England 8-0 Scotland (partially found footage of international football match; 1973)

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England8-019731.jpg

Programme for the match.

Status: Partially Found

On 23rd June 1973, England hosted Scotland for a friendly international football match. It occurred in front of around 1,310 at Manor Park and saw the hosts thrash the Auld Enemy 8-0. It also became the first "official" women's international game to be hosted in England.

Background

The actual first women's international match in England occurred over 90 years beforehand.[1][2] On 21st May 1881, a match between England and Scotland occurred at the Hole-i'th-Wall,[3] the ground of Blackburn Olympic.[1] It saw "England", who may have exclusively consisted of Glasgow women based on the Blackburn Standard's account, defeat Scotland 1-0, marking the first time an England women's side won a match.[1] Ultimately, this early history is ignored by FIFA and the English and Scottish Football Associations (FAs), not least due to the FAs' ban on women playing on Football League grounds in 1921.[4][5][2] The English FA along with other European nations recognised and incorporated women's football into their structures by 1971.[6][7] The Women's Football Association (WFA) subsequently became the England women's football's governing body on behalf of the FA.[7] However, the SFA failed to recognise the sport until 1974.[6][4][7] Nevertheless, the WFA worked alongside the Scottish Women's Football Association (SWFA) to host the first official women's match held in the United Kingdom.[4] It occurred on Scottish soil on 18th November 1972 and saw England win 3-2.[8][9][4][6][7]

Considering the success of that game, the WFA soon focused on hosting a match in an English stadium.[10] However, just because the FA lifted its Football League ban did not necessarily mean one was obtainable.[10] Indeed, when it came time to host the inaugural WFA Cup Final, no Football League clubs were willing to lease their grounds.[11] It would not be until the 1982 edition that this barrier was eliminated.[12] Hence, the WFA turned to non-league grounds, eventually agreeing to a deal with Nuneaton Borough that granted them access to Manor Park.[10][9] At that time, Nuneaton had completed a mid-table Southern League campaign by April and had no plans for any friendly games in June.[13][10]

A few months before the game, England was still managed by Eric Worthington.[14][10] As with his approach to the inaugural Scotland match,[15] Worthington opted to conduct an inter-league competition to provide a shortlist of 14 candidates.[10] Additionally, an away trip to France was booked for 22nd April 1973.[8][9] The 14 candidates competed against the original England side on 20th May 1973 at Eastwood Town's Coronation Park.[10] Those selected received a letter from Secretary Patricia Gregory the day before.[16] With this, Margaret Miks, Lesley Stirling and Sue Lopez (who had suffered an injury in 1972) all were promoted into the squad, while Sandra Graham and Jean Wilson were dropped.[17] Additionally, Wendy Owen was promoted to the starting eleven while Sylvia Gore became an unused substitute.[17][10] Two months before the international match, Southampton achieved glory at the 1973 WFA Cup Final.[18] Naturally, several Lionesses were Southampton representatives, including Sue Buckett, Morag "Maggie" Kirkland, Lynda Hale, Pat Davies and Lopez.[18][10]

But just as the Lionesses appeared ready for France and Scotland, Worthington decided to accept an offer to become Australia's National Director of Coaching.[14][10] At short notice, the FA fielded John Adams as the replacement manager.[19][10] At the time, he was the Regional Coach for the North, where he alongside other regional coaches was instructed to encourage greater adoption of coaching methods for the men's game, in a period where it was looked down upon.[19] When informed he would become the Lioness manager, Adams was understandably reluctant, especially considering women's football's reputation back then.[19] He nevertheless agreed to provide caretaker duties for the upcoming two games.[19][10] His inaugural meeting with the Lionesses considerably altered his mindset, especially as the capable women applied his lessons into practice.[19] He mainly emphasised set pieces, fitness and consumption of energy drinks to boost the Lionesses' overall performances.[19][10] This culminated with England handily beating France 3-0 thanks to set play goals from Davies and Eileen Foreman.[8][9][10][19]

The Lionesses also heavily praised Adams' hard coaching and there seemed to be optimism within the squad.[10] The opposite was true for the Scotland set-up, which was poorly conducted because of the SWFA's financial limitations and the SFA's Willie Allan refusing to provide any support.[10] One redeeming factor was that some players were a part of the Westthorn United team, who were edged out by Southampton for that year's WFA Cup.[18] Among representatives included Gerry Chalmers, Mary Anderson, Rose Reilly, Edna Neillis, and Margaret McAuley.[18][10] The side experienced several changes compared to the 1972 line-up, with Janie Houghton, Jean Hunter, Marian Mount, Sandra Walker being among those dropped in favour of Chalmers, Margaret Wilson, Susan Ferries and Shelia Begbie.[17][10] Interestingly, it remains unclear whether Scotland even had a manager heading into the game.[10] In the 1972 match, Rab Stewart took charge.[20][10] However, analysis of the match programme by Women's Football Archive found no confirmation of any coach.[10] The most likely candidate was Elsie Cook, a substitute who did manage Scotland a few years later.[21][10] However, poor preservation of SWFA documents will make confirmation difficult to achieve.[22][10]

The Match

The encounter occurred on 23rd June 1973 at Manor Park, with 1,310 reportedly in attendance.[10][9][8] Three days prior, England finished up their final training sessions at the Lea Green Sports Centre.[16] It is also known Associated Press cameras were present at the game.[23] They also opted for a 4-3-3 formation, to control possession and maximise attacking opportunities.[24][10] Amidst summer conditions, Scotland began as the stronger side, with chances by Reilly and Linda Kidd narrowly denied by Buckett.[10] However, the hosts quickly took control, courtesy of Davies.[10] Davies initially set up Pat Firth to allow the Lionesses to open the scoreline after 25 minutes, before doubling her side's lead via a 20-yard lob in the 31st minute.[23][10][9][8] Scotland captain Anderson suffered an injury in the 40th minute, where she was replaced by Ann Morrison.[10]

