The
1983 British Home Championship
In
1983, the British Home Championship was entering in its penultimate season.
As
stated in the previous entry on this topic, there was pressure from the
authorities to disband this nearly century old competition due to security
concerns.
England
and Scotland were more receptive to this idea.
The
first match of the 1983 Home Championship was played on February 23rd,
1983, England hosted Wales at Wembley.
This
was the first season of Bobby Robson in charge of England.
On
the day of the match, Manchester United and Arsenal matchup was scheduled for
the League Cup.
As
a result, many eligible England players could not be called up, which included
Captain Bryan Robson, as well as Ray Wilkins, Steve Coppell, Kenny Sansom, Tony
Woodcock and Graham Rix.
The
withdrawals allowed Robson to give first caps to Derek Statham and Gordon
Cowans.
At
the time, the attendance of 24,000 was Wembley’s lowest ever attendance, the
cold weather may have contributed to that and even the ground was frozen.
England
had not defeated Wales in 10 years.
Wales
were near full strength and went ahead in the 14th minute against
the run of the play.
Kevin Ratcliffe crossed into the box, Robbie James flicked it up , Davies got a
touch and Ian Rush pounced on the loose ball.
 |
Photo
From: Official Match Programme,
Wales v Northern Ireland , 1984
(Ian
Rush scoring, February 23, 1983, Home Championship, England 2-Wales 1)
|
England levelled the score in the 39th minute.
Luther Blisset went into the box, and after an entanglement, Alan Devonshirec
took possession and crossed for Butcher, who was unmarked on the right side, to
score his first ever International goal.
The
second half was uneventful and England scored their winner in the 78th
minute, through a penalty kick by Phil Neal, after debutant Cowans was fouled
in the box by Flynn in the box after a one-two with the other debutant Statham.
 |
Photo
From: World Soccer, April 1983
(England squad, top, left to right: Terence Ian Butcher, Alvin Edward Martin, Paul
Mariner, Peter Leslie Shilton, Alan Ernest Devonshire, Bottom, left to right:
Luther Loide Blissett, Samuel Lee,
Derek James Statham, Phillip George Neal, Gary Vincent Mabbutt , Gordon Sidney Cowans, February 23, 1983,
Home Championship, England 2-Wales 1) |
The
next match took place three months later, on May 24, 1983 at Glasgow between
Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Billy
Bingham’s Northern Ireland were in full strength with many of the 1982 World
Cup veterans. The only one missing was Norman Whiteside who missed all these
matches.
Scotland
were missing many regulars due to injuries and club commitments, such as
Aberdeen’s Jim Leighton, Miller, McLeisch, Liverpool’s Dalglish, Hansen and
Souness and Leeds’ Frank Gray.
In
addition, Aberdeen’s Gordon Strachan only appeared after the break.
This
was an experimental Scottish squad with Neil Simpson earning his first cap and
Richard Gough and Charlie Nicholas both earning their second caps.
John
Wark and David Narey were the only usual regulars that Jock Stein started with.
In
an uneventful match, the Scottish were more dominant in the second half, but
could find no way through the Northern Irish defense, despite a penalty appeal
for a foul on Nicholas.
The
third and fourth matches in the series took place on the same day, May 28th,
1983, when Northern Ireland hosted England at Windsor Park and Wales hosted
Scotland at Cardiff,
England
had many of its regulars back and Northern Ireland’s squad was similar to the
one vs. Scotland a few days before.
Bobby
Robson gave first caps to Graham Roberts and John Barnes.
Glenn
Hoddle earned his first start under Robson.
Debutant
Graham Roberts almost scored an own goal when he headed a cross by Armstrong
towards his own goal, but Shilton saved with a quick reflex.
In
general, Northern Ireland dominated without really being able to break through
England’s defense.
In
another scoreless draw for Northern Ireland, Sammy McIllroy and O’Neill were
their best players, while Peter Shilton stood out for England.
 |
Photo
From: Official Match Programme,
Wales v Northern Ireland , 1984
(John McClelland, May 28, 1983, Home
Championship, Northern Ireland 0-England 0) |
In
the other match that day, Scotland earned their first victory in Wales in a
decade.
Scotland
were near full strength and made seven changes from their previous match and
rested Charlie Nicholas.
Wales
gave first caps to Slatter and Lowndes.
Scotland
took the lead in the 11th minute. Gordon Strachan took a corner that
McLeisch headed down towards the goal and Andy Gray turned it in right in front
of the goal.
 |
Photo
From: Official Match Programme,
Scotland v Wales, 1984
(Andy Gray after scoring, May 28, 1983, Home
Championship, Wales 0-Scotland 2) |
Scotland’s
second was scored in the 67th minute. Souness sent a ball into the
box for Gough that Southall was unable to control, Alan Brazil took the loose
ball and scored his first ever goal for Scotland.
