas 27
188 days
6 October 1919 CF Chelsea FC (FL 10th) 13 12
10
Mannion, Wilfred J. 28
331 days
16 May 1918 IL Middlesbrough FC (FL 5th) 5 6
665 11 Mullen, James 24
96 days
6 January 1923 OL Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL TOP) 1 0
the 19th Wanderer to represent England
reserves: originally Phil Taylor (Liverpool FC (FL 3rd)) and Stan Mortensen (Blackpool FC (FL 2nd)).
Taylor was replaced by Eddie Lowe (Aston Villa FC) on 9 April.
Prior to this match, the England side were set-up in Brighton, using Brighton & Hove Albion's ground to train on.
This is the most experienced and oldest post-war side so far.
 

2-3-5

Swift  -
Scott, Hardwick -
Wright, Franklin, Johnston -
Matthews, Carter, Lawton, Mannion, Mullen.
Averages: Age 28 years 154 days Appearances/Goals 6.8 2.8
oldest post-war team so far most experienced post-war team so far

England teams v. Scotland (the previous year's game was a Victory International)

1946: Swift Scott Hardwick Wright Franklin Mercer Elliot Shackleton Lawton Hagan Compton
1947: Johnston Matthews Carter Mannion Mullen
 
Scotland Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 6th
Colours Dark blue jerseys with white collars, white shorts, blue socks with red tops.
Captain Jock Shaw Selection Scottish Football Association Selection Committee
on Wednesday, 2 April 1947
Trainer: Hugh Shaw (Hibernian FC)
Scotland Lineup
  Miller, William 22
143 days
20 November 1924 G The Celtic FC 2 4ᵍᵃ
2 Young, George L. 24
167 days
27 October 1922 RB Rangers FC 2 0
3 Shaw, John 34
134 days
29 November 1912 LB Rangers FC 1 0
634 4 Macaulay, Archibald R. 31
256 days
30 July 1915 RHB Brentford FC, England 1 0
635 5 Woodburn, William A. 27
247 days
8 August 1919 CHB Rangers FC 1 0
636 6 Forbes, Alexander R. 22
81 days
21 January 1925 LHB Sheffield United FC, England 1 0
7 Smith, Gordon 22
322 days
25 May 1924 OR Hibernian FC 2 0
637 8
McLaren, Andrew 25
78 days
24 January 1922 IR Preston North End FC, England 1 1
9
Delaney, James 32
221 days
3 September 1914 CF Manchester United FC, England 10 3
638 10 Steel, William 23
346 days
1 May 1923 IL Greenock Morton FC 1 0
639 11 Pearson, Thomas U. 34
27 days
16 March 1913 OL Newcastle United FC, England 1 0
travelling reserves: John Husband (Partick Thistle FC) and William Thornton (Rangers FC).
reserves: George Brown (Rangers FC); David Shaw (Hibernian FC); Hugh Brown (Partick Thistle FC), John Aird (Hibernian FC), and Husband; Jimmy Delaney (Manchester United FC) and Neil Dougall (Birmingham City FC); Willie McIntosh (Preston North End FC); Thornton and Willie McCall (Aberdeen FC);
team notes: Tom Pearson played for England against Scotland in the December 1939 war-time international.
Andy McClaren's debut goal is the first such goal since Jimmy Dougall did so for Scotland in April 1939. He becomes the third Preston North End player to score on his Scotland debut against England in the last ten years, and the first to do so at the Empire Stadium.
"The Scottish team left for Sonning, near Reading (Berks), where they will stay until the match."
 
2-3-5 Miller -
Young, Shaw -
Macauley, Woodburn, Forbes -
Smith, McLaren, Delaney, Steel, Pearson.
Averages: Age 27 years 153 days Appearances/Goals 2.1 0.2
youngest post-war opposition so far
 
           Match Report by Mike Payne

THE Home International Championship went to England after their draw in this final match of the season against Scotland. It was not a very good display and it was the Scots who gained most of the credit.

Over 98,000 spectators packed into Wembley on a glorious sunny day. The pitch looked superb and it was a very colourful scene especially when decorated by the pipes and drums of the Scots Guards. The teams were presented to the Prime Minister, Clement Atlee, before the kick-off.

The first-half belonged to Scotland. Driven on by marvellous displays from Macauley and Forbes in the midfield, they tore England apart. The rhythm that had been seen in England's previous games was completely upset and the usual inspirational pair, Raich Carter and Wilf Mannion, just could not get going against their Scottish counterparts.

