England Party to face Scotland  November 1872
Player	Birthdate	Age	Pos	Club	App	G	Capt
Alcock, Charles W.	2 December 1842	29	F	Wanderers FC	0	0	0
	Charlie Alcock withdrew from the playing line-up because of injury.
Baillon, Alexis S.B.	22 February 1847	25	-	Nottingham	0	0	0
Barker, Robert	19 June 1847	25	G/F	Hertfordshire Rangers FC & Wanderers FC	0	0ᵍᵃ	0
Betts, Morton P.	30 August 1847	25	FB/F	Wanderers FC	0	0	0
	Monty Betts withdrew from the playing line-up because of injury.
Brockbank, John	22 August 1848	24	F	Cambridge University AFC	0	0	0
Chappell, Frederick	22 July 1849	23	HB	Oxford University AFC	0	0	0
Chenery, Charles J.	1 January 1850	22	F	Crystal Palace FC	0	0	0
Clegg, J. Charles	15 June 1850	22	F	Wednesday FC	0	0	0
Greenhalgh, E. Harwood	6 March 1849	23	B	Notts County FC	0	0	0
Holden, George	n/k	n/k	-	Clapham Rovers FC	0	0	0
Hooman, Thomas C.	28 December 1850	21	F	Wanderers FC	0	0	0
	Thomas Hooman withdrew from the playing line-up because of injury.
Maynard, William J.	18 March 1853	19	F/G	First Surrey Rifles	0	0ᵍᵃ	0
Morice, Charles J.	27 May 1850	22	F	Barnes FC & Harrow Chequers FC	0	0	0
Morten, Alexander	1831/32	40/41	G	Crystal Palace FC	0	0ᵍᵃ	0
	Alec Morten withdrew from the playing line-up because of injury.
Ottaway, Cuthbert J.	19 July 1850	22	F	Oxford University AFC	0	0	0
Smith, A. Kirke	23 April 1850	22	F	Oxford University AFC	0	0	0
	Kirke Smith was called up as a late replacement.
Soden, Frederick B.	30 March 1846	26	-	Crystal Palace FC	0	0	0
Welch, Reginald Coutenay	17 October 1851	21	HB	Wanderers FC & Harrow Chequers FC	0	0	0

Diary
courtesy of Andy Mitchell's First Elevens, page 50/1

Saturday, 2 November 1872 - An F.A. trial match is played out on the fields of Sheffield.  A London team has travelled north to play the Sheffield team at Bramall Lane. The two cities had already met three times the previous season, so the fixture had enough stature to attract a 5,000 crowd.  The match still alternates between London Rules and Sheffield Rules, a factor the London team struggled with and duly lost the match 4-1.

Thursday, 14 November 1872 - The meeting of the F.A. International Select Committee meets and decides on the team that will represent England in the first ever international match. Alcock, the Captain, Betts, Chenery, Clegg, Greenhalgh, Hooman, McLean (a pseudonym for Chappell), Morice, Morten, Ottaway and Welch. Two reserves were also named, Holden and Maynard.  Other candidates that were considered were Baillon, Barker, Brockbank and Soden.

Significantly, other matters at hand at the meeting were what England would wear.  White jerseys with the England Arms embroidered into the left breast, dark blue caps, and white flannel trousers, or knickerbockers.

Saturday, 16 November 1872 - Alcock, who fully expected to lead out his team of Englishmen in two weeks time, has his plans thrown into painful disarray when his reputation for vigorous play caught up with him in a friendly between Old Etonians and Old Harrovians.  Alcock was so badly hurt that it not only put him out of this friendly fixture, but also out of the England-Scotland match. 

Morton Betts was in a 'similar state'. Thomas Hooman and George Holden were ill, and Alexander Morten was prevented from playing for 'unspecified reasons'.  Brockbank, Barker and Maynard were called into the starting list.  The final place went to Sheffield's Kirke Smith, who is in his final year of study at Oxford University.

Wednesday, 27 November 1872 - A rather gleeful The Scotsman reports 'things are not favouring the Englishmen in their preparations...indeed everything is going wrong'.

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CG/PY