On
May 31st, Northern Ireland hosted Wales at Windsor Park.
Wales
gave first caps to Alan Davies and Jeff Hopkins.
Northern
Ireland dominated for long spells and Gerry Armstrong even hit the post in the
5th minute, but just like the previous matches just could not score.
Wales
went ahead in the 64th minute when Southall took a punt that Chris
Nicholl failed to clear and Gordon Davies ran and chipped the ball over
Jennings.
This
result ended Northern Ireland’s four year unbeaten run at home.
The
next day (June 1st) at Wembley: England hosted Scotland for their
101st meeting. The match was played in the evening at midweek to
reduce any incidents of hooliganism.
Both
squads were at full strength for this important annual matchup.
Scotland
dominated the early exchanges, though England eventually took control.
England
captain Bryan Robson was injured in an early tackle by Narey. Despite the pain
he still stayed on.
In
the 13th minute, Robson gave England the lead while still in pain.
Kenny
Sansom’s throw in was headed on by Terry Butcher and tapped in by Robson.
Robson
was replaced in the 25th minute by Mabbut, as he was unable to
continue.
England
scored the second early in the second half, after a Trevor Francis cross from
the right, led to a scramble that involved Neal and Cowans. Cowans shot the
loose ball and scored his first goal for England.
 |
Photo
From: Official Match Programme,
Scotland v England, 1984
(Phil Neal and Gordon Strachan, June 1, 1983,
Home Championship, England 2-Scotland 0) |
Trevor
Francis and Sammy Lee both had goals disallowed for infringements.
For
Scotland, Charlie Nicholas was subbed off after an indifferent game. Many observers
believed that his upcoming transfer from Celtic Glasgow to Arsenal was on his
mind and he was unable to concentrate on the match at hand.
This
was the last ever Home Championship won by England.
Home
Championship Squads
England:
Players
who took part in the matches:
Goalkeepers:
Peter
Leslie Shilton (Southampton
Football Club)
Raymond Neal Clemence
(Tottenham Hotspur Football Club-London) (non-playing substitute)
Defenders:
Phillip
George Neal (Liverpool
Football Club)
Derek James Statham (West Bromwich Albion Football Club)
Graham Paul Roberts (Tottenham Hotspur Football Club-London)
Terence Ian Butcher (Ipswich Town Football Club)
Derek James Statham (West Bromwich Albion Football Club)
Graham Paul Roberts (Tottenham Hotspur Football Club-London)
Terence Ian Butcher (Ipswich Town Football Club)
Alvin
Edward Martin (West
Ham United Football Club-London)
Kenneth
Graham Sansom (Arsenal
Football Club-London)
Russel
Charles Osman (Ipswich Town Football Club) (non-playing substitute)
Midfielders
/ Forwards:
Samuel
Lee (Liverpool
Football Club)
Gary
Vincent Mabbutt (Tottenham Hotspur Football
Club-London)
Gordon
Sidney Cowans (Aston Villa Football Club-Birmingham)
Glenn
Hoddle (Tottenham
Hotspur Football Club-London)
Bryan Robson (Manchester United Football Club)
John Charles Bryan Barnes (Watford Football Club)
Trevor John Francis (Unione Calcio Sampdoria –Genova / Italy)
Bryan Robson (Manchester United Football Club)
John Charles Bryan Barnes (Watford Football Club)
Trevor John Francis (Unione Calcio Sampdoria –Genova / Italy)
Peter
Withe (Aston
Villa Football Club-Birmingham)
Paul
Mariner (Ipswich
Town Football Club)
Luther
Loide Blissett (Associazione
Calcio Milan / Italy)
Alan
Ernest Devonshire (West Ham United Football Club-London)
Paul
Anthony Walsh (Luton
Town Football Club) (non-playing substitute)
Coach:
Robert William Robson
Scotland:
Players
who took part in the matches:
Goalkeepers:
James Leighton (Aberdeen Football Club
Limited)
William
Thomson (Saint-Mirren
Football Club-Paisley)
Defenders:
Alistair
Dawson (Rangers Football Club- Glasgow)