Ultimately, due to the lack of available footage and detailed match reports, England's subsequent goals cannot be described in much detail.[23][10] However, Women's Football Archive was able to deduce when each subsequent goal emerged. After 47 minutes, Firth made it 3-0; McGroarty made it 4-0 just five minutes later after converting a penalty. Firth only needed an extra minute to make it 5-0 and secure the first official England Lionesses hat-trick. Davies and McGroarty both converted their second goals in the 63rd and 70th minutes respectively. Firth, alongside Buckett and Janet Bagguley were all substituted, in favour of Elieen Foreman, Sue Whyatt and Julia Manning respectively. Foreman subsequently provided England's eighth and final goal.[10][9][8] According to Adam, six of his team's strikes occurred through set play.[19] Post-match, England lifted the Eric Worthington Cup.[25] It was titled as such because Worthington felt guilty over abruptly leaving the Lionesses and decided to provide a trophy that the sides would battle over, in the same vein as rugby union's Calcutta Cup.[25][14]

Following this accomplishment, Adams departed the England team, later working for Rotherham and Southend.[19] Ultimately, while he and Director of Coaching Allen Wade were impressed with the Lionesses' performances, he was disappointed with the WFA's rather amateur nature.[19][10] England's next game was a 5-1 victory over Northern Ireland on 7th September 1973, with Tommy Tranter having taken charge.[9][8] Meanwhile, Scotland's next official games were two losses to Italy in September 1974; in March that same year, they had thrashed a Republic of Ireland side 10-1 in an unofficial League XI match.[10] The next Eric Worthington Cup game occurred on 23rd May 1976 as part of the Pony Home International Championship, where England won 5-1.[9][8] Scotland's first win over the Auld Enemy commenced in their subsequent clash on 29th May 1977, where they won at home 2-1.[9][8] This, and a 2-0 Cyprus Cup win in 2011,[26] remain Scotland's only two victories in 28 Lioness matches as of the 2023 UEFA Nations League.[27]

Availability

Despite the historic nature of being the first "official" international women's match held in England, very little footage of the game has publicly re-emerged, especially when compared to the 1972 encounter. The only footage that is publicly available is a brief one-minute edited Associated Press clip, which contains fans walking to Manor Park, the team's entering the pitch, kick-off, and England's first two goals.[23] It also is unclear whether the BBC and ITN ever made television reports for this notable clash.

Gallery

Videos

Associated Press footage of the match.

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Donmouth detailing the oldest international women's matches in Britain. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The FA detailing the early history of women's football and its Football League grounds ban in 1921. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  3. ↑ Steve's Footie Stats detailing notable matches at Hole-i'th-Wall. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 FIFA detailing what it considers the first official women's international match on British soil. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  5. ↑ The Guardian detailing the FA banning women from playing on Football League grounds in 1921. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Women, Football and Europe: Histories, Equity and Experiences detailing UEFA's proposal of having FAs officially control women's football, SFA's strong opposition of it, and the creation of the first official "Auld Enemy" match (p.g. 15-18). Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 BBC Sport summarising the struggle over women's football's survival following the European-wide bans, and how great steps towards recognition were achieved in spite of the SFA. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 History of the Women's Football Association detailing England's results from 1972 to November 1992. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 England Football Online detailing England's results up to May 1990 and claiming the 23rd June 1973 game drew 1,308. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  10. ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 10.16 10.17 10.18 10.19 10.20 10.21 10.22 10.23 10.24 10.25 10.26 10.27 10.28 10.29 10.30 10.31 10.32 Women's Football Archive provided a detailed match report and documenting the prelude. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  11. ↑ A History of the Women's FA Cup Final detailing the 1971 WFA Cup Final and how no Football League clubs lent their grounds for the game (p.g. 33-37. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  12. ↑ Women's Football Archive detailing the 1982 WFA Cup Final and noting it was the first hosted on a Football League ground. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  13. ↑ From Town to Town detailing Nuneaton Borough's 1972-73 campaign and how Manor Park was available for the women's international match (p.g. 125-128). Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Hornet Heaven detailing the career of Eric Worthington and him abruptly leaving the Lionesses for Australia. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  15. ↑ History of the Women's Football Association detailing the inter-league competitions used for England's early selection processes. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Brighton & Hove Museums providing Julia Manning's selection letter confirming the England squad for 1973/74 and a training session held two days before the match. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 She Kicks detailing the original squads of 1972. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 A History of the Women's FA Cup Final detailing the 1973 WFA Cup Final (p.g. 41-43). Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 19.8 19.9 History of the Women's Football Association where Adams discussed his brief time as England manager. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  20. ↑ Greenock Telegraph noting Stewart was Scotland manager for 1972. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  21. ↑ Kilmarnock summarising the career of Elsie Cook. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  22. ↑ Inside the Games noting the issues surrounding SWFA documentation. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Associated Press footage of the match. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  24. ↑ The Coaches' Voice detailing the 4-3-3 formation. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Women's Football Archive detailing the history of the Eric Worthington Cup. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  26. ↑ BBC Sport reporting on Scotland's 2-0 victory over England in the 2011 Cyprus Cup. Retrieved 31st Dec '23
  27. ↑ Archived England Football summarising the head to head record between the two teams (England's victories have since extended to 25 following the 2023 UEFA Nations League). Retrieved 31st Dec '23
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