| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales |
| Dates | 14 February – 4 April 1903 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  England Scotland Ireland (shared) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Goals scored | 15 (2.5 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Vivian Woodward (4 goals) |
The 1902–03 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. In addition to the usual favourites of England and Scotland, Ireland also took their first ever share of the championship, after scoring their first ever victory over the Scots with a 2–0 win in Glasgow and subsequently beating Wales. The tournament was played under the shadow of the previous year's finale, when a wooden stand at Ibrox Stadium had given way under the mass of supporters and 26 people had fallen to their deaths.
Ireland and England began the competition, with the English scoring four without reply to take an early lead. England extended their advantage in the second match with a 2–1 victory over Wales and seemed to be on course for the championship. Scotland began their challenge against Wales in a match they narrowly won before stumbling against Ireland in a match the Irish dominated in front of the Scottish home support. Just two years previously at the same stadium, Scotland had beaten Ireland 11–0 in what is still their record win. On the back of this result, Ireland beat Wales 2–0 ending a miserable tournament for the Welsh who had scored only one goal and failed to gain a single point. In the final match between England and Scotland, Scotland needed a win to draw level with Ireland and England whilst England needed only a draw to take the championship outright. In a tough match in Sheffield both sides played well, but Scotland eventually won 2–1 taking their share of the title.
Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England (C) |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 4 |
| Ireland (C) |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Scotland (C) |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Wales |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points. The points system worked as follows: 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
(C) Co-champions
Results
Winning squads
| Name | Apps/Goals by opponent | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 WAL[2] |
IRE[3] |
SCO[4] |
Apps | Goals | |
| Vivian Woodward | 1/1 | 1/2 | 1/1 | 3 | 4 |
| Harry Davis | 1 | 1/1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Harry Johnson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| George Molyneux | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Tom Baddeley | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Bob Crompton | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Albert Houlker | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Joseph Bache | 1/1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Jack Sharp | 1/1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Tom Booth | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Percy Humphreys | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Arthur Capes | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Jack Cox | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Rex Corbett | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Frank Forman | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| William Garraty | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| J. W. Sutcliffe | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Harry Hadley | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Tom Holford | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Arthur Lockett | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Jimmy Settle | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Howard Spencer | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Name | Apps/Goals by opponent | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WAL[5] |
SCO[6] |
ENG[7] |
Apps | Goals | |
| Jack Kirwan | 1 | 1/1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| James Sheridan | 1/1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Johnny Darling | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Billy Scott | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Archie Goodall | 1/1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Joe Connor | 1 | 1/1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Jimmy Maxwell | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Bob Milne | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Peter Boyle | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Alec McCartney | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Hughie Maginnis | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Johnnie Mercer | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| James Campbell | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Billy McCracken | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| George McMillan | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Harold Sloan | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Tom Shanks | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Name | Apps/Goals by opponent | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WAL[8] |
IRE[9] |
ENG[10] |
Apps | Goals | |
| Finlay Speedie | 1/1 | 1 | 1/1 | 3 | 2 |
| Bobby Walker | 1 | 1 | 1/1 | 3 | 1 |
| Alex Smith | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Andy Aitken | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Andy McCombie | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Alex Raisbeck | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Harry Rennie | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Jackie Robertson | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Bobby Templeton | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Jimmy Watson | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Ned Doig | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Bob Hamilton | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| John Cross | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Jock Drummond | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Archie Gray | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| David Lindsay | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Willie Orr | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Willie Porteous | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Peter Robertson | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| John Campbell | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
References
- ↑ "England v Ireland". EU Football. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ↑ Monday, 2 March 1903 | England 2 Wales 1, England Football Online
- ↑ Saturday, 14 February 1903 | England 4 Ireland 0, England Football Online
- ↑ Saturday, 7 April 1888 | Ireland 1 England 5, England Football Online
- ↑ Ireland v Wales, 28 March 1903, EU-Football.info
- ↑ Scotland v Ireland, 21 March 1903, EU-Football.info
- ↑ England v Ireland, 14 February 1903, EU-Football.info
- ↑ Mon 09 Mar 1903 Wales 0 Scotland 1, London Hearts Supporters Club
- ↑ Sat 21 Mar 1903 Scotland 0 Ireland 2, London Hearts Supporters Club
- ↑ Sat 04 Apr 1903 England 1 Scotland 2, London Hearts Supporters Club
- Guy Oliver (1992). The Guinness Record of World Soccer. Guinness. ISBN 0-85112-954-4.
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