1908 British Home Championship
Encyclopedia
The 1908 British Home Championship
was an annual football
competition played between the British Home Nations
during the second half of the 1907–08 season. England
and Scotland
shared the trophy, having each beaten Wales
and Ireland in their opening matches before drawing 1–1 with each other in the final game.
England began the strongest side, although all four teams played well in their opening games, both Ireland and Wales running their opponents close. In the second matches however, England and Scotland's quality told, as England beat Wales 7–1 in Wrexham
and Ireland succumbed 5–0 in Dublin. In the final matches Ireland and Wales, playing for pride both fought hard, with Ireland clinching a 1–0 win while England and Scotland were unable to break the deadlock and so drew the game and competition, as goal difference
was not at this stage used to differentiate teams.
England followed this tournament by becoming the first Home Nation to play a non-British nation with a tour of Central Europe, playing against Austria
twice Hungary
and Bohemia. In October the England amateur
team followed this by winning gold in the football tournament
at the 1908 Olympics, held in London
.
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 annual 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...
competition played 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...
during the second half of the 1907–08 season. 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...
and 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...
shared the trophy, having each beaten 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...
and Ireland in their opening matches before drawing 1–1 with each other in the final game.
England began the strongest side, although all four teams played well in their opening games, both Ireland and Wales running their opponents close. In the second matches however, England and Scotland's quality told, as England beat Wales 7–1 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...
and Ireland succumbed 5–0 in Dublin. In the final matches Ireland and Wales, playing for pride both fought hard, with Ireland clinching a 1–0 win while England and Scotland were unable to break the deadlock and so drew the game and competition, as goal difference
Goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
was not at this stage used to differentiate teams.
England followed this tournament by becoming the first Home Nation to play a non-British nation with a tour of Central Europe, playing against Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
twice Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
and Bohemia. In October the England amateur
England national amateur football team
The England national amateur football team was the amateur representative team for England at football. It was formed in 1906, due to the growth of the professional game which meant that amateur players could no longer easily find places in the main England national team.-First match and unbeaten...
team followed this by winning gold in the football tournament
Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Bohemia were forced to withdraw before the tournament started after losing their FIFA membership.-Semi-finals:-Bronze medal match:The French were so shocked by their humiliating 17-1 defeat against Denmark that they declined to play for the bronze medal; therefore, the Netherlands played Sweden for...
at the 1908 Olympics, held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Table
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | ||
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | |
| 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 |
The points system worked as follows:
- 2 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
Results
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