The 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...

–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...

 football rivalry is a highly competitive sports rivalry

Sports rivalry

A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the...

 that exists between their respective national football team

National football team

National football team may refer to:*List of men's national association football teams*List of women's national association football teams...

s. It is the oldest international

International football

International football generally refers to association football matches between representative national teams carried out under the regulation of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association...

 fixture in the world, first played in 1872

Scotland v England (1872)

Scotland v England was the first ever official international football match to be played. It was contested by the national teams of Scotland and England. The match took place on 30 November 1872 at West of Scotland Cricket Club's ground at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, Scotland...

 at Hamilton Crescent

Hamilton Crescent

Hamilton Crescent is a cricket ground located in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club.Hamilton Crescent is famous for holding the first ever international football match, played between Scotland and England...

, Glasgow. The history of the British Isles

History of the British Isles

The history of the British Isles has witnessed intermittent periods of competition and cooperation between the people that occupy the various parts of Great Britain, Ireland, and the smaller adjacent islands, which together make up the British Isles, as well as with France, Germany, the Low...

 has led to much rivalry between the nations in many forms, and the social and cultural effects of centuries of antagonism

Antagonism

Antagonism is hostility that results in active resistance, opposition, or contentiousness.Additionally, it may refer to:*Antagonism , where the involvement of multiple agents reduces their overall effect...

 and conflict between the two has contributed to the intense nature of the sporting contests. Scottish nationalism

Scottish national identity

Scottish national identity is a term referring to the sense of national identity and common culture of Scottish people and is shared by a considerable majority of the people of Scotland....

 has also been a factor in the Scots' desire to defeat England above all other rivals, with Scottish sports journalists traditionally referring to the English as the "Auld Enemy".

The footballing rivalry has diminished somewhat since the late 1970s, particularly since the annual fixture stopped in 1989. England have also developed rivalries with Germany

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

 and Argentina

Argentina national football team

The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

 that are now considered to be more important than the historic rivalry with Scotland. Nonetheless, when there have been matches between the two nations, these have attracted great media attention, public interest and comment in both countries.

The BBC website

Bbc.co.uk

BBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...

 has commented that the games "have represented all that is good and all that is bad about football since the fixture began," while The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

newspaper once reported that "for millions across both sides of the border the encounter represents a chance for the ultimate victory over the enemy." As of November 2008, the teams have played 110 matches; England have won 45, Scotland 41, and there have been 24 draws.

Background and early years

The rules of association football had been formalised and set down by the Football Association in England in 1863. By 1870 C. W. Alcock

C. W. Alcock

Charles William Alcock was an influential English sportsman and administrator. He was a major instigator in the development of both international football and cricket, as well as being the creator of the FA Cup....

, Secretary of the Football Association

The Football Association

The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...

, issued public challenges in various Scottish newspapers, including the Glasgow Herald, to Scottish players to play an international match against England. One of the few public responses that Alcock received from Scotland stated that "devotees of the 'association' rules will find no foemen worthy of their steel in Scotland". Alcock ardently defended that the right to play in these matches "was open to every Scotchman whether his lines were cast North or South

Anglo-Scottish border

The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...

 of the Tweed

River Tweed

The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...

". The first match was described in the Glasgow Herald as "the great international football match" and there was acceptance by the same newspaper in 1871 that "both captains had been successful in the composition of elevens capable of efficiently representing their respective causes".

Although the 1870 and 1871 matches are not currently recognised by FIFA

FIFA

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 as official, they were organised under the auspices of the FA and were described as "international" by The Scotsman

The Scotsman

The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....

newspaper. In 1870, Alcock had even suggested that the next international match should be held near the England-Scotland border as an easily accessible venue for both teams, but this did not receive a response. Requests for Scotland-based players to partake were issued for each of these five matches, for example in November 1870:
The matches are notable not just for being the first international matches, but also for illustrating emerging team playing tactics. For example, in the November 1870 match onlookers were treated to a match with "many scientific points

Combination Game

The Combination Game was a style of association football based around team work and cooperation. It would gradually favour the passing of the ball between players over individual dribbling skills which had been a notable feature of early Association games. It developed from "scientific" football...

" and in 1871 players (including Alcock) are noted to have been "acting in concert", leading to a goal"

England v Scotland 1870 – 1872: scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.

Date	Venue	Result	Competition	Location	Winner
5 March 1870	The Oval The Oval The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval... , London	1–1	Friendly		Draw
19 November 1870	The Oval The Oval The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval... , London	0–1	Friendly
25 February 1871	The Oval The Oval The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval... , London	1–1	Friendly		Draw
17 November 1871	The Oval The Oval The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval... , London	1–2	Friendly
24 February 1872	The Oval The Oval The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval... , London	0–1	Friendly

In 1872 a challenge match

Exhibition game

An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...

 was agreed with the Glasgow team Queen's Park

Queen's Park F.C.

Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...

, who would represent Scotland. The FA's minutes of 3 October 1872 note that:
According to The Scotsman newspaper of 2 December 1872, there were only about ten football clubs in Scotland. These early international matches helped to increase the popularity of association football in Scotland. The first official match was held on 30 November 1872, on Scotland's national saint's day, St. Andrew's Day

St. Andrew's Day

St Andrew's Day is the feast day of Saint Andrew. It is celebrated on 30 November.Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, and St Andrew's Day is Scotland's official national day...

, and it took place at Hamilton Crescent

Hamilton Crescent

Hamilton Crescent is a cricket ground located in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club.Hamilton Crescent is famous for holding the first ever international football match, played between Scotland and England...

 in Partick

Partick

Partick is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch. Partick was a Police burgh from 1852 until 1912 when it was incorporated into the city.-History:...

, home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club

West of Scotland Cricket Club

The West of Scotland Cricket Club is a large cricket club based in Glasgow, Scotland. Their ground is Hamilton Crescent located in the Partick area of Glasgow's West End...

. The Scotland team was made up entirely of players from Queen's Park

Queen's Park F.C.

Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...

, the most successful Scottish club of the period. The game ended a 0–0 draw, watched by a crowd of 4000 who had paid a shilling

Shilling

The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...

 each for admission.

The first goal between the two sides was scored by England's Alexander Bonsor

Alexander Bonsor

Alexander George Bonsor was one of the earliest known footballers.-Career:Bonsor played in the 1872 FA Cup Final - the first ever final in the FA Cup's history - and finished on the winning side...

 in the next game at The Oval, the first official match between the two in England, which the English won 4–2 on 8 March 1873. Following this, the game became an annual event, being held in England or Scotland in alternate years. Scotland took their first win in the fixture in the 1874 game, again played at Hamilton Crescent, where they defeated England 2–1. Later in the 1870s Scotland won the fixture three times in a row, including a 7–2 victory in the 1878 game.

Famous matches in the annual series

From the first match in late 1872

Scotland v England (1872)

Scotland v England was the first ever official international football match to be played. It was contested by the national teams of Scotland and England. The match took place on 30 November 1872 at West of Scotland Cricket Club's ground at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, Scotland...

, 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...

 played each other in the spring of every year (except during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 until 1989. From 1884 until 1984, the match was the highlight of the annual British Home Championship

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...

 played between England, Scotland, 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 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...

. After the British Home Championship ended in 1984, the annual England v Scotland fixture continued in the form of the Rous Cup

Rous Cup

The Rous Cup was a short-lived football competition in the second half of the 1980s, contested between England, Scotland and, in later years, a guest team from South America.-Overview:...

 until 1989.

