March 8 – England’s First Win | On This Football Day

March 8 – England’s First Win

INTERNATIONAL football produced it’s first set of winners and losers today in 1873, when England and Scotland faced off for the second time following their 0-0 draw three months earlier.

The two old foes met at the Oval in London in front of an excitable crowd of around 3,000 that would repeatedly spill onto the pitch, holding the game up on several occasions.

Scotland were forced into selecting three London-based residents for the game, as the ‘Scottish International Fund’ only stretched to eight return tickets to London. Forward Arthur Kinnaird qualified by being a Perthshire landowner.

The match began at a frantic pace, as both sides adopted a 2-2-6 formation and England scored in the first minute through William Kenyon-Slaney – and yes, before you ask, that’s the very same William Kenyon-Slaney who was MP for Newport Salop all you history buffs.

One of Scotland’s London-based ringers earned his place in the side just a minute later, as Henry Renny-Tailyour of the Royal Engineers equalised. The two teams traded goals through Alexander Bonsor and William Gibb and at the half-time turn-around – just a quick change of ends back in those days – the sides were level at 2-2.

England went on to boss the second half, with the Rt Hon. Kenyon-Slaney scoring his second and England’s third before Charles John Chenery completed a 4-2 victory for the England, who could celebrate their first ever win.

Setting a precedent for their successors in the Three Lions shirt that continues to this day, England dashed their fans’ new-found confidence by failing to win again for six matches. Same old England.

Unfortunately Sky Sports and the like weren’t on hand to film the likes of Pelham G. von Donop and his England team mates in their historical win, but we’ve dug out some superb old footage from what is technically known as the days of yore. Enjoy that, check out what else was going on today here and come back tomorrow if you can’t hack another Monday morning at work.