1970 British Home Championship
Encyclopedia
The 1970 British Home Championship
Home Nations
international football
tournament was a heavily contested series which contradicted the common view that it would be little more than a warm-up for the English
team prior to the 1970 FIFA World Cup
, at which they were to defend the title they had won on home soil four years earlier. They had won the two previous tournaments and were considered much stronger than the other three home nations, none of whom had qualified for the finals in Mexico
. The English however struggled in their opening fixture, drawing with the Welsh
away, and although they subsequently beat the Irish
, were unable to overcome the Scots
. Scotland had a good opening to the campaign, but drew their last two games, whilst Wales salvaged parity following a victory over Northern Ireland in their final fixture. Since goal difference was not at this time used to determine position, England, Wales and Scotland shared the trophy. Had modern scoring techniques been in place, England would have won, followed by the Welsh and the Scots.
The points system worked as follows:
----
----
----
----
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...
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...
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 was a heavily contested series which contradicted the common view that it would be little more than a warm-up for the English
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...
team prior to the 1970 FIFA World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
, at which they were to defend the title they had won on home soil four years earlier. They had won the two previous tournaments and were considered much stronger than the other three home nations, none of whom had qualified for the finals in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The English however struggled in their opening fixture, drawing with the Welsh
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...
away, and although they subsequently beat the Irish
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...
, were unable to overcome the Scots
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...
. Scotland had a good opening to the campaign, but drew their last two games, whilst Wales salvaged parity following a victory over Northern Ireland in their final fixture. Since goal difference was not at this time used to determine position, England, Wales and Scotland shared the trophy. Had modern scoring techniques been in place, England would have won, followed by the Welsh and the Scots.
Table
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 |
The points system worked as follows:
- 2 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
Results
--------
----
----
----