MATCHES between England and [Northern] Ireland had been taking place on English soil for some 65 years and in all that time [Northern] Ireland had only ever won once before. That was at Middlesbrough in 1914, so the chances of the Irish celebrating victory at Wembley on this Wednesday afternoon seemed very remote. But sure enough, at 4.15pm the green shirts of the latest challenge stood proudly as victors with the sound of their fans cheering ringing in their ears.

Sadly, only 42,000 were at Wembley for this historic game but the ones that stayed away were the losers after a thrilling encounter. The play was won and lost in the midfield. Northern Ireland's half-back line of the two Blanchflowers and Peacock controlled almost all that England could muster and these three players, more than most, were responsible for the eventual outcome.

England began well enough and Johnny Haynes was soon spraying some typically accurate passes to his colleagues. It looked for a while that England would soon be ahead, but on the half-hour it was Ireland that took a surprise lead.

Danny Blanchflower's fine through-ball sent McGrory galloping away and as he entered the penalty area, Billy Wright sent him crashing to the ground with a fierce tackle. Too fierce a challenge in the referee's eyes, it was a penalty. McIlroy was given the job and his kick beat Eddie Hopkinson in a somewhat fortuitous fashion. The ball struck the post and rebounded against the diving Hopkinson's back and into the net . . Were the Leprechauns at work today, one thought?

It certainly seemed that way as England hit back. They had no luck at all as Duncan Edwards and Ronnie Clayton both shot narrowly over. Then Bryan Douglas saw an effort hit the bar after a lovely pass by Roger Byrne. Peacock then cleared a Tommy Taylor header off the line and finally Alan A'Court saw his centre run along the crossbar before being cleared.

So the half ended with Ireland clinging on to their lead but it was very noticeable by now that Danny Blanchflower had curbed the flow of passes from Haynes and that Jackie Blanchflower and Peacock were also having an increasing influence. However, 15 minutes into the second half England at last equalised. Derek Kevan passed to A'Court and the winger marked his debut by squeezing a shot between Gregg and the near post. This really ignited the crowd and the excitement began to build up.

The Irish were playing with great determination and within a minute they were sensationally ahead again. A mix-up between Edwards and Wright gave McCrory the chance to pounce and his shot went in off the far post which emphasised the difference in luck between Hopkinson and Gregg.

In the 71st minute the match was virtually settled by another Irish goal. This time Bingham's centre was met by Simpson diving at full length to head home. That fully punished an initial poor clearance by Byrne and although the England defenders appealed for an offside decision, it was to no avail.

And so, the unbelievable was now almost a certainty, but England refused to give up and with ten minutes to go they really set the Irish nerves jangling by pulling another goal back. It was a beauty, too. Hopkinson began the move which went the whole length of the field via Clayton, Haynes, Taylor and Douglas. Suddenly the ball was in the net as Edwards moved in swiftly to hammer a low right-foot shot past Gregg.

At this point Gregg became the Irish saviour with two magnificent saves. First he denied Kevan's header and then brought the house down when he somehow reached Clayton's screamer to the top corner with a back-breaking leap. The English players and fans alike threw their heads in their hands in disbelief. The last desperate attempt saw Kevan's shot blocked by a headlong dive by full-back McMichael.

The final whistle put the Irish out of their misery and brought ecstatic scenes of joy from 11 green shirted heroes. How they deserved their victory.
[efo addition: This is only England's fourth fixture with the northern part of Ireland, previous to this, England were playing an all-Ireland side, and it was that team that beat England in 1914]
  

Skipper Danny Blanchflower and goalkeeper Harry Gregg were carried off shoulder high by celebrating Irish fans after this unexpected victory that ended England's sixteen-match unbeaten run. Burnley schemer Jimmy McIlroy gave Ireland a first-half lead with a penalty shot that hit a post and then went into the net off the back of goalkeeper Hopkinson. The penalty had been conceded by Billy Wright with one of the few fouls he ever committed in an England shirt. Liverpool winger Alan A'Court, making his debut in place of the injured Tom Finney, equalised soon after half-time before McCrory and Simpson - with a goal hotly disputed by England - put the Irish 3-1 clear. Duncan Edwards pulled back a goal, but Ireland went on to their first victory over England since 1927 and the first on English soil since 1914. Doncaster Rovers goalkeeper Harry Gregg, later to join Manchester United and survive the Munich air crash, had a game to remember, making at least half a dozen crucial saves. The third Irish goal looked at least two yards off-side and England's defenders could not believe it when the linesman's flag stayed down.
 

It had been 30 years since England had lost to Northern Ireland and 41 years since they had lost at home to them. England were aiming for a record seventh successive British Championship and had already beaten Wales 4-0 at Ninian Park. Northern Ireland had drawn 1-1 with Scotland at Windsor Park and needed to avoid defeat to retain any hope of their second British Championship in three years. They were well placed in their World Cup qualifying group to join England in the finals in Sweden the following year.
Northern Ireland took a shock lead. After being brought down by Wright in the penalty area Jimmy McIlroy stepped up himself to take the kick. His shot hit the post and went off the 'keeper (perhaps it should have been a Hopkinson own goal). It was another half hour before Alan A'Court slotted home the equaliser.
The Irish were soon back in front, however, Sammy McCrory took advantage of a mix-up between Wright and Edwards and his shot went in off the post. Then, Bingham's cross was headed in by Billy Simpson to give the Irish an incredible 3-1 lead.
England were not finished and Duncan Edwards took a pass from Douglas and beat Gregg with a powerful shot but it was not enough and the Irish held on for a memorable victory.
Northern Ireland thew England a lifeline by failing to beat Wales at Ninian Park. England then gained a share by defeating Scotland 4-0 at Hampden Park but Northern Ireland proved that this result was no fluke by qualifying for the World Cup and performing admirably in Sweden where they bettered England by reaching the quarter-finals. They followed this with a thrilling 3-3 draw with England at Windsor Park and shared the British Championship with them again the following year.
[efo addition: This is only England's fourth fixture with the northern part of Ireland, previous to this, England were playing an all-Ireland side, and it was that team that beat England in 1914]
  

This win by Ireland marked the end of the run of sixteen matches without defeat by the England team, and was also the first Irish victory against England since 1927. The game was most exciting to watch and the result was always in doubt. England had the advantage territorially, also in the number of shots at goal, but Ireland, playing a much more open game, were always dangerous. The score was opened by Ireland with a penalty taken by McIlroy after half-an-hour's play, The ball struck a post, rebounded onto the diving Hopkinson, and so into the net. England equalised after ten minutes of the second half when A'Court scored from Kevan's pass but twenty minutes later Ireland were ahead 3-1 through goals scored by McCrory, after a mistake in the England defence, and Simpson. England, desperately trying to save their record, struck back, but Ireland, thanks to some fine defensive play and superb goalkeeping by Gregg, were able to limit the scoring to a single goal ten minutes from time, when Edwards was on the spot to hammer home a pass by Douglas.