The only exception to this pattern of annual fixtures in the spring was in 1973, when there were two games. The first game that year was a friendly match that marked the centenary of the Scottish Football Association

Scottish Football Association

The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...

. There were also two fixtures staged in 1902, but this was because the first game had to be abandoned due to the first Ibrox disaster

Ibrox disaster

The Ibrox disaster refers to two accidents, in 1902 and 1971, which led to major loss of life at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.-First Ibrox disaster:...

. The British Home Championship also acted as qualifiers for three major tournament

Tournament

A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...

s – the 1950 World Cup

1950 FIFA World Cup

The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...

, the 1954 World Cup

1954 FIFA World Cup

The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...

 and the 1968 European Championship.

1928

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...

is the name given to the 1928 Scotland team which defeated England 5–1 at Wembley in a match that has become mythologised by Scots ever since. The match had an unusual background; England and Scotland were the two traditionally dominant countries in the British Home Championship

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...

, yet neither side had managed to beat either Ireland or 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...

 in their first two games of that year's Championship

1928 British Home Championship

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...

.

Match summary

1961

The game played in 1961 is infamous from the Scottish perspective, as they suffered their heaviest defeat in the fixture. Frank Haffey

Frank Haffey

Francis Haffey was a football goalkeeper for Glasgow's Celtic F.C. and for the Scottish national team.Haffey, remembered as one of Celtic's great and more eccentric keepers, played more than two hundred matches for his club....

, the hapless Scottish goalkeeper

Goalkeeper (football)

In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...

, later decided to emigrate

Emigration

Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...

 to Australia partly due to this game. Haffey's performance largely contributed towards the English stereotype

Stereotype

A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...

 of bad Scottish goalkeepers.

Match summary

1967

The match played in 1967 is 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...

 most famous victory against 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...

. England had won the 1966 FIFA World Cup

1966 FIFA World Cup

The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...

 at Wembley less than a year previously and were undefeated in 19 games. Despite fielding four of the Celtic

Celtic F.C.

Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...

 side

Lisbon Lions

The Lisbon Lions is the nickname given to the Celtic team that won the European Cup at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967, defeating Internazionale 2–1. All the members of this team were born within 30 miles of Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic's style was the antithesis of the...

 that would go on to win the European Cup

1967 European Cup Final

The 1967 European Cup Final was a football match between Italian team Inter Milan and Scottish team Celtic. It took place at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967 in front of a crowd of 45,000. It was the final of the 1966–67 European Cup, the premier club competition run by...

 a month later and stars such as Denis Law

Denis Law

Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....

, Jim Baxter

Jim Baxter

James Curran Baxter was a left-footed Scottish footballer who played as a midfielder. He is regarded by some as the country's greatest ever footballer...

 and Billy Bremner

Billy Bremner

William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...

, Scotland were massive underdogs going into the match. Scotland took an early lead through a goal by Law, and Bobby Lennox

Bobby Lennox

Robert "Bobby" Lennox, MBE is a former Scottish professional footballer who played for Celtic Football Club and was a member of their 1967 European Cup winning team known as the Lisbon Lions. He also earned ten international caps for his national team Scotland...

 put Scotland 2–0 up with just 12 minutes remaining. England were somewhat hampered by the fact that Jack Charlton

Jack Charlton

John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...

 suffered an injury early in the game. England manager

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 Alf Ramsey

Alf Ramsey

Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...

 was unable to substitute

Substitute (football)

In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...

 Charlton and therefore decided to use him in the unfamiliar role of centre forward

Striker

Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

. Ironically, Charlton scored England's first goal. Scotland soon reestablished a two goal lead, however, with Jim McCalliog

Jim McCalliog

James "Jim" McCalliog is a Scottish former footballer who played for Sheffield Wednesday, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United and Southampton....

 making the score 3–1. Geoff Hurst

Geoff Hurst

Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE is a retired England footballer best remembered for his years with West Ham. He made his mark in World Cup history as the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. His three goals came in the 1966 final for England in their 4–2 win over West...

 scored a late goal to make the final score 3–2 to Scotland.

Baxter memorably played "keepie uppie

Keepie uppie

Keepie uppie, or "kick-ups" is the skill of juggling with a football using feet, lower legs, knees, chest, shoulders, and head, without allowing the ball to hit the ground...

" as Scotland toyed with their opponents late in the game. The Scots playfully claimed afterwards that the victory made them unofficial world champions

Unofficial Football World Championships

The Unofficial Football World Championships is a way of calculating the world's best football team, using a knock-out title system similar to that used in boxing and wrestling. The title is currently held by , having been won from Japan in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 15 November...

. Ultimately, however, it was England who qualified for the 1968 European Championship because of results in the other matches.

Match summary

1977

The 1977 match is memorable less for what happened during the game itself as for what happened on the park after the game. The Scottish fans

Tartan Army

The Tartan Army is a name given to fans of the Scotland national football team. They have won awards from several organisations for their friendly behaviour and charitable work...

 invaded the pitch

Pitch invasion

A pitch invasion or field invasion, known as rushing the field in the United States, occurs when a crowd of people who are watching a sports game run onto the field, to celebrate or protest about an incident...

, ripping up large sections of it and tearing down the goalposts. This incident contributed towards the growing awareness of football hooliganism

Football hooliganism

Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...

 in the United Kingdom.

The match itself was a triumph for the new Scotland manager Ally MacLeod

Ally MacLeod

Alistair Reid MacLeod was a Scottish professional football player. He is perhaps better known for his time as a football manager, which included being in charge of Scotland at the 1978 FIFA World Cup....

 and contributed to the sense of optimism that built towards Scotland's participation in the 1978 FIFA World Cup

1978 FIFA World Cup

The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...

. Gordon McQueen

Gordon McQueen

Gordon McQueen is a former Scottish football player, who played as a central defender for Leeds United, Manchester United and Scotland.-Early career:...

 opened the scoring late in the first half with a powerful header

Header

Header may refer to: Computers and engineering* Header , supplemental data at the beginning of a data block** E-mail header** HTTP header* Header file, a text file used in computer programming...

 from a cross

Cross

A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...

ed free-kick

Direct free kick

A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...

 from the left-hand side. Kenny Dalglish

Kenny Dalglish

Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...

 doubled Scotland's advantage with a scrambled effort, before England scored a late consolation goal from a penalty kick

Penalty kick

A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...

 taken by Mick Channon

Mick Channon

Michael Roger "Mick" Channon is a sportsman who enjoyed a career as a striker with Southampton and England in the 1970s and later became a hugely successful racehorse trainer.-Southampton:...

. The defeat hastened the end of Don Revie's

Don Revie

Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...

 tenure as England manager.

Match summary

1996 European Championship

In December 1995, despite media rumours that UEFA

UEFA

The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

 would deliberately keep the two apart in the draw, England and Scotland were both drawn in the same group for the forthcoming European Championship, to be hosted by England in the summer of 1996. This draw excited much comment and anticipation in the build-up to the championship, especially as it would be the first meeting between the two sides for seven years, and tickets for the game sold out within two days of the draw being made. The match assumed even greater significance for both teams when both England and Scotland drew their opening fixtures, against Switzerland

Switzerland national football team

The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...

 and the Netherlands

Netherlands national football team

The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

 respectively, meaning both were even more in need of a win to further their chances of progressing in the tournament.