Charles
‘Richard’ Gough (Dundee United Football Club)
Paul
Anthony Hegarty (Dundee United Football
Club)
David
Narey (Dundee United Football Club)
Francis
Tierney Gray (Leeds United Association Football Club / England)
Alexander
McLeish (Aberdeen Football Club Limited)
William
Fergus Miller (Aberdeen Football Club Limited)
Midfielders
/ Forwards:
Graeme
James Souness (Liverpool Football Club
/ England)
Gordon
David Strachan (Aberdeen Football Club Limited)
Neil
Simpson (Aberdeen Football Club Limited)
John
Wark (Ipswich Town Football Club / England)
Eamonn
John Bannon (Dundee United Football Club)
Andrew
Mullen Gray (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Thomas
Burns (The Celtic Football Club-Glasgow)
Charles
Nicholas (The Celtic Football Club-Glasgow)
Alan
Bernard Brazil (Ipswich Town Football Club / England)
Coach:
John ‘Jock’ Stein
Northern
Ireland:
Players
who took part in the matches:
Goalkeepers:
Patrick
Anthony Jennings (Arsenal Football Club-London / England)
James
Archibald Platt (Middlesbrough Football Club / England) (non-playing
substitute)
Defenders:
James
Michael Nicholl (Toronto Blizzard / Canada)
Malachy
Martin Donaghy (Luton Town Football Club / England)
Christopher
John Nicholl (Southampton Football Club / England)
John
McClelland (Rangers Football Club-Glasgow / Scotland)
Nigel
Worthington (Notts
County Football
Club-Nottingham / England) (non-playing substitute)
James
Hagan (Birmingham City Football Club / England) (non-playing substitute)
Midfielders
/ Forwards:
Gerald
Mullan (Glentoran Football Club-Belfast)
Noel
Brotherston (Blackburn Rovers Football Club / England)
James
Cleary (Glentoran Football Club-Belfast)
John
Patrick O'Neill (Leicester City Football Club / England)
Samuel
Baxter McIlroy (Stoke City Football Club / England)
William
Robert Hamilton (Burnley Football Club / England)
Ian
Edwin Stewart (Queens Park Rangers Football Club-London / England)
Martin
Hugh Michael O'Neill (Norwich City
Football Club / England)
Gerard
Joseph Armstrong (Watford Football Club / England)
Coach:
William Laurence Bingham
Wales:
Players
who took part in the matches:
Goalkeepers:
Neville
Southall (Everton
Football Club-Liverpool / England)
David
Felgate (Lincoln City Football Club / England) (non-playing substitute)
Defenders:
Jeffrey
Hopkins (Fulham Football
Club-London / England)
George
Frederick Berry (Stoke City Football Club / England)
Joseph
Patrick Jones (Chelsea Football Club-London / England)
Kevin
Ratcliffe (Everton
Football Club-Liverpool / England)
Robert
Mark James (Swansea City Football Club / Wales, registered in English League)
Paul
Terence Price (Tottenham Hotspur Football Club-London / England)
Neil
John Slatter (Bristol Rovers Football Club / England)
Stephen
Lowndes (Newport County Football Club / England)
Midfielders
/ Forwards:
Jeremy
Melvyn Charles (Swansea City Football Club / Wales, registered in English League)
John
Francis Mahoney (Swansea
City Football Club / Wales, registered in
English League)
Leighton
James (Sunderland
Association Football Club / England)
Kenneth Francis Jackett (Watford Football Club / England)
Brian
Flynn (Burnley Football
Club / England)
Michael
Reginald ‘Mickey’ Thomas (Stoke City Football Club / England)
David
Charles Giles (Crystal Palace Football Club-London / England)
Ian
James Rush (Liverpool Football Club / England)
Gordon
John Davies (Fulham Football Club-London / England)
Alan
Davies (Manchester United Football Club / England)
Nigel
Mark Vaughan (Newport County Football Club / England) (non-playing substitute)
Dudley
Lewis (Swansea City Football Club / Wales, registered in
English League) (non-playing substitute)
Peter
Nicholas (Arsenal Football
Club-London / England)
Coach: Harold Michael England