After 15 minutes Scotland took the lead their play deserved. The move typified their native quality. Shaw found Pearson with a good pass. The winger dribbled down the left before laying on a perfect pass for McLaren, bursting through the middle, to shoot home a fine goal past the helpless Frank Swift.

England went from bad to worse. Pearson saw a shot blocked. Swift twice dropped the ball under pressure and there was a vociferous appeal for handball against Laurie Scott. Somehow though, England held on until half-time although at this stage they should have been out of the game completely.

To their eternal credit the half-time break was used to good effect by England and they restarted with a much more determined look about them. Within minutes a sparkling move involving Tommy Lawton, Jimmy Mullen and Cater ended with a shot into the side netting.

Two other similar moves lingered in the memory, on 56 minutes, England equalised. A superb quick passing movement between Lawton, Mannion and Carter ended with the latter shooting an excellent goal. At last England were something like their old selves again. They forced three corners in as many minutes as they searched for a winner but the Scots were not going to let that happen and they gave as good as they got, rising above themselves in a thriller.

There had been some interesting individual battles on the day with Scott doing well against Pearson, Smith worrying George Hardwick and Delaney having Neil Franklin in two minds for much of the game. Mullen, meanwhile, had a quiet but promising debut. In the end, though, the two sides shared the points and, reluctantly, settled for the draw.

  

           Match Report by Norman Giller

A crowd of 98,250 gathered for this first post-war international at Wembley. victory or a draw would give England the Home Championship. Scotland were the superior side in the first half and deserved their 1-0 half-time lead from a goal by Preston inside-right Andy McLaren. England equalised in the 56th minute when Raich Carter finished off a sweeping movement involving Tommy Lawton and Wilf Mannion. With the score deadlocked at 1-1, Carter was racing unchallenged towards the Scottish goal in the dying moments when he heard a whistle and pulled up. The whistle had come from the crowd. Jimmy Mullen made his debut on the left wing, and Stanley Matthews was preferred to Tom Finney on the right wing. It was Stanley's 18th peacetime international appearance and his first since before the war. Wright and Franklin were developing into the Britton and Cullis of peacetime football. There could be no higher praise. This match saw the start of the Matthews-or-Finney controversy that lasted throughout their careers. The selectors never seemed quite sure which to pick. They were both exceptionally gifted players, but it was considered it would be too much of a luxury to play them both. It started long arguments between fans, whipped up by newspapers, as to which of them should wear the number seven shirt.
 
 

           Match Report by Glen Isherwood

England had beaten both Ireland and Wales and needed only a point to secure the first post-war British Championship. Scotland had lost 3-1 to Wales at the Racecourse Ground and could finish joint runners-up at best. They had lost four out of five wartime internationals at Wembley since winning in 1938.
Scotland dominated the first half and took the lead when a pass from Pearson found Andy McLaren who shot past Swift. England's equaliser came from a very quick and incisive move which split the Scottish defence and Mannion provided the in-rushing Raich Carter with the final pass from which he drove the ball past Miller.
England were to retain the British Championship the following year, their fourth successive peacetime title, while Scotland finished bottom without a point. They returned to Wembley in 1949, however, with a much-improved side.
The 1951 Footballer of the Year, Harry Johnston, made his first Wembley appearance.

   

           Match Report by John Batson, The Weekly Dispatch

MYSTERY WHISTLE COST ENGLAND A VICTORY
It is doubtful if there exists an Englishman so shameless as to moan about that extraordinary Wembley incident yesterday, which resulted in England being deprived of what seemed an odds-on and winning goal against Scotland. Grey-haired Horatio Carter, the man who saved England from complete disgrace by scoring the equaliser earlier in the second half, was concerned in the incident.
As  the Derby County inside right galloped through on his own, the crowd's roar seemed to die momentarily for some reason, and a whistle sounded. Carter braked and half fell, looking back in astonishment towards the referee, who waved that he was not at fault.
Recovering his feet, Carter shot hard—and Miller saved. Without that pause, I am sure that a second goal would have been scored for England—and rank injustice done to the Scots, who were moral victors, anyway, whatever the score."

"Nevertheless, but for that misguided ass in the crowd blowing a whistle, England would have won, for to this day, I still believe Raich Carter would have scored." - Billy Wright

  

      In Other News....
It was on 11 April 1947 that the Soviet Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov, refused to agree to the Saar Protectorate becoming part of France, at a meeting in Moscow. It would be another ten years before the disputed territory became a state in West Germany.
  
           Source Notes
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
LondonHearts.com
Glen Isherwood's Wembley: The Complete Record
  Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record

Norman Giller, Football Author
British Pathé
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