April 12 – England’s New (Old) Home

DO we still have to call it ‘the new Wembley Stadium’? Commentators still don’t seem sure, although Motson will doubtless be calling it that until he hangs up his microphone.

But it does still feel like ‘the new’ Wembley in a way, and that’s possibly because it still hasn’t been the scene of a really historic or fateful match. Despite having been open for two years now you do get the sense we will all be calling it ‘the new Wembley’ until it hosts at least one defining match that can start giving it some history.

Today in 1924 its predecessor, the old or original Wembley Stadium began its relationship with the national side, hosting an England game for the very first time.

It had opened the previous year and famously hosted the White Horse FA Cup final of 1923 so it already had a feel of importance about it.

And now England were coming to make it their home. The visitors were the auld enemy, Scotland, recreating the oldest international fixture in the world, and wouldn’t you know it, it was the Scots that scored first. Typical England.

Well, it was just about the Scots who scored first, although there is some debate as to whether the goal would have been given to Willie Cowan who put them ahead after 40 minutes played, had the goal occurred today.

Just to prove England goalkeeping howlers at Wembley are nothing new, it was a gaffe from the England number one Teddy Taylor that helped the Scots on their way. Cowan’s shot hit the post and then rebounded off the back of Taylor and rolled into the net. Obviously Taylor did not want to be the first England player to score an oggy at Wembley so was happy for Cowan to claim it.

In the second half England hit back through Aston Villa striker Billy Walker. The striker who once scored nine goals in 40 minutes in 1915, leveled the match with a precise left-footed shot just before the hour.

And that was how it stayed: a draw, just as the first match between these two sides had been 50 years earlier.

Four years later the Scots returned to Wembley and trounced England 5-1 in a match still talked about in reverential tones in Scotland today. Have a look at some great archive footage of that below, and click here to see which provincial club from the north of England really do claim to be the first ever world champions of football.