1958 British Home Championship

The 1958 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1957/58 season. The competition was marred by the Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958, when an aircraft carrying the Manchester United football team home from a European Cup match in Belgrade crashed at the Munich-Riem airport on take-off. Eight players and fifteen other people, including an array of senior coaches, officials and sports journalists were killed and another nineteen seriously injured. Three of the dead, Roger Byrne, Tommy Taylor and Duncan Edwards were experienced England team members whilst Jackie Blanchflower, a Northern Ireland international, was left permanently disabled. Several other international footballers were also injured more or less severely. This tragedy rather subdued the tournament culmination two months later, although the England team did secure a cathartic 4-0 victory in Glasgow over the Scots with one of the goals coming from Bobby Charlton, who had been badly injured in the Munich crash.

The tournament itself was shared by England and Northern Ireland after weak performances by Scotland and Wales in their games. Whilst Scotland and Northern