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Results 1955-1960                   Page Last Updated 10 February 2024

Tuaisceart Éireann

 
300 vs. Northern Ireland 
 
304 vs. Sweden
305 vs. Finland
previous senior match (133 days)
306 vs. West Germany
previous match (10 days)
 'U23' 06 vs. Denmark
   307
 
next match (11 days)
'U23' 07 vs. France
next senior match
(39 days)
308 vs. Wales
 
316 vs. Northern Ireland
3.15 The Solid Gold Cadillac
3.45 Football: Ireland v. England
4.45 The Fun of the Fair 5.0 Sports Report 5.58 Shipping Forecast
Saturday, 6 October 1956
Home International Championship 1956-57 (62nd) Match


Northern Ireland 1 England 1
[1-1]

 
Windsor Park, Donegall Avenue, Windsor, Belfast, County Antrim
Kick-off (GMT): 3.00pm;
Attendance: '58,420'; Receipts: £9550 (a new Irish record)
Danny Blanchflower won the toss England kicked-off
Players lost since last match
Joe Smith (9 June 1956) 66
Charlie Fry (7 September) 84

Domestic Football Results


[1-1] Jimmy McIlroy volley 10
 volleyed the ball from 16 yards over the keeper's head after Reg Matthews misjudged McParland's long throw into his path
[0-1] Stan Matthews 2
15-yard left-footed drive from a Don Revie pass into across the outside of the area
[1-1] a late Jimmy McIlroy strike hits the post 87  
second-half live on the Radio Light Programme - Commentator: tbc
     
This week's Music Charts

     
     
"WHAT A FLOP, ENGLAND!" Sunday Mirror
Officials from Scotland Northern Ireland UK ruling on substitutes England
Referee
Hugh Phillips
35 (4 April 1921), Wishaw, Lanarkshire
 
Linesmen
Alexander P. Davidson
Castle Douglas
Alexander F. Murray
Glasgow
     
Northern Ireland Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 46th to 43rd
Colours Green continental jerseys with white v-neck collar/cuffs, white shorts, blue socks with white tops.
Captain Danny Blanchflower Manager Peter Dermot Doherty, 43 (5 June 1913), appointed October 1951, also manager at Doncaster Rovers FC since June 1949.
Team chosen on Wednesday, 26 September 1956
Attendant/Trainer: G. Morgan (Linfield FAC) seventeenth match, W 2 - D - 5 - L 10 - F 18 - A 40.
Northern Ireland Lineup
  Gregg, Henry 23
345 days
27 October 1932 G Doncaster Rovers FC, England 2 2ᵍᵃ
2 Cunningham, William E. 26
229 days
20 February 1930 RB Leicester City FC, England 8 0
3 McMichael, Alfred 29
5 days
1 October 1927 LB Newcastle United FC, England 19 0
4 Blanchflower, R. Dennis 30
239 days
10 February 1926 RHB Tottenham Hotspur FC, England 20 0
5 Blanchflower, John 23
213 days
7 March 1933 CHB Manchester United FC, England 6 1
6 Casey, Thomas 26
209 days
11 March 1930 LHB Newcastle United FC, England 3 0
7 Bingham, William L. 25
62 days
5 August 1931 OR Sunderland AFC, England 18 2
8
McIlroy, James 24
347 days
25 October 1931 IR Burnley FC, England 16 1
9 Jones, James 28
73 days
25 July 1928 CF Glenavon FC 2 1
10 McAdams, William J. 22
260 days
20 January 1934 IL Manchester City FC, England 3 1
11 McParland, Peter J. 22
248 days
25 April 1934 OL Aston Villa FC, England 6 2
reserve: Tommy Dickson (Linfield FAC)
team notes: Danny and Jackie Blanchflower are brothers.
Manager Peter Doherty played for Ireland against England on seven separate occasions from 1935 until 1947, scoring one in 1947.
 
2-3-5 Gregg -
Cunningham, McMichael -

D.Blanchflower, J.Blanchflower, Casey -
Bingham, McIlroy, Jones, McAdams, McParland.
Averages: Age 25 years 296 days Appearances/Goals 9.4 0.6
 