The match was played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 15 June 1996. Before the game, Scotland's

Flower of Scotland

Flower of Scotland is a Scottish song, used frequently at special occasions and sporting events. Although there is no official national anthem of Scotland, Flower of Scotland is one of a number of songs which unofficially fulfil this role, along with the older Scots Wha Hae, Scotland the Brave...

 national anthem

National anthem

A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...

 was completely drowned out by booing from English spectactors. The first half was closely fought, ending 0–0, although Scotland had the better of the chances. The introduction of Jamie Redknapp

Jamie Redknapp

Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....

 into the England team as a substitute for the second half helped to turn the match in England's favour, and they took the lead through a headed goal by Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...

. Scotland were awarded a penalty kick

Penalty kick

A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...

 in the 76th minute after a foul by Tony Adams

Tony Adams (footballer)

Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...

 on Gordon Durie

Gordon Durie

Gordon Scott Durie , known as Jukebox after the TV programme 'Jukebox Jury', is a Scottish former professional footballer, a utility player who usually played as a striker.- Playing career :...

, but Gary McAllister

Gary McAllister

Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish former professional footballer.McAllister played primarily as a midfielder, in a successful career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20...

's kick was saved by the England goalkeeper David Seaman

David Seaman

David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...

. Shortly afterwards, Paul Gascoigne

Paul Gascoigne

Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...

, who played in Scotland for the Glasgow club Rangers

Rangers F.C.

Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...

, scored a second goal for England, after chipping the ball over Scottish defender Colin Hendry

Colin Hendry

Edward Colin Hendry is a retired Scottish footballer and manager, who played as a defender. Hendry started his career with Dundee in 1983 and spent spells at Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Rangers, Coventry City, Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool...

. In 2006, the year before he became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...

, Scotsman Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown

James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...

 drew criticism in Scotland when he was reported as saying that Gascoigne's goal was one of his favourite moments in football, although Brown subsequently denied saying this.

Scotland eventually went out of the championship on 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....

, but would have proceeded beyond the first round of a tournament for the first time in their history had England not conceded a late goal in their 4–1 defeat of the Netherlands in their next game. The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

newspaper later commented that "England fans' joy was complete when Patrick Kluivert

Patrick Kluivert

Patrick Stephan Kluivert is a former Dutch footballer, currently head coach of the youth side of FC Twente. He played as a striker for AFC Ajax, A.C. Milan, FC Barcelona, Newcastle United, Valencia CF, PSV Eindhoven, and Lille OSC. Kluivert played for the Dutch national team from 1994 to 2004. He...

 stole a late goal for the Dutch

Dutch people

The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...

 – and thereby deprived Scotland of a place in the quarter-finals".

2000 European Championship

The Euro 96 game had encouraged some to call for the resumption of regular matches between the two, but this did not happen. The teams did not meet again until three years later, in 1999, when they were again drawn together in the European Championship; this time in a qualifying play-off for the 2000 tournament, after both teams had finished as runners-up in their respective qualifying groups.

The tie took place over two legs, the first in Scotland at Hampden Park on Saturday 13 November 1999, with the return leg at Wembley four days later. The first leg was the first match contested by the two sides in Scotland for ten years. England won that match 2–0, with both goals scored by Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes is a retired English footballer, a one-club man who played his entire professional career for Manchester United.Born in Salford, but later moving to Langley, Scholes excelled in both cricket and football in school. He first trained with Manchester United at the age of 14 after being...

. There was crowd trouble following the game, and 51 people were arrested in the city centre of Glasgow after battles between fans. Scotland had the better of the second match, winning 1–0 with a goal from Don Hutchison

Don Hutchison

Donald Hutchison is a Scottish ex-footballer who generally played in midfield but sometimes as a forward. He was a much travelled player with spells at both Liverpool and Everton as well as Sheffield United, Sunderland and West Ham United twice...

 and coming close to a second goal, but England progressed to the finals of the tournament, winning 2–1 on aggregate.

Future

The UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying playoff in November 1999 is the most recent occasion upon which the two full national teams have played each other. There have been many calls for the British Home Championship

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...

 to be restored to the schedule, or at least for the 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...

 v 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...

 fixture to be played more regularly. 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...

 manager

Manager (association football)

In association football, a manager is responsible for running a football club or a national team. The manager of a professional club is responsible directly to the club president. The position of manager is almost exclusively used in British football...

 Lawrie Sanchez

Lawrie Sanchez

Lawrence Philip "Lawrie" Sanchez is a former Northern Irish football manager, and a former player. He is currently the manager of League Two side Barnet...

 suggested in December 2006 that a tournament featuring Scotland, Northern Ireland, 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 the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland national football team

The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....

 be organised instead. This Nations Cup began in 2011. There was some speculation that Scotland would be invited to be England's first opponents when Wembley Stadium

Wembley Stadium

The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...

 was re-opened in 2007, but this did not happen and further suggestions that the fixture might be resumed have similarly passed without action.

There was further talk of organising a one-off England v Scotland match at the end of the 2007–08 season, but the Scotland manager George Burley

George Burley

George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps...

 was opposed to this timing and the match was not arranged. SFA

Scottish Football Association

The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...

 chief executive Gordon Smith also raised the concern that the riots

2008 UEFA Cup Final riots

The 2008 UEFA Cup Final riots, also known as the Battle of Piccadilly, was a serious public disorder incident that took place in the city of Manchester, England, before, during and after the 2008 UEFA Cup Final....

 by Rangers

Rangers F.C.

Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...

 fans in Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 on the day of the 2008 UEFA Cup Final

2008 UEFA Cup Final

The 2008 UEFA Cup Final was the 37th final of the UEFA Cup, UEFA's second tier club football tournament. The match was played at the City of Manchester Stadium, home ground of Manchester City F.C., in Manchester, England, at 20:45 CEST on 14 May 2008.The match was contested by Zenit St. Petersburg...

 may lead the FA to believe that there could be incidents of hooliganism

Hooliganism

Hooliganism refers to unruly, destructive, aggressive and bullying behaviour. Such behaviour is commonly associated with sports fans. The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism, often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs....

 connected to an England v Scotland fixture.

Records

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...

 have played each other more than any other nation, playing 110 official matches. England have marginally the better record overall in the fixture, with 45 wins to Scotland's 41. There have been 24 draws, only three of them goalless, with 98 years separating the first and second of those matches. England have scored 192 goals to 169 by Scotland. The record margin of victory in the fixture was England's 9–3 win in 1961

1961 British Home Championship

The 1961 British Home Championship international football tournament saw a series of high scoring games, with 40 goals scored in just six matches - a ratio of 6.66 goals per game. England took the British title after a final match at Wembley in which they put nine goals past Scotland, who returned...

, while Scotland's biggest victory was 7–2 in 1878. The record attendance of 149,415, which is also a European record attendance, was set at Hampden Park

Hampden Park

Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...

 in 1937

1937 British Home Championship

The 1937 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1936–37 seasons. The trophy was won by Wales with Scotland coming second. This was the last Home Championship that Wales would win exclusively, all subsequent victories would be...

.

Scotland long held an advantage in terms of wins, as they recorded ten wins in the first 16 matches. Scotland, the smaller country in terms of population, were superior during this period because passing football developed earlier there, as shown by the Scotch Professors

Scotch Professors

The Scotch Professors were Scottish football players of the late 19th century who moved south to play for clubs participating in the English Football League during the period when football had become professional in England but remained amateur in Scotland.- Details :The origin of the name was...

 who moved to play in the nascent English professional league

The Football League

The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

 during the late 1880s. England closed this gap and eventually took a lead in wins during the period after the Second World War, as Scotland have only won 12 matches since then. England pulled ahead for the first time in the history of the fixture with their win in 1983

1983 British Home Championship

The 1983 British Home Championship was the penultimate in the series of football tournaments between the British Home Nations which stretched back 99 years to 1884...

