|
"MATTHEWS
CALMED A SHAKY ENGLAND"
Sunday Mirror |
Officials |
Ireland |
UK ruling on substitutes |
England |
Referee
William E.
Webb
Glasgow |
|
Linesmen |
tbc |
|
|
Ireland
Team |
|
Rank |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 30th |
Colours |
Green jerseys, white shorts, blue socks. |
Captain |
John Carey |
Selection |
Selection Committee on Thursday, 30
September 1949 in Belfast |
headed by
T.H. Chambers & R.
Patterson |
Ireland
Lineup |
|
Smyth, William T. |
24/25 |
1923
died January 2005 aged 81 years |
G |
Distillery FC |
1 |
6ᵍᵃ |
|
the sixteenth own goal scored for England |
|
|
|
2 |
Carey, John J. |
29 229 days |
23 February 1919 |
RB |
Manchester United FC, England |
5 |
0 |
also has fifteen appearances for Éire, and two goals |
3 |
Martin, Cornelius J. |
25 203 days |
20 March 1923 |
LB |
Aston Villa FC, England |
5 |
0 |
also has five appearances for Éire |
4 |
Walsh, William
R. |
27 131 days |
31 May 1921 |
RHB |
Manchester City FC,
England |
4 |
0 |
also has two appearances for Éire |
5 |
Vernon, John J. |
30 13 days |
26 September 1918 |
CHB |
West Bromwich Albion FC, England |
7 |
0 |
6 |
Farrell, Peter D. |
26 54 days |
16 August 1922 |
LHB |
Everton FC, England |
6 |
0 |
also has six appearances for Éire |
7
|
O'Driscoll, John F. |
27 19 days |
20 September 1921 |
OR |
Swansea Town FC, England |
1 |
0 |
8 |
McAlinden,
James |
30 283 days |
31 December 1917 |
IR |
Southend United FC, England |
4 |
0 |
also has two appearances for Éire |
final app
1948 |
9
|
Walsh, David J. |
25 164 days |
28 April 1923 |
CF |
West Bromwich Albion FC, England |
6 |
3 |
also has two appearances for Éire |
10 |
Tully, Charles P. |
24 90 days |
11 July 1924 |
IL |
The Celtic FC, Scotland |
1 |
0 |
11 |
Eglington, Thomas J. |
25 268 days |
15 January 1923 |
OL |
Everton FC, England |
6 |
0 |
final app
1948 |
reserve: |
Bud Aherne (Belfast Celtic FAC) |
team changes: |
David Cochrane (Leeds United AFC) was the original
named outside-right, his place going to O'Driscoll, and Sammy Smyth
(Wolverhampton Wanderers FC) was on his inside, McAlinden was named as
his replacement, both on Tuesday, 5 October. Cochrane and Smyth were
deemed unfit. |
team notes: |
Johnny Carey,
Tommy Eglington, Con Martin, Billy Walsh, all played for
Éire against
England in 1946. Jimmy McAlinden signed for Southend United FC on
Wednesday, 6 October.
|
The Irish team were based from Mount Royal
Hotel in Donaghadee, County Down. |
|
2-3-5 |
Smyth - Carey, Martin - W.Walsh,
Vernon, Farrell - O'Driscoll, MacAlinden, D.Walsh,
Tully, Eglingbton. |
Averages: |
Age |
26
years 359
days
to
27 years
27
days |
Appearances/Goals |
4.2 |
0.1 |
|
|
England
Team |
|
Rank |
No official ranking system established; ELO rating 3rd to 2nd |
Colours |
The 1946 home
uniform -
White collared jerseys, blue shorts, red socks.