England Team
 
Rank No official ranking system established;
ELO rating 4th
Colours The 1954 Umbro home uniform - White v-necked short-sleeved continental jerseys, blue shorts, red socks with white tops.
P 14th of 43, W 7 - D 4 - L 3 - F 36 - A 18.
Captain Billy Wright Manager Walter Winterbottom, 43 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946;
63rd W 36 - D 13 - L 14 - F 157 - A 94. Attendant/Trainer: Jack Marshall (Sheff Wed.) P 81st of 139, W 49 - D 17 - L 15 - F 231 - A 115, one abandoned.ยน
  ³ Team chosen by Selection Committee, headed by Joe Mears, on Monday, 24 September, announced 30 September.
England Lineup
  two changes to the previous match (S.Matthews & Revie>Astall & Haynes) league position (24 September)  
  Matthews, Reginald D. 23
291 days
20 December 1932 G Coventry City FC (FL3S 8th) 5 5ᵍᵃ
final app 1956
2 Hall, Jeffrey J. 27
29 days
7 September 1929 RB Birmingham City FC (FL 4th) 10 0
3 Byrne, Roger W. 27
28 days
8 September 1929 LB Manchester United FC (FL TOP) 23 0
4 Clayton, Ronald 22
62 days
5 August 1934 RHB Blackburn Rovers FC (FL2 16th) 7 0
5 Wright, William A. 32
243 days
6 February 1924 CHB Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 12th) 78 3
most apps 1952-56
6 Edwards, Duncan 20
5 days
1 October 1936 LHB Manchester United FC (FL TOP) 10 1
7
Matthews, Stanley 41
248 days
1 February 1915 OR Blackpool FC (FL 6th) 48 10
oldest ever goalscorer oldest outfield player
8
Revie, Donald G. 29
88 days
10 July 1927 IR Manchester City FC (FL 19th) 6 4
final app 1956
9 Taylor, Thomas 24
69 days
29 January 1932 CF Manchester United FC (FL TOP) 11 4
10 Wilshaw, Dennis J. 30
209 days
11 March 1926 IL Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (FL 12th) 12 10
final app 1956
11 Grainger, Colin 23
118 days
10 June 1933 OL Sheffield United FC (FL2 3rd) 5 3
reserve: Jim Langley (Brighton & Hove Albion FC (FL3S 12th))
team notes: Billy Wright extends his record appearance tally, in his record 43rd consecutive match.
pre-match notes: The team gathered together on Monday, 1 October, at St. Andrews, Birmingham City FC, for training and a rain-soaked practice match that finished 3-0 to England (30 min. period followed by a 15 min. period), before traveling to the Central Council of Physical Recreation in Lilleshall, where they also played against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC on Tuesday, losing 3-2. On Wednesday, the team flew to Dublin to watch the match between Republic of Ireland and Denmark, before training at Bangor on Thursday and Friday.
records: The fourth time England have recorded three draws in a single calendar year (1923, 1951 & 1953 being the previous years).
 
2-3-5 R.Matthews -
Hall, Byrne -
Clayton, Wright, Edwards -

S.Matthews, Revie, Taylor, Wilshaw, Grainger.
Averages: Age 27 years 178 days Appearances/Goals 19.5 3.1
 
              Match Report by Mike Payne

England had nearly always been assured of victory in Northern Ireland but on this occasion they came so very close to losing. Despite an inspired opening burst, they ended the match hanging on for dear life to the draw.

The visitors began with a devastating first nine minutes. With the magnificent win in Germany still fresh in their memory. England played some superb football. They pushed the ball around with arrogance and confidence and twice in the opening seconds, Ronnie Clayton and Don Revie set up Stan Matthews to provide tantalising centres to fully test the Irish rearguard.

This was followed up in the third minute with a glorious goal. Fine interpassing between Duncan Edwards, Revie and Tommy Taylor ended with the centre-forward putting a square pass inside to Revie. Revie flicked it to his right and Stan Matthews came in to shoot a lovely, low left-foot shot into the far corner. It was his first international goal for eight years and, coincidentally, his last one was also against the Irish at Windsor Park.

              Match Report by Norman Giller

A rare goal from Stanley Matthews (his eleventh and last in international football) after just two minutes gave England a dream start, but they were hustled out of their stride by a Northern Ireland team motivated by a dazzling performance from skipper Danny Blanchflower. Jimmy McIlroy equalised after ten minutes when goalkeeper Reg Matthews palmed a long throw from Peter McParland into his path.  McIlroy was faced with an open goal five minutes from the end but hit a post. If he had found the net, it would have given Northern Ireland their first home win over England since 1927.  There was a lot of good-natured ribbing of Stanley Matthews over his goal. His last goal for England had been eight years earlier, also against Northern Ireland and also at Windsor Park. Jackie Blanchflower, Danny's brother and always a quick wit, asked: "Why does he always pick on us?" Danny himself came into the dressing-room after the match and told Stanley that he had been a schoolboy spectator in short trousers when he scored his last goal. "You'll have a long beard by the time I score the next one," said Stanley, with that poker-faced humour of his. Danny had a magnificent match, and it was clear the Irish were getting a powerful team together for their World Cup challenge.
  

              Match Report as appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1957-58 page 32

Before a crowd of 58,000 excited enthusiasts, Ireland came very close to beating England for the first time in many years in a hard-fought game at Belfast. In the early stages England played some delightful football, with halves and forwards making quick first-time precision passes. The result was an early goal in which Edwards, Taylor, and Revie all played a part, but this setback merely encouraged the Irishmen to play harder. Close marking and strong tackling gradually upset the English forwards and a typical long throw into the goalmouth by McParland resulted in McIlroy volleying the equaliser. For the remainder of the game Ireland attacked strongly and were rather unlucky not to win.
  

        In Other News....
It was on 7 October 1956 that the Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden was admitted to hospital with a severe fever. He was susceptible to multiple infections following damage to a bile duct during an operation, three years earlier, and he had become increasingly dependent on drugs. He resigned, three months later, on medical advice, though his conspiring with France and Israel to retake the Suez Canal by force had been widely condemned and he had lost the support of his own party. In the Scottish League Cup semi-finals, Celtic beat Clyde, 2-0 at Hampden Park, Glasgow, whilst Dundee and Partick Thistle contested a goalless draw, after extra time at Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow. Partick won the replay, but it was Celtic who won the trophy for the first time, also after a replay.
              Source Notes
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
The Complete Book of the British Charts
Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats
  Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record
Norman Giller, Football Author
Drew Herbertson, Scottish F.A. Historian
British Pathé
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