.

All official matches between England and Scotland

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.

Date	Venue	Result	Competition
30 November 1872	Hamilton Crescent Hamilton Crescent Hamilton Crescent is a cricket ground located in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club.Hamilton Crescent is famous for holding the first ever international football match, played between Scotland and England... , Glasgow	0–0 Scotland v England (1872) Scotland v England was the first ever official international football match to be played. It was contested by the national teams of Scotland and England. The match took place on 30 November 1872 at West of Scotland Cricket Club's ground at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, Scotland...	Friendly
8 March 1873	The Oval The Oval The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval... , London	2–4	Friendly
7 March 1874	Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow	2–1	Friendly
6 March 1875	The Oval, London	2–2	Friendly
4 March 1876	Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow	3–0	Friendly
3 March 1877	The Oval, London	3–1	Friendly
2 March 1878	Hampden Park Hampden Park Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland... , Glasgow	7–2	Friendly
5 April 1879	The Oval, London	4–5	Friendly
13 March 1880	Hampden Park, Glasgow	5–4	Friendly
12 March 1881	The Oval, London	6–1	Friendly
11 March 1882	Hampden Park, Glasgow	5–1	Friendly
10 March 1883	Bramall Lane Bramall Lane -Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket... , Sheffield Sheffield Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...	3–2	Friendly
15 March 1884	Cathkin Park Cathkin Park Cathkin Park is a municipal park in Glasgow, Scotland. The park is maintained by the city's parks department, and it is a public place where football is still played... , Glasgow	1–0	1884 British Home Championship 1884 British Home Championship The 1884 British Home Championship was the inaugural international football tournament, played between the Home Nations of the British Isles which at the time made up the constituent nations of the United Kingdom; England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland...
21 March 1885	The Oval, London	1–1	1885 British Home Championship 1885 British Home Championship The 1885 British Home Championship was the second football tournament between the Home Nations and was, like the previous competition, won by a Scottish team which completely dominated proceedings. The English also performed well, beginning with a strong victory over Ireland but failing to...
27 March 1886	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–1	1886 British Home Championship 1886 British Home Championship The 1886 British Home Championship was the third annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. As common for the time, the matches were punctuated by some high scorelines and for the first time two teams finished level on points at the top of the table, thus...
19 March 1887	Leamington Road Leamington Road Leamington Road was an English football stadium situated in Blackburn, Lancashire. Blackburn Rovers played there from 1881 until 1890, when they relocated to Ewood Park, where they have remained ever since.... , Blackburn	3–2	1887 British Home Championship 1887 British Home Championship The 1887 British Home Championship was the fourth international football tournament between the British Home Nations. Played during the second half of the 1886–87 football season, the competition was won by Scotland for the fourth consecutive time...
17 March 1888	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–5	1888 British Home Championship 1888 British Home Championship The 1888 British Home Championship was the fifth edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations...
13 April 1889	The Oval, London	3–2	1889 British Home Championship 1889 British Home Championship The 1889 British Home Championship was the sixth international football tournament between the British Home Nations and as with all but one of the previous tournaments, Scotland won, beating England by one point to take the championship...
5 April 1890	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–1	1890 British Home Championship 1890 British Home Championship The 1890 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. The seventh such competition held, the 1890 edition was, for the second time, jointly won by England and Scotland, the sixth time that Scotland had won...
4 April 1891	Ewood Park Ewood Park Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The... , Blackburn	1–2	1891 British Home Championship 1891 British Home Championship The 1891 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. Despite strong showings from all four teams, England eventually won the trophy with victories in all three games including, as at the 1890 and 1892 competitions, matches against Wales and...
2 April 1892	Ibrox Stadium Ibrox Stadium Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082... , Glasgow	1–4	1892 British Home Championship 1892 British Home Championship The 1892 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. It was won by England who won all three games against their rivals, even though they played two games on the same day against Wales and Ireland, providing a...
1 April 1893	Athletic Ground Richmond F.C. Richmond Football Club is a rugby union club from Richmond, London. It is a founding member of the Rugby Football Union, and is one of the oldest football clubs... , Richmond	2–5	1893 British Home Championship 1893 British Home Championship The 1893 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. The competition was won and dominated by England, who beat all three rival teams and scored 17 goals in just three matches. Fred Spiksley claimed four and Walter Gilliat scored a hat-trick...
7 April 1894	Celtic Park Celtic Park Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,... , Glasgow	2–2	1894 British Home Championship 1894 British Home Championship The 1894 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. It was won by Scotland in a close competition in which neither Scotland nor England lost a game but Scotland managed to accumalate one more point than England...
6 April 1895	Goodison Park Goodison Park Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds... , Liverpool	0–3	1895 British Home Championship 1895 British Home Championship The 1895 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. The competition was won by England, who like second placed Wales, did not loose a game. Wales however failed to win one either, scoring three draws and so finishing behind England....
4 April 1896	Celtic Park, Glasgow	2–1	1896 British Home Championship 1896 British Home Championship The 1896 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. Despite England achieving an almost record 9–1 victory over Wales, the trophy was won by Scotland who won two and drew one of their matches, the draw...
3 April 1897	Crystal Palace Crystal Palace National Sports Centre The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was... , London	2–1	1897 British Home Championship 1897 British Home Championship 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...
2 April 1898	Celtic Park, Glasgow	1–3	1898 British Home Championship 1898 British Home Championship The 1898 British Home Championship was the fifteenth edition of the annual football tournament played between the British Home Nations. England won the trophy after whitewashing all three opponents and taking the maximum six points...
8 April 1899	Villa Park Villa Park Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County... , Birmingham	1–2	1899 British Home Championship 1899 British Home Championship The 1899 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. A very high scoring affair, the competition featured the highest scoreline ever achieved in the Home Championships when England defeated Ireland 13–2 in Sunderland...
7 April 1900	Celtic Park, Glasgow	4–1	1900 British Home Championship 1900 British Home Championship The 1900 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual football tournament played between the British Home Nations. Conducted in the second half of the 1899–1900 season, it was dominated by Scotland who achieved a whitewash of their opponents by winning all three games...
30 March 1901	Crystal Palace, London	2–2	1901 British Home Championship 1901 British Home Championship The 1901 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. England won the competition with five points after strong victories over Wales and Ireland...
3 May 1902	Villa Park, BirminghamThis match was a replay of the match originally staged on 5 April 1902 at Ibrox Stadium Ibrox Stadium Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082... , which was abandoned after part of the stadium collapsed, killing 25 people. Funds raised by the replayed game contributed towards a disaster fund.	2–2	1902 British Home Championship 1902 British Home Championship The 1902 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations which was meant to herald the arrival full professional game of football as both England and Scotland fielded fully professional teams for the first time...
4 April 1903	Bramall Lane, Sheffield	2–1	1903 British Home Championship 1903 British Home Championship The 1903 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations.Unusually, the trophy was shared by three of the Home Nations all of whom scored four points. At the time, goal difference was not used to differentiate teams...
9 April 1904	Celtic Park, Glasgow	0–1	1904 British Home Championship 1904 British Home Championship The 1904 British Home Championship football tournament was a low scoring affair, won by a powerful England side who were followed by the unfancied Irish in second place...
1 April 1905	Crystal Palace, London	0–1	1905 British Home Championship 1905 British Home Championship The 1905 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. It was competed in the second half of the 1904–05 football season and saw England win the championship for the third time in a row with two victories and a draw...
7 April 1906	Hampden Park, Glasgow	2–1	1906 British Home Championship 1906 British Home Championship The 1906 British Home Championship was the 22nd edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. The trophy was shared between the two sides which regularly dominated the competition, England and Scotland who each gained four points.England and...
6 April 1907	St James' Park St James' Park St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'... , Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...	1–1	1907 British Home Championship 1907 British Home Championship The 1907 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. For the first time ever it was won undisputed by the Welsh team, who secured two victories and a draw to take them to the top of the table. They were followed by England and Scotland, who...
4 April 1908	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–1	1908 British Home Championship 1908 British Home Championship 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...
3 April 1909	Crystal Palace, London	0–2	1909 British Home Championship 1909 British Home Championship The 1909 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. England dominated the competition with three wins over their opponents. When placed in the context of their overseas tours to Europe in 1908 and 1909, this made a run of ten victories for...
2 April 1910	Hampden Park, Glasgow	2–0	1910 British Home Championship 1910 British Home Championship The 1910 British Home Championship was an annual football competition played between the British Home Nations during the second half of the 1909/10 season...
