1928 British Home Championship
Encyclopedia
The 1928 British Home Championship
was an international football
tournament played during the 1927–28 season between the British Home Nations
. The competition was won by Wales
who did not lose a game and only dropped a single point during the tournament. This championship is most notable for what became known as the "Wembley Wizards
" when a scratch Scottish
team crushed a highly-regarded England
side 5–1 at the English national stadium of Wembley.
England had endured a dreadful run of form in the years following the First World War, only managing to even share the trophy once in the previous eight years. This trend reached its nadir in 1928, as they began the campaign with a 2–0 defeat to Ireland in Belfast
. Wales and Scotland both began well, with a competitive 2–2 draw in Wrexham
, Wales following this by defeating England 2–1 in Burnley
to take the lead in the competition, a position they made unassailable by beating Ireland by the same scoreline in their final match. Ireland nevertheless still claimed second place by beating the Scots by a single goal in their own final match. In the last game, between England and Scotland at Wembley, Scotland decimated England with powerful attacking football from a team only recently brought together following the defeat to Ireland.
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 played during the 1927–28 season 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...
. The competition was won by 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...
who did not lose a game and only dropped a single point during the tournament. This championship is most notable for what became known as the "Wembley Wizards
Wembley Wizards
- Aftermath :When asked for his comment after the game, Alex James simply beamed a smile and said, “We could have had ten!”Back in Scotland the pubs did rather well and the newspapers were not slow in piling praise on the heads of those little no-hopers of the Scottish side...
" when a scratch Scottish
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...
team crushed a highly-regarded 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...
side 5–1 at the English national stadium of Wembley.
England had endured a dreadful run of form in the years following the First World War, only managing to even share the trophy once in the previous eight years. This trend reached its nadir in 1928, as they began the campaign with a 2–0 defeat to Ireland in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. Wales and Scotland both began well, with a competitive 2–2 draw 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...
, Wales following this by defeating England 2–1 in Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
to take the lead in the competition, a position they made unassailable by beating Ireland by the same scoreline in their final match. Ireland nevertheless still claimed second place by beating the Scots by a single goal in their own final match. In the last game, between England and Scotland at Wembley, Scotland decimated England with powerful attacking football from a team only recently brought together following the defeat to Ireland.
Table
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | −7 |
The points system worked as follows:
- 2 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
Results
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