1898–99 British Home Championship
The 1898–99 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. A very high scoring affair, the competition featured the highest scoreline ever achieved in the Home Championships when England defeated Ireland 13–2 in Sunderland, including a hat-trick in four minutes from Gilbert Smith.[1] It was the first of two particularly heavy defeats for the Irish side, who nevertheless still managed to finish third, courtesy of a victory over Wales.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales |
| Dates | 18 February – 8 April 1899 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  England (7th title) |
| Runners-up |  Scotland |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Goals scored | 23 (3.83 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Bob McColl (6 goals) |
England's win over the Ireland was the start of the tournament and placed them immediately on top of the table, a position Ireland joined them in with their 1–0 victory over Wales in the second game. Scotland began their bid for the title in the third match with a strong 6–0 win over Wales in Wrexham. Wales' poor competition was finished in their next game when England again took top position by beating them 4–0. In the penultimate game, Scotland joined England at the top of the table with a 9–1 demolition of Ireland, who had conceded 21 goals in two games but still finished third. In the deciding match, England and Scotland both played a strong game but England eventually proved stronger, winning 2–1.
Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England (C) |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 6 |
| Scotland |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 4 |
 Ireland |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 22 | −18 | 2 |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Wales |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | −11 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points. The points system worked as follows: 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
(C) Champion
Results
| England | 13–2 | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
Smith  39', 59', 60', 63' Settle 53', 55', 80' Bloomer 40', 89'Forman 20', 52'F. Forman 15' Athersmith 25' |
(Match summary) | McAllen 65' (pen.) Campbell 88' |
| Scotland | 9–1 | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| McColl 5', 25', 47' Christie 10'RC Hamilton 20', 65'Bell 35'Campbell 70', 80' |
Goodall 54' |
| England | 2–1 | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Smith 25' Settle 40' |
RC Hamilton 52' |
Winning squad
| Name | Apps/Goals by opponent | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 WAL[2] |
IRE[3] |
SCO[4] |
Apps | Goals | |
| Gilbert Smith | 1 | 1/4 | 1/1 | 3 | 5 |
| Steve Bloomer | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Jimmy Settle | 1 | 1/3 | 1/1 | 3 | 4 |
| Fred Forman | 1/1 | 1/2 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Charlie Athersmith | 1 | 1/1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Frank Forman | 1 | 1/1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Ernest Needham | 1/1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Jimmy Crabtree | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Jack Robinson | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Harry Thickitt | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Billy Williams | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Raby Howell | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Philip Bach | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Jack Hillman | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
References
- Guy Oliver (1992). The Guinness Record of World Soccer. Guinness. ISBN 0-85112-954-4.
- "England v Ireland". EU Football.Info.
- Monday, 20 March 1899 | England 4 Wales 0, England Football Online
- Saturday, 18 February 1899 | England 13 Ireland 2, England Football Online
- Saturday, 8 April 1899 | England 2 Scotland 1, England Football Online
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