1 April 1911	Goodison Park, Liverpool	1–1	1911 British Home Championship 1911 British Home Championship The 1911 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. After a close competition between England, Scotland and Wales, England won by a single point...
23 March 1912	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–1	1912 British Home Championship 1912 British Home Championship The 1912 British Home Championship was a football competition played between the British Home Nations during the second half of the 1911–12 season. England and Scotland shared the trophy after both beat Wales and Ireland and then drew the deciding match at Hampden Park. Ireland took third...
5 April 1913	Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge (stadium) Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge... , London	0–1	1913 British Home Championship 1913 British Home Championship The 1913 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. An evenly matched tournament, all four sides won at least one game and the competition could have gone any way, as Ireland showed the following year when they won their first undisputed...
4 April 1914	Hampden Park, Glasgow	3–1	1914 British Home Championship 1914 British Home Championship The 1914 British Home Championship was the last British Home Championship played before the First World War. The competition was played between January and April 1914 and won by Ireland with a team that included Patrick O’Connell, Billy Gillespie, Val Harris, Louis Bookman, Samuel Young and Bill...
10 April 1920The annual match was suspended between 1915 and 1919 because of World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918... .	Hillsborough Stadium Hillsborough Stadium Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the... , Sheffield	4–5	1920 British Home Championship 1920 British Home Championship The 1920 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1919–20 season between the British Home Nations. Wales eventually took the trophy as the first of three victories they claimed during the 1920s, their last undisputed triumphs...
9 April 1921	Hampden Park, Glasgow	3–0	1921 British Home Championship 1921 British Home Championship The 1921 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1920–21 season. The second tournament played since the hiatus of the First World War, the 1921 competition was dominated by Scotland, who won the first of seven championships they...
8 April 1922	Villa Park, Birmingham	1–0	1920 British Home Championship 1920 British Home Championship The 1920 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1919–20 season between the British Home Nations. Wales eventually took the trophy as the first of three victories they claimed during the 1920s, their last undisputed triumphs...
14 April 1923	Hampden Park, Glasgow	2–2	1923 British Home Championship 1923 British Home Championship The 1923 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1922–23 season. It was won by the strongest of the Home Nations during the decade, Scotland who almost whitewashed the other three nations but ultimately were held to a 2–2...
12 April 1924	Wembley Stadium, London	1–1	1924 British Home Championship 1924 British Home Championship The 1924 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1923–24 season between the British Home Nations...
4 April 1925	Hampden Park, Glasgow	2–0	1925 British Home Championship 1925 British Home Championship The 1925 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1924/25 season. It was one of six tournaments in seven years won by the strong Scottish team of the early 1920s, and was achieved with a whitewash of all three rivals, including England...
17 April 1926	Old Trafford Old Trafford Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:... , Manchester	1–0	1926 British Home Championship 1926 British Home Championship The 1926 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1925–26 season between the British Home Nations...
2 April 1927	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–2	1927 British Home Championship 1927 British Home Championship The 1927 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1926–27 season. It was shared by England and Scotland after a series of high scoring draws in the opening matches left England, Wales and Ireland well behind with Scotland ahead,...
31 March 1928	Wembley Stadium, London	5–1	1928 British Home Championship 1928 British Home Championship 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...
13 April 1929	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–0	1929 British Home Championship 1929 British Home Championship The 1929 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1928–29 season. The competition was won by Scotland, who won all three matches with strong attacking football epitomised by Hughie Gallacher, who scored seven of his team's 12 goals...
5 April 1930	Wembley Stadium, London	2–5	1930 British Home Championship 1930 British Home Championship The 1930 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. 1930 was the year in which the tournament finally gained a serious rival as the premier international football competition, with the inception of the 1930 FIFA...
28 March 1931	Hampden Park, Glasgow	2–0	1931 British Home Championship 1931 British Home Championship The 1931 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1930–31 season. The trophy was shared between England and Scotland as at the time a win was only worth two points and a draw one...
9 April 1932	Wembley Stadium, London	0–3	1932 British Home Championship 1932 British Home Championship The 1932 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1931–32 football season. It was won by England, who succeeded in beating all three of their rivals during the course of the competition....
1 April 1933	Hampden Park, Glasgow	2–1	1933 British Home Championship 1933 British Home Championship The 1933 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1932–33 season. It was won by the strong Welsh side which claimed several tournaments during the 1930s, the last undisputed victories Wales would achieve.The tournament began with...
14 April 1934	Wembley Stadium, London	0–3	1934 British Home Championship 1934 British Home Championship The 1934 British Home Championship was an annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1933–34 football season. It was won by Wales, whose run of form during the 1930s was their last sustained period of international success in the team's history...
6 April 1935	Hampden Park, Glasgow	2–0	1935 British Home Championship 1935 British Home Championship The 1935 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1934–35 season. Scotland and England shared the trophy after a dramatic final match in which the Scots beat England to claim a share of the cup after having seemingly come adrift...
4 April 1936	Wembley Stadium, London	1–1	1936 British Home Championship 1936 British Home Championship The 1936 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1935–36 season. It was won by Scotland after a close contest between Scotland, Wales and England. England began the tournament the stronger team, with a 3–1 win over Ireland...
17 April 1937	Hampden Park, Glasgow	3–1	1937 British Home Championship 1937 British Home Championship The 1937 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1936–37 seasons. The trophy was won by Wales with Scotland coming second. This was the last Home Championship that Wales would win exclusively, all subsequent victories would be...
9 April 1938	Wembley Stadium, London	1–0	1938 British Home Championship 1938 British Home Championship The 1938 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1937–38 season. The competition was won by England after they defeated Ireland and Wales in their opening games...
15 April 1939	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–2	1939 British Home Championship 1939 British Home Championship 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...
12 April 1947The annual match was suspended between 1940 and 1946 because of the Second World War. Unofficial wartime internationals were played during the war.	Wembley Stadium, London	1–1	1947 British Home Championship 1947 British Home Championship The 1947 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1946–47 seasons, the first professional football seasons in Britain since the end of the Second World War...
10 April 1948	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–2	1948 British Home Championship 1948 British Home Championship 1948 British Home Championship was the second edition of this annual football tournament to be played in the post-war period. It was conducted during the 1947–48 football season between the four Home Nations of the British Isles and resulted in a victory for England for the second year in a...
9 April 1949	Wembley Stadium, London	3–1	1949 British Home Championship 1949 British Home Championship The 1949 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations. The tournament was notable for it being the final competition the Home Nations competed in before they joined the FIFA World Cup and thus the last time it was the most important international...
15 April 1950	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–1	1950 British Home Championship 1950 British Home Championship 1950 British Home Championship was one of the most significant competitions of the British Home Championship football tournament. This year saw the competition doubling up as Group 1 in the qualifying rounds for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. It was the first time that either England, Wales, Scotland or... The match also acted as a qualification match for the 1950 FIFA World Cup 1950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II... .
14 April 1951	Wembley Stadium, London	3–2	1951 British Home Championship 1951 British Home Championship The 1951 British Home Championship football tournament was the Home Nations follow-up to England's disastrous appearance at their first World Cup, the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. There the much vaunted English had been beaten by the USA and Spain. The Scots had refused to go, and the Welsh and...
5 April 1952	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–2	1952 British Home Championship 1952 British Home Championship The 1952 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1951/52 season. In an unusual conclusion, Wales shared the championship with England, one of only four tournaments Wales would share victory in post-war...
18 April 1953	Wembley Stadium, London	2–2	1953 British Home Championship 1953 British Home Championship The 1953 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations throughout the 1952–53 football season. The tournament saw a last minute goal by Lawrie Reilly in the final game at Wembley which salvaged a draw and thus a share in the trophy for Scotland...
3 April 1954	Hampden Park, Glasgow	2–4	1954 British Home Championship 1954 British Home Championship The 1954 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1953–54 season which also provided the home nations qualifying tournament for the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Both England and Scotland qualified as first and second placed... The match also acted as a qualification 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA - Group 3) The four teams in this group played against each other once. The group winner England and runner-up Scotland qualified for the fifth FIFA World Cup held in Switzerland.This group was also the 1953-1954 British Home Championship.-Group 3:...  match for the 1954 FIFA World Cup 1954 FIFA World Cup The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game... .
2 April 1955	Wembley Stadium, London	2–7	1955 British Home Championship 1955 British Home Championship The 1955 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1954–55 football season. It was won by a strong England side which included players such as Johnny Haynes and Nat Lofthouse as well as future manager Don Revie...
