1897 British Home Championship
Encyclopedia
The 1897 British Home Championship
was an international football
tournament between the British Home Nations
. It was won by Scotland
after a late goal at The Crystal Palace
which beat England
to the trophy despite England's dominance of the competition up to that point. Ireland came third despite conceding 14 goals and Wales
finished last having picked up only one point.
England began the tournament the strongest, scoring six without reply against the Irish in Belfast with Fred Wheldon claiming a hat-trick
. Ireland recovered in the second match however, a high-scoring affair against Wales in which the Irish just claimed a 4–3 victory. Wales too improved in their second match, forcing a draw from Scotland in Wrexham
, before Scotland too improved, beating Ireland 5–1 at home to temporarily take the top of the table. England surpassed them in the penultimate match, winning 4–0 over Wales and needing only a draw in the final game at home against Scotland to win the tournament. Scotland however were more than a match for the English and scored late to claim their 2–1 victory and win the trophy.
The points system worked as follows:
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British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
was an international football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
tournament between the British Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
. It was won by Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
after a late goal at The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
which beat England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
to the trophy despite England's dominance of the competition up to that point. Ireland came third despite conceding 14 goals and Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
finished last having picked up only one point.
England began the tournament the strongest, scoring six without reply against the Irish in Belfast with Fred Wheldon claiming a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
. Ireland recovered in the second match however, a high-scoring affair against Wales in which the Irish just claimed a 4–3 victory. Wales too improved in their second match, forcing a draw from Scotland in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
, before Scotland too improved, beating Ireland 5–1 at home to temporarily take the top of the table. England surpassed them in the penultimate match, winning 4–0 over Wales and needing only a draw in the final game at home against Scotland to win the tournament. Scotland however were more than a match for the English and scored late to claim their 2–1 victory and win the trophy.
Table
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 14 | −9 | |
| 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | −5 |
The points system worked as follows:
- 2 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
Results
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