WHAT a spectacular match! This was the closest Northern Ireland have come to beating England on Irish soil since 1927. Three times they led and twice they hit the woodwork. In driving rain and cloying mud, both sides served up a feast of entertainment and seldom has a game had so many talking points.

Some 58,000 people crammed into Windsor Park and they were soon getting right behind their favourites as Ireland produced their usual passionate start to the game. This style always gave England a hard time although the extra skill factor remained with the visitors, Bobby Charlton, (why, oh why had he not been given a game in Sweden?), looked in sparkling form. His pedigree was there for all to see and his roving centre-forward role worked a treat.

The Irish were driven on by Blanchflower and McIlroy. They held the midfield together quickly shutting down on England's space and making them work for everything. Peacock, Cush and the lively Bingham gave them good support and on the half-hour Ireland deservedly took the lead. Good work by Blanchflower down the middle ended with a fine pass to Cush who crashed home an excellent shot for the first goal.

England, though, were quickly level. Charlton, who kept popping up everywhere eagerly wanting the ball, received a short pass from Johnny Haynes, turned sharply and fired in a rocket shot which flew into the top corner of Gregg's goal from just outside the area. It was a magnificent goal.

The rain had been incessant throughout the first half and England had done well to share the honours at half-time. But 15 minutes after the restart, Ireland once again sent their fans wild with delight. Blanchflower sent Bingham away down the right and the winger found McParland. When the deep centre came over, Peacock was there to hit home a fine goal.

No sooner had the the crowd celebrated that goal than England were level again. This time Tom Finney burst through on to a Charlton pass before cleverly sliding the ball under the advancing Gregg's body. A slip by Cunningham had given the Preston winger the chance to create a new scoring record for England with his 30th international goal.

The excitement continued unabated and with 20 minutes left, Ireland forced themselves into the lead again. Another cross from McParland was caught by Colin McDonald, only for Casey to come in and barge the 'keeper and the ball over the line. It was shades of Nat Lofthouse's effort in the previous season's FA Cup Final for Bolton against Manchester Uniteed. How ruefully Gregg, in the Irish goal, must have viewed Casey's copy-cat goal.

Still England were not finished and it was Charlton who once again produced a stunning goal to equalise for a third time. Surging past two defenders on the left, he took Haynes' pass inside Keith and unleashed yet another of those awesome shots from long range. Once more Gregg was left clutching only raindrops as the ball thudded into the net to stifle any thoughts the home side had of victory.
  

Northern Ireland and England concocted a thriller on a waterlogged, mudheap of a pitch. Bobby Charlton, playing at centre-forward, scored with two thunderbolt shots to add fuel to the arguments that he should have been let off the leash in the World Cup. The Irish bravely led three times through Cush, Peacock and Casey as they searched for their first victory over England in Belfast since 1927. Bobby Charlton's two equalising goals sandwiched England's second goal by Tom Finney. This was a memorable milestone for the Preston Plumber. It was his thirtieth goal for England, a new all-time scoring record. Two Manchester United youngsters took the eye. Twenty-year-old Wilf McGuinness, another of the Busy Babes, won the first of what would surely have been many England caps but for a broken leg virtually ending his career in 1961.  Wilf, later to have an uncomfortable spell in charge at Old Trafford, would have been on the Munich flight but for staying behind in Manchester for a cartilage operation. The star of the match was Bobby Charlton, and it revived the question that had been asked so many times in Sweden, 'Why oh why was he not selected for at least one game in the World Cup?'
  

The first full International was also marred by a heavy storm which reduced the pitch almost to a mud-heap. Both sides, however, deserved great credit for making the game into the thriller that it was. Ireland proved that their World Cup form the previous summers was no fluke, and England, experimenting with a new-style forward line, fought back three times to equalise. Ireland started off in impressive style, and it was no surprise when Cush scored after a Blanchflower-McIlroy move on the half-hour. Six minutes later Charlton scored superbly from 20 yards after excellent work by Haynes and Finney. In the second half Peacock put Ireland ahead again, only for Finney to equalise after Keith made a bad backpass. Yet again Ireland took the lead when Casey forced home a McParland cross, but England were not to be denied, and Charlton finally levelled the scores with another magnificent left-foot shot. For England, Charlton was the star, while Wright, Haynes, and Finney were also noteworthy. Gregg, Blanchflower, and McIlroy were perhaps the best of the good Irish side.