14 April 1956	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–1	1956 British Home Championship 1956 British Home Championship The 1956 British Home Championship was a football tournament played during the 1955–56 season between the British Home Nations. It was the only occasion during the hundred year run of the Home Championship in which all four teams finished level on points...
6 April 1957	Wembley Stadium, London	1–2	1957 British Home Championship 1957 British Home Championship The 1957 British Home Championship was the final full championship before the Munich air disaster would kill senior members of all four squads mid-way through the following tournament. A close-fought competition between England and Scotland, the tournament also featured some very good performances...
19 April 1958	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–4	1958 British Home Championship 1958 British Home Championship The 1958 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1957–58 season. The competition was marred by the Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958, when an aircraft carrying the Manchester United football team home from a European Cup...
11 April 1959	Wembley Stadium, London	0–1	1959 British Home Championship 1959 British Home Championship The 1959 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations. It came the year after the notable failure of England and Scotland to impress at the 1958 FIFA World Cup, for which all four nations qualified for the only time...
9 April 1960	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–1	1960 British Home Championship 1960 British Home Championship The 1960 British Home Championship football tournament was played by the British Home Nations throughout the 1959–60 season and was shared between three of the competing teams at the expense of Ireland...
15 April 1961	Wembley Stadium, London	3–9	1961 British Home Championship 1961 British Home Championship The 1961 British Home Championship international football tournament saw a series of high scoring games, with 40 goals scored in just six matches - a ratio of 6.66 goals per game. England took the British title after a final match at Wembley in which they put nine goals past Scotland, who returned...
14 April 1962	Hampden Park, Glasgow	2–0	1962 British Home Championship 1962 British Home Championship The 1962 British Home Championship was a football competition played in the season preceding the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile, for which only England had qualified from the home nations...
6 April 1963	Wembley Stadium, London	2–1	1963 British Home Championship 1963 British Home Championship The 1963 British Home Championship football tournament came after disappointment for the home nations in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, for which only England qualified, only to be beaten 3–1 in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Brazil...
11 April 1964	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–0	1964 British Home Championship 1964 British Home Championship The 1964 British Home Championship international Home Nations football tournament was an unusual affair in which victory was shared between the England, Scotland and Ireland national football teams after all teams scored four points by beating Wales and then winning one and losing one of their...
10 April 1965	Wembley Stadium, London	2–2	1965 British Home Championship 1965 British Home Championship The 1965 British Home Championship was an outright victory for the English football team in the run up to the 1966 FIFA World Cup which was held in the country...
2 April 1966	Hampden Park, Glasgow	3–4	1966 British Home Championship 1966 British Home Championship The 1966 British Home Championship was a cause of great excitement as it supplied spectators and commentators a view of England prior to their contesting the football 1966 FIFA World Cup on home soil at which they were one of the favourites...
15 April 1967	Wembley Stadium, London	3–2	1967 British Home Championship 1967 British Home Championship The 1967 British Home Championship has remained famous in the memories of British Home Nations football fans ever since the dramatic climatic match at Wembley Stadium, where an unfancied Scottish team beat England on the same turf they had won the 1966 FIFA World Cup a year before... This match also acted as a qualification match for UEFA Euro 1968.
24 February 1968	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–1	1968 British Home Championship 1968 British Home Championship The 1968 British Home Championship football was the final stage of the 1968 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying for the Home Nations, and provided revenge for an England team smarting from a defeat on their home ground to the Scots just months after winning the 1966 FIFA World Cup which...
10 May 1969	Wembley Stadium, London	1–4	1969 British Home Championship 1969 British Home Championship The 1969 British Home Championship was the third edition of the tournament to be held whilst England were World Champions following their victory in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. The tournament was reverted back to its pre-First World War format, being played at the end of the season in a short period...
25 April 1970	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–0The first goalless draw since the first ever fixture, 98 years earlier.	1970 British Home Championship 1970 British Home Championship 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...
22 May 1971	Wembley Stadium, London	1–3	1971 British Home Championship 1971 British Home Championship The 1971 British Home Championship was an international football competition between the British Home Nations. the tournament was low-scoring affair, reflecting trends in world football at the time, which relied on heavy defense. England won the tournament in their final match by beating Scotland...
27 May 1972	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–1	1972 British Home Championship 1972 British Home Championship The 1972 British Home Championship was the first such Home Nations football tournament , to suffer during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, when death threats from the Provisional Irish Republican Army were sent to the Scottish Football Association and Scottish players who were scheduled to play at...
14 February 1973	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–5	FriendlyA friendly match arranged to mark the centenary of the Scottish Football Association Scottish Football Association The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations... .
19 May 1973	Wembley Stadium, London	0–1	1973 British Home Championship 1973 British Home Championship The 1973 British Home Championship international Home Nations football tournament was, like its predecessor in 1972, a victim of The Troubles in Northern Ireland which had erupted following Bloody Sunday the previous year...
18 May 1974	Hampden Park, Glasgow	2–0	1974 British Home Championship 1974 British Home Championship The 1974 British Home Championship Home Nations football tournament was, like the two championships which preceded it, subject to rescheduled matches due to The Troubles in Northern Ireland...
24 May 1975	Wembley Stadium, London	1–5	1975 British Home Championship 1975 British Home Championship The 1975 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. It resulted in a resounding victory for an England team which was going through one of the poorest periods of consistent play in their history...
15 May 1976	Hampden Park, Glasgow	2–1	1976 British Home Championship 1976 British Home Championship The 1976 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations at the end of the 1975–76 season. It resulted in an outright Scottish victory following a rare whitewash of all three opponents, including England in a tough final at home in Glasgow. Scotland...
4 June 1977	Wembley Stadium, London	2–1	1977 British Home Championship 1977 British Home Championship The 1977 British Home Championship exemplified a new era in Home Nations football during its final game, when jubilant Scottish fans invaded the pitch at Wembley Stadium following their team's surprise victory...
20 May 1978	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–1	1978 British Home Championship 1978 British Home Championship The 1978 British Home Championship football competition between the British Home Nations was won by an England side smarting from their failure to qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Scotland again refused to travel to Northern Ireland and therefore gained an additional home match...
26 May 1979	Wembley Stadium, London	1–3	1979 British Home Championship 1979 British Home Championship The 1979 British Home Championship was a British Home Nations competition, won by the English football side and notable for seeing marked increases in hooliganism and falling attendance which would result in its cancellation in 1984. The English started well, beating Northern Ireland to match the...
24 May 1980	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–2	1980 British Home Championship 1980 British Home Championship The 1980 British Home Championship saw only the second undisputed victory for Northern Ireland in the British Home Nations international football tournament in 96 years of existence. It was also the first time since 1970 that Scotland agreed to travel to Northern Ireland, having refused to play...
23 May 1981	Wembley Stadium, London	1–0	1981 British Home Championship 1981 British Home Championship The 1981 British Home Championship was the only British Home Nations international football championship outside of the years of the First World War and Second World War which was not completed and thus failed to produce a winner. As with the rugby union 1972 Five Nations Championship, the cause of...
29 May 1982	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–1	1982 British Home Championship 1982 British Home Championship The 1982 British Home Championship between the British Home Nations was won by a dominant England football team which won all three of its matches as the tournament returned after being abandoned in 1981 due to civil distubances in Northern Ireland...
1 June 1983	Wembley Stadium, London	0–2	1983 British Home Championship 1983 British Home Championship The 1983 British Home Championship was the penultimate in the series of football tournaments between the British Home Nations which stretched back 99 years to 1884...
26 May 1984	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–1	1984 British Home Championship 1984 British Home Championship The 1984 British Home Championship was the one hundredth anniversary of the British Home Championship and the final football tournament between the Home Nations to be held, with both England and Scotland announcing their withdrawal from future competition, citing waning interest in the games,...
25 May 1985	Hampden Park, Glasgow	1–0	Rous Cup Rous Cup The Rous Cup was a short-lived football competition in the second half of the 1980s, contested between England, Scotland and, in later years, a guest team from South America.-Overview:...
23 April 1986	Wembley Stadium, London	1–2	Rous Cup
23 May 1987	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–0	Rous Cup
21 May 1988	Wembley Stadium, London	0–1	Rous Cup
27 May 1989	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–2	Rous Cup
15 June 1996	Wembley Stadium, London	0–2	UEFA Euro 1996
13 November 1999	Hampden Park, Glasgow	0–2England won 2–1 on aggregate and qualified for Euro 2000.	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying Playoff
17 November 1999	Wembley Stadium, London	1–0	UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying Playoff