|
P 16th of eighteen, W 12 - D 3 - L 1 - F 59 - A 12. |
Captain |
Billy Wright |
Manager |
Walter Winterbottom, 35 (31 March 1913), appointed as FA national director of coaching/team manager on 8 July 1946; |
first of 90, W 1 - D 0 - L 0 - F 6 - A 2. |
P 16th
of 139, W 12 - D 3 - L 1 - F 59 - A 12. |
|
Team chosen by Selection Committee headed by Arthur Drewry, on Tuesday, 28
September. |
England
Lineup |
|
five changes
to the previous match (Aston,
Hagan, Lawton, Shackleton, Langton out) |
league position
(28 September) |
|
|
Swift, Frank V. |
34
288 days |
26 December 1913 |
G |
Manchester City FC (FL 12th) |
16 |
14ᵍᵃ |
2 |
Scott,
Lawrence |
31 169 days |
23 April 1917 |
RB |
Arsenal
FC (FL 6th) |
16 |
0 |
3 |
Howe, John R. |
32
2 days |
7 October 1915 |
LB |
Derby County FC (FL
2nd) |
2 |
0 |
4
|
Wright, William A. |
24 246 days |
6 February 1924 |
RHB |
Wolverhampton
Wanderers FC (FL 10th) |
16 |
0 |
5 |
Franklin,
Cornelius |
26
259 days |
24 January 1922 |
CHB |
Stoke
City FC (FL 13th) |
16 |
0 |
6
|
Cockburn,
Henry |
27
25 days |
14 September 1921 |
LHB |
Manchester
United FC (FL 7th) |
7 |
0 |
7
|
Matthews, Stanley |
33 251 days |
1 February 1915 |
OR |
Blackpool FC (FL
14th) |
27 |
9 |
8
|
Mortensen, Stanley H. |
27 136 days |
26 May 1921 |
IR |
Blackpool FC (FL
14th) |
8 |
14 |
the
144th (eleventh post-war)
brace,
the 43rd (sixth post-war)
hattrick scored |
675 |
9
|
Milburn, John E.T. |
24
151 days |
11 May 1924 |
CF |
Newcastle United FC (FL
5th) |
1 |
1 |
fifteenth United player to represent
England |
10
|
Pearson, Stanley C. |
29 272 days |
11 January 1919 |
IL |
Manchester United FC (FL
7th) |
2 |
1 |
11 |
Finney,
Thomas |
26 187 days |
5 April 1922 |
OL |
Preston
North End FC (FL 18th) |
13 |
11 |
reserve: |
Bill Nicholson (Tottenham Hotspur FC (FL2
2nd)) |
team notes: |
"The honour of captaincy goes to one of the youngest members
of the team. Wright is only 24, but he has been on the Wolverhampton
books since 14. England first picked him two years ago. In relieving
Swift of the responsibility, the selectors have apparently come to
the conclusion that a goalkeeper is not the player best suited to be
captain." - Belfast News-Letter, Wednesday, 29 September
1948. |
records: |
This victory extends the post-war
unbeaten record. England have gone nine games without loss, beating
the previous record of six set between 1946-47. |
The English team were based
in Newcastle prior to the match, County Down. Crossing the Irish Sea
in the Ulster Monarch. |
|
2-3-5 |
Swift -
Scott, Howe -
Wright, Franklin, Cockburn -
Matthews,
Mortensen, Milburn, Pearson, Finney. |
Averages: |
Age |
29 years 17 days |
Appearances/Goals |
11.3 |
2.8 |
|
|
News |
""Congratulations!" said Miss Helen Mearden, the bus conductress. "Thank
you," I replied, trying to be polite but wondering what it was all about.
"Yes," went on Miss Mearden, "it's a great honour to be chosen to captain
England." Captain of England! If I had felt a little drowsy after so much
travel those three words had the same effect as a bucket of ice-cold water
being emptied over me. Miss Mearden must have noticed the look of surprise
on my face, for she handed me a newspaper, saying, "The England team to
meet Ireland is in the Stop Press column.""
- Billy Wright, The World is My Football Pitch, p69.
|
Match Report
by Mike Payne |
Some
53,000 people packed into Windsor Park to see this match. The result went
against the home side but in no way did the final scoreline tell the full
story. Indeed, only in the last 30 minutes did England finally get on top.
The game had begun with Ireland pressing forward in their usual passionate
style. Frank Swift, Lionel Scott and Jack Howe all showed hesitancy in the
English defence and the Irish should really have pressed home the
advantage that their early play had given them. As it was, they were
punished by a freak goal by Stanley Matthews after 27 minutes which gave
England a lead they barely deserved.
