1939 British Home Championship
Encyclopedia
The 1939 British Home Championship
was a football
tournament played between the British Home Nations
during the 1938–39 seasons and was the last edition of the tournament to be completed before the outbreak of the Second World War in August 1939 suspended all professional sporting competitions. As a result, this was the final opportunity for many spectators to see their sporting heroes in an international setting, as players such as Wales's
Dai Astley
or Scotland's
Tommy Walker would no longer be young enough to play for their country by the time professional football began again in 1946.
The opening matches saw an immediate advantage for Wales and Scotland who beat England
and Northern Ireland
respectively. Scotland then followed by beating the Welsh in their second match during a close contest whilst England succeeded in victory over the Irish by a seven goal margin to bring them into joint second place behind the Scots. During the match, Willie Hall
scored five goals, an English record that has been equalled but never broken as of 2007. In the final games, Wales beat the Irish resulting in a whitewash of three defeats for Ireland and joint first place for the Welsh. England joined Wales and Scotland on four points with a 2–1 victory over Scotland in Glasgow to share the title between the three nations, as goal difference
was not at this stage used to determine position. The win was sealed by a goal from Tommy Lawton
, who scored in all of England's matches
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 a 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 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 1938–39 seasons and was the last edition of the tournament to be completed before the outbreak of the Second World War in August 1939 suspended all professional sporting competitions. As a result, this was the final opportunity for many spectators to see their sporting heroes in an international setting, as players such as Wales's
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...
Dai Astley
Dai Astley
David John "Dai" Astley was a Welsh international footballer who played as an inside forward in The Football League in the 1920s and 1930s.-Club career:...
or Scotland's
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...
Tommy Walker would no longer be young enough to play for their country by the time professional football began again in 1946.
The opening matches saw an immediate advantage for Wales and Scotland who 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...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
respectively. Scotland then followed by beating the Welsh in their second match during a close contest whilst England succeeded in victory over the Irish by a seven goal margin to bring them into joint second place behind the Scots. During the match, Willie Hall
Willie Hall (English footballer)
George William "Willie" Hall was an English football player who played for Notts County, Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team during the 1930s.-Biography:...
scored five goals, an English record that has been equalled but never broken as of 2007. In the final games, Wales beat the Irish resulting in a whitewash of three defeats for Ireland and joint first place for the Welsh. England joined Wales and Scotland on four points with a 2–1 victory over Scotland in Glasgow to share the title between the three nations, 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 determine position. The win was sealed by a goal from Tommy Lawton
Tommy Lawton
Thomas "Tommy" Lawton was an English association footballer who rose to fame a short time before the outbreak of the Second World War and enjoyed a successful career which lasted until well into the 1950s....
, who scored in all of England's matches
Table
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 5 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | −11 |
The points system worked as follows:
- 2 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
Results
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