Club level

As well as the rivalry between the national sides, English

English football league system

The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...

 and Scottish club teams

Scottish football league system

The Scottish football league system is a series of generally unconnected leagues for Scottish football clubs. The Scottish system is more complicated than many other national league systems, consisting of two completely separate systems of leagues and clubs, senior football and junior football...

 have also met on numerous occasions in the various European

UEFA

The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

 club competitions. These matches are frequently described by the media as being a "Battle of Britain

Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...

", irrespective of the clubs involved. The most important club meeting was when Celtic

Celtic F.C.

Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...

 and Leeds United

Leeds United A.F.C.

Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

 met in the semi-final of the 1970 European Cup

European Cup 1969-70

The season 1969–70 of the European Cup football club tournament was won by Feyenoord in an extra time final victory against Celtic FC. It was the first time the cup went to the Netherlands, and beginning a run of four consecutive years the trophy went there...

, which was the first contest to be popularly described as a Battle of Britain. Celtic won the first leg at Elland Road

Elland Road

Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...

 1–0, and the second leg was played at Hampden Park

Hampden Park

Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...

 to allow a bigger crowd to attend than could be held at Celtic Park

Celtic Park

Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...

. Billy Bremner

Billy Bremner

William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...

 opened the scoring early on to level the aggregate score, but Celtic came back to win the match 2–1 and the tie 3–1.

Rangers

Rangers F.C.

Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...

 defeated Leeds United home and away to qualify for the first Champions League

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 group stage in 1992–93. Celtic lost on the away goals rule

Away goals rule

The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...

 to Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 in the 1997–98

UEFA Cup 1997-98

The UEFA Cup 1997–98 was won by Internazionale comfortably in an all-Italian final against Lazio. It was their third title in eight years in the competition....

 UEFA Cup

UEFA Cup

The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

, but they beat Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers F.C.

Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....

 and Liverpool on their run

The Bhoys from Seville

The Bhoys from Seville is a nickname used to refer to Celtic F.C.'s team and fans during Celtic's 2002–03 UEFA Cup campaign, which culminated in their defeat in the final in Seville, Spain...

 to the 2003 UEFA Cup Final

2003 UEFA Cup Final

The 2003 UEFA Cup Final was played on 21 May 2003 between Celtic of Scotland and Porto of Portugal. Porto won the match 3–2 in extra time thanks to a goal from Derlei...

. Celtic and Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

 were drawn together twice in the Champions League

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 group phase in quick succession, in 2006–07 and 2008–09, while Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 beat Celtic 5–1 on aggregate in the 2009–10 qualifiers. Manchester United and Rangers met in the 2010–11 Champions League, with the match at Old Trafford

Old Trafford

Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...

 finishing goalless. Roddy Forsyth, writing in the Daily Telegraph, commented that the growing financial disparity between the two leagues was reflected in the below capacity attendance, the defensive tactics used by Rangers, and the weakened team selection by United. The most recent meeting between club sides from the two countries was between Hearts

Heart of Midlothian F.C.

Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...

 and Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

 in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League. Tottenham won 5–0 on aggregate, inflicting a record defeat on Hearts in the first leg.

There have also been a number of other competitions between English and Scottish clubs. Before European competition

UEFA

The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

 started in 1955, the Coronation Cup

Coronation Cup (football)

The Coronation Cup was a one-off football tournament to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, between four English and four Scottish clubs, held in Glasgow in May 1953...

 was staged in 1953, to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Four prominent clubs from each country participated in a knockout tournament, with Celtic and Hibernian

Hibernian F.C.

Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...

 defeating two English clubs each to reach the final, which Celtic won 2–0 at Hampden. A similar competition called the Empire Exhibition Trophy

Empire Exhibition Trophy

The Empire Exhibition Trophy was a football competition held in 1938 in conjunction with the Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938 in Glasgow. It was held to commemorate the Exhibition, then underway in Bellahouston Park, and the prize was a solid silver model of the Tait Tower.Four teams from Scotland...

 was staged in 1938, with Celtic defeating Everton

Everton F.C.

Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 1–0 in the final at Ibrox

Ibrox Stadium

Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...

. In the 1970s, American oil

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

 giant Texaco

Texaco

Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....

 sponsored the Texaco Cup

Texaco Cup

The Texaco Cup was an association football competition involving clubs from England, Ireland and Scotland that had not qualified for European competitions. Irish clubs withdrew from the competition after 1971-72 due to political pressure, and in 1973-74 and 1974-75 competed in a separate Texaco Cup...

, which was a knockout competition for clubs that had failed to qualify for the main European competitions. Interest in the competition soon waned, however, and Texaco withdrew their sponsorship after the 1974–75 season. The competition continued for a few years in the form of the Anglo-Scottish Cup

Anglo-Scottish Cup

The Anglo-Scottish Cup was a tournament arranged for teams in the English and Scottish football leagues during the summer for several years during the 1970s...

, but it was discontinued in 1981.

Players and managers

The rivalry between the two nations have not prevented their respective nationals from playing in each other's domestic leagues, in certain cases to high renown. Historically, the trend has been for Scottish players to play in the richer English league, although many English players have also played in Scotland.

Many great English sides have been built around Scottish players. The double

The Double

The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...

 winning Spurs team of 1961

1960-61 in English football

The 1960–61 season was the 81st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season was a historic one for domestic football in England, as Tottenham Hotspur F.C. became the first club in the twentieth century to "do the Double" by winning both the League and the FA Cup competitions...

 included Bill Brown, Dave Mackay and John White. Denis Law

Denis Law

Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....

 is the second greatest goalscorer in the history of Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

. The great Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 teams of the 1970s and 1980s were built around Kenny Dalglish

Kenny Dalglish

Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...

, Graeme Souness

Graeme Souness

Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...

 and Alan Hansen

Alan Hansen

Alan David Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland...

. Manchester United and Liverpool became the most successful clubs in English football, largely due to the efforts of Scottish managers Matt Busby

Matt Busby

Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...

 and Bill Shankly

Bill Shankly

William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...

, respectively.

In recent times, the flow of Scottish players to major English clubs has dried up, as the Scotland team

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...

 has been less competitive at international level and the English Premier League has attracted stars from all over the world, rather than just from the British Isles

British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...

. In contrast to this dearth of players, Scottish managers

Manager (association football)

In association football, a manager is responsible for running a football club or a national team. The manager of a professional club is responsible directly to the club president. The position of manager is almost exclusively used in British football...

 such as Alex Ferguson

Alex Ferguson

Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...

, Kenny Dalglish

Kenny Dalglish

Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...

 and David Moyes

David Moyes

David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...

 continue to hold top positions with major Premier League clubs. Ferguson claimed in 2010 that he had turned down approaches by the FA

The Football Association

The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...

 to manage England, partly because it would have been a "tremendous handicap" for any Scot to manage England.

There have been fewer notable English players who have played in Scotland. Joe Baker

Joe Baker

Joseph Henry "Joe" Baker was an England international footballer. Born in Liverpool, England, he spent virtually his entire childhood growing up in Motherwell, Scotland...

 was the first player to play for England without having played in the Football League, but his was an isolated example because he played at a time when a player was only allowed to play for the country of his birth. Those rules have subsequently been relaxed and the sons or even grandsons of Scots are now allowed to play for Scotland. This means that some English-born players have played in and for Scotland, including Andy Goram

Andy Goram

Andrew Lewis Goram is a former Scotland international association football goalkeeper. He started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian, but he is best remembered for playing for Rangers during the 1990s, when he earned the moniker "The Goalie"...

 and Stuart McCall

Stuart McCall

Andrew Stuart Murray McCall , usually known as Stuart McCall, is a former footballer who played in central midfield. He played a total of 763 league games during his career, the 13th highest of all British footballers...

.

There was an influx of English players to the Scottish league during the late 1980s after English clubs were banned from European competition due to the Heysel disaster

Heysel Stadium disaster

The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on 29 May 1985 when escaping fans were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, as a result of rioting before the start of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy...

. Prominent England players including Terry Butcher

Terry Butcher

Terence Ian "Terry" Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career...

, Trevor Steven

Trevor Steven

Trevor McGregor Steven is a football talent scout. He was formerly an England footballer who shot to fame with the successful Everton side of the 1980s....

, Gary Stevens

Gary Stevens

Gary Michael Stevens is a retired English footballer who is best remembered playing in defence for a successful Everton side of the 1980s, as well as for the England national football team....

, Chris Woods

Chris Woods

Christopher 'Chris' Charles Eric Woods is a former England international football goalkeeper, who played in the Football League and Premier League for Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City, Sheffield Wednesday, Reading, Southampton and Burnley, in the Scottish Football League for Rangers, and in Major...

 and Mark Hateley

Mark Hateley

Mark Wayne Hateley is a retired English football player who played as a centre-forward. He was capped 32 times for the English national team , and played in top-level football leagues in England, Italy, France and Scotland...

 all moved to Rangers

Rangers F.C.

Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...

. During this time, Rangers had a higher turnover than Manchester United and could therefore offer wages that could compare with even the biggest English clubs.

Since the inception of the Premier League, however, the English clubs have become wealthier than Rangers and Celtic

Celtic F.C.

Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...

. No prominent England player has played in Scotland in recent years, although Chris Sutton

Chris Sutton

Christopher Roy "Chris" Sutton is an English football manager and former player.In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English...

 and Alan Thompson played a significant part in Celtic's run to the 2003 UEFA Cup Final

2003 UEFA Cup Final

The 2003 UEFA Cup Final was played on 21 May 2003 between Celtic of Scotland and Porto of Portugal. Porto won the match 3–2 in extra time thanks to a goal from Derlei...

. Two Englishmen have also managed Celtic since 2000, John Barnes

John Barnes (footballer)

John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE is an English football manager and former player.During his playing career, Barnes had successful periods at Watford and Liverpool in the 1980s and 1990s, winning the First Division twice, the FA Cup twice, and playing for England 79 times...

 and Tony Mowbray

Tony Mowbray

Anthony Mark "Tony" Mowbray is an English former professional football player, who is currently the manager of Middlesbrough...

.

Supporters

The rivalry also manifests itself in the fact that many Scottish people

Scottish people

The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...

 support England's opponents and vice versa, despite the fact that England and Scotland are both countries of the United Kingdom

Countries of the United Kingdom

Countries of the United Kingdom is a term used to describe England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These four countries together form the sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which is also described as a country. The alternative terms, constituent...

. Whether Scots should support England against other national teams is routinely a matter of heated debate. Some Scotland fans sing, “Stand up if you hate England” and, “If you hate the fucking English, clap your hands”, while some English fans reciprocate these sentiments with, “Stand up if you hate Scotland” and, “I’d rather be a Paki than a Jock”. However, the phenomenon of Scots wishing England well in international tournaments is not unknown, with a survey on the eve of the 2002 World Cup

2002 FIFA World Cup

The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

 finding that one Scot in three intended to support England, while only one in six intended to support England’s opponents. A survey before the 2010 World Cup

2010 FIFA World Cup

The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

 found a more even divide, with 24% on each side. The largest group in both surveys did not offer an opinion either way.

External links

• Opponents, England Stats
• National Team Archive, Scottish Football Association
  Scottish Football Association
  The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...