Taking a throw-in on Tom Finney's wing, Matthews received a return pass
from Jackie Milburn. He then swung across a curling centre which
ricocheted off the far post, hit Smyth on the back and went into the net.
It was an amazing goal and cruel luck for the Irish. England's only other
worthwhile attack of the first half came just before the break when,
following a brilliant five man move, Mortensen had Smyth at full stretch
to save.
Five minutes into the second half, Northern Ireland
equalised. O'Driscoll beat Howe for speed and Dave Walsh headed home his
cross in fine style. For a few moments it seemed that the now rampant home
team might forge ahead. But suddenly and unexpectedly, England and
especially Matthews came to life. Within ten minutes it was 4-1 to the
visitors!
First Milburn headed in Matthews' cross. Then Mortensen
headed in a pass from Billy
Wright after more good work by the Blackpool winger, before finally Mortensen
got on the end of a fine cross by Stan Pearson to cleverly lob the ball
over the advancing Smyth. Quite suddenly it was all over and the crowd, so
excited a few minutes earlier, were dazed into a stunned silence.
Finney now began to lose Carey, after previously having been well held by
the full-back. Milburn showed dash and spirit and England at last were now
moving as a team.
Two more headers added to the goals tally. First
Mortensen scored his third goal by heading a Henry Cockburn free-kick;
then Pearson added number-six with a header from yet another Matthews
cross. England had thus scored five goals in a little over 30
minutes. With the last kick of the game, Dave Walsh scored his and
Northern Ireland's second, only to leave everyone wondering just what an
earth had gone wrong.
|
Match Report
by Norman Giller |
Billy
Wright's first of 90 matches as England captain. The two Stanleys - Matthews and
Mortensen - dominated the match. Matthews scored the first and helped lay on a
hat-trick for his Blackpool team-mate. The Matthews goal was a freak effort.
His centre from the right curled and hit an upright. The ball bounced against
the head of Irish goalkeeper Willie Smyth and into the net. 'Wor Jackie' Milburn announced his debut with a neatly
headed goal. Davie Walsh scored his second goal with the last kick of the
match to bring a little respectability to a scoreline that flattered England.
Five of the England goals came in a 30 minute burst in the second-half. The
Irish more than held their own for the other hour, and might have had at least
two more goals but for some desperate work by the England defenders.
|
Match Report
as appears in the F.A. Yearbook 1949-50, pages 22 & 23 |
There were five changes in the team which met Ireland at Windsor Park,
Belfast, on October 9th. Howe (Derby County) replaced Aston as left-back,
while the forward line consisted of Matthews, Mortensen (Blackpool),
Milburn (Newcastle United), Pearson (Manchester United) and Finney
(Preston North End). The first goal of the match went to England after
27 minutes. It was a freak goal -- Matthews forced a throw-in, which he
took himself near the corner-flag. Receiving a return-pass from Milburn he
swung across a smashing centre which deceived Smyth and ricocheted into
the goal from the far post. Five minutes after the interval, Walsh (D)
left Swift helpless with a fine header, equalising for Ireland. Then
suddenly Matthews found the crack in the Irish defence, and within ten
minutes England had three more goals to their credit, two from Mortensen
and one from Milburn. Shortly afterwards Mortensen completed his
hat-trick, with a flying header fro Cockburn's free-kick and, two minutes
later, Pearson headed into goal from a faultless centre by Matthews.
Ireland came back unexpectedly at the end, when Walsh (D) scored their
second goal with the last kick of the match. |
In
Other News....
It was on
9 October 1948 that the Conservative Party Conference in Llandudno ended with its leader, Winston Churchill urging the
United States not to scrap its nuclear weapons whilst the Soviets
were blockading West Berlin and forcing western nations to drop
supplies into the city by air. |
|
|
Source
Notes |
TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats |
|
Rothman's Yearbooks Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record
Norman Giller, Football Author
Billy Wright's The World is My Football Pitch |
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