1897–98 British Home Championship

The 1897–98 British Home Championship was the fifteenth edition of the annual football tournament played between the British Home Nations. England won the title after whitewashing all three opponents and taking the maximum six points. Scotland came second after winning two of their games whilst Ireland came third following a close victory over Wales in Llandudno.

1897–98 British Home Championship
Tournament details
Host countryEngland, Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Dates19 February – 2 April 1898
Teams4
Final positions
Champions England (8th title)
Runners-up Scotland
Tournament statistics
Matches played6
Goals scored23 (3.83 per match)
Top scorer(s)England Fred Wheldon
Scotland James Gillespie
(3 goals)

Ireland's win over Wales was the first match of the tournament and gave Ireland a short lived advantage in the competition. England ended this advantage in the second game with a close 3–2 win over the Irish in Belfast and Scotland joined the other two on two points with a 5–2 thrashing of the Welsh. Scotland then briefly took the lead with a win over Ireland in Belfast before England joined them by beating Wales by the same scoreline in Wrexham. In the final and deciding match, played at Celtic Park in Glasgow, the Scots were defeated by a fast and powerful England side who ran out 3–1 winners and took the championship.[1]

Table

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  England (C) 3 3 0 0 9 3 +6 6
  Scotland 3 2 0 1 9 5 +4 4
  Ireland 3 1 0 2 3 6 −3 2
  Wales 3 0 0 3 2 9 −7 0
Source: [2][3]
Rules for classification: 1) points. The points system worked as follows: 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
(C) Champions

Results

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Wales  0 – 1  Ireland
    85' Jack Peden

Ireland  2 – 3  England
  15' John Pyper
  70' Joe McAllen
  37' Gilbert Smith
  40' Charlie Athersmith
  50' Tommy Morren

Scotland  5 – 2  Wales
James Gillespie   12', 20', 61'
James McKee   29', 40'
  44' Thomas Thomas
  89' Morgan Morgan-Owen
Attendance: 3,500
Referee: William H. Stacey (England)

Ireland  0 – 3  Scotland
  Scottish FA   30' Tommy Robertson
  42' Bob McColl
  70' William Stewart
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: John Lewis (England)

Wales  0 – 3  England
    9', 75' Fred Wheldon
  88' Gilbert Smith

Scotland  1 – 3  England
Jimmy Millar   48'   3' Fred Wheldon
  23', 72' Steve Bloomer
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Thomas Robertson (Scotland)

Winning squad

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Name Apps/Goals by opponent Total
 
WAL[4]
 
IRE[5]
 
SCO[6]
Apps Goals
Fred Wheldon 1/2 1 1/1 3 3
Gilbert Smith 1/1 1/1 1 3 2
Charlie Athersmith 1 1/1 1 3 1
Jack Robinson 1 1 1 3 0
William Oakley 1 1 1 3 0
Billy Williams 1 1 1 3 0
Frank Forman 1 1 2 0
Ernest Needham 1 1 2 0
Fred Spiksley 1 1 2 0
Steve Bloomer 1/2 1 2
Tommy Morren 1/1 1 1
Charles Wreford-Brown 1 1 0
Jimmy Turner 1 1 0
Charlie Richards 1 1 0
Ben Garfield 1 1 0
Tom Booth 1 1 0
John Goodall 1 1 0
Tom Perry 1 1 0

References

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  1. ^ England Did It. The Scottish Referee, 4 April 1898, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club
  2. ^ Reyes, Macario; Morrison, Neil (1 October 1999). "British Home Championship 1884–1899". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  3. ^ "British Championships 1898". Scotland Football Stats. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  4. ^ Monday, 28 March 1898 | Wales 0 England 3, England Football Online
  5. ^ Saturday, 5 March 1898 | Ireland 2 England 3 , England Football Online
  6. ^ Saturday, 2 April 1898 | Scotland 1 England 3, England Football Online
  • Guy Oliver (1992). The Guinness Record of World Soccer. Guinness. ISBN 0-85112-954-4.