1983
Home Championship Matches:
February
23, 1983- London - Wembley Stadium
Referee: Robert Valentine (Scotland)
England 2-Wales 1 (Terry Butcher 39, Phil Neal 78 pen / Ian Rush
14)
England: 1- Peter Shilton (captain), 2- Phil Neal, 3- Derek Statham, 5- Alvin Martin, 6-
Terry Butcher, 4- Sammy Lee, 7- Gary Mabbutt, 8- Luther Blissett, 9- Paul Mariner, 10- Gordon Cowans, 11- Alan
Devonshire
Ian Rush, Mickey Thomas, John Mahoney (Leighton James 80th )
May
24, 1983- Glasgow - Hampden Park
Referee: Keith Hackett (England)
Scotland 0-Northern Ireland 0
Scotland: 1- William Thomson, 2-Alistair Dawson, 3- Richard
Gough, 4-Neil Simpson (Gordon Strachan 65th ), 5-Paul Hegarty
(captain), 6-David Narey, 7-John Wark, 8-Eamonn Bannon, 9-Andy Gray, 10-Tommy
Burns, 11- Charlie Nicholas
May
28, 1983- Belfast -Windsor Park
Referee: Howard King (Wales)
Northern Ireland 0 -England 0
Northern Ireland: 1-Pat Jennings, 2-Jimmy Nicholl, 3-Mal
Donaghy, 4-Chris Nicholl , 5-John McClelland, 6-Martin O'Neill , 7-Gerald
Mullan (15-Noel Brotherston 77th), 8-Sammy McIlroy, 9-Gerry Armstrong, 10-Billy
Hamilton, 11-Ian Stewart
Other
Subs: 12-Jim Platt, 13-James Hagan, 14-Nigel Worthington, 16- James Cleary
England: 1-Peter Shilton (captain), 2- Phil Neal, 3- Kenny Sansom, 5-Graham Roberts,
6- Terry Butcher, 4- Glenn Hoddle, 7- Gary Mabbutt, 8- Trevor Francis, 9- Peter Withe, 10- Luther Blissett
(16-John Barnes 69th ), 11- Gordon Cowans
Other Subs: 12-Russel Osman , 13-Ray Clemence,
14-Sammy Lee,15-Paul Walsh
May
28, 1983- Cardiff-Ninian Park
Referee: Malcolm Moffat (Northern Ireland)
Wales 0-Scotland 2 (Andy Gray 11, Alan Brazil 67)
Wales: Neville Southall,
Joey Jones, Neil Slatter, Brian Flynn (Stephen Lowndes 58th
), Paul Price, Kevin Ratcliffe, Peter
Nicholas, Kenny Jackett, Jeremy Charles,
Mickey Thomas, Gordon Davies
Scotland: 1- Jim Leighton, 2- Richard Gough, 3- Frank Gray,
4-David Narey, 5- Alex McLeish, 6-
Willie Miller, 7- Gordon Strachan, 8- Eamonn Bannon,
9-Andy Gray, 10-Alan Brazil, 11- Graeme Souness
(captain)
May
31, 1983- Belfast -Windsor Park
Referee: Hugh Alexander (Scotland)
Northern Ireland 0-Wales 1 (Gordon Davies 64)
Northern Ireland : Pat Jennings, Jimmy Nicholl, Mal Donaghy, Chris Nicholl, John
McClelland, Sammy McIlroy (captain), Gerald Mullan, Noel Brotherston, Gerry
Armstrong, Billy Hamilton, Ian Stewart (James Cleary 85th )
Other
Subs: Jim Platt, James Hagan,
Nigel Worthington, John Patrick O'Neill
Wales: Neville Southall,
Jeffrey Hopkins, Kevin Ratcliffe, Joey Jones, Brian Flynn, Paul Price
(David Giles 72nd ), Peter Nicholas, Gordon
Davies, Jeremy Charles, Mickey Thomas, Alan Davies
Other Subs: David
Felgate, Kenny
Jackett, Nigel Vaughan, Dudley Lewis
June
1, 1983- London - Wembley Stadium
Referee: Erik Fredriksson (Sweden)
England 2-Scotland 0 (Bryan Robson 12, Gordon
Cowans 52)
England : 1-Peter Shilton, 2- Phil Neal, 3- Kenny Sansom, 5- Graham Roberts, 6- Terry Butcher, 4-
Sammy Lee, 7- Bryan Robson (captain) (14-Gary
Mabbutt 25th), 8- Trevor Francis, 9- Peter Withe (15-Luther Blissett 46th ), 10-
Glenn Hoddle, 11- Gordon Cowans
Other
Subs: 12-Russel Osman , 13-Ray Clemence, 16-John Barnes
Scotland: 1- Jim
Leighton, 2- Richard Gough, 3- Frank Gray, 4-David Narey, 5- Alex McLeish, 6- Willie Miller, 7- Gordon Strachan, 8-
Graeme Souness (captain), 9-Andy Gray, 10-Charlie Nicholas (15-John Wark 67th
), 11- Eamonn Bannon (14-Alan Brazil 53rd )
Other Subs: 12- William Thomson, 13- Paul Anthony Hegarty, 16- Thomas Burns
Other Subs: 12- William Thomson, 13- Paul Anthony Hegarty, 16- Thomas Burns
Final
table P W
D L GF GA GD
Pts
1-
England 3 2
1 0 4
1 +3 5
2-
Scotland 3 1 1
1 2 2 0 3
3-
Northern Ireland 3 0
2 1 0 1 –1
2
4-Wales
3
1 0 2 2 4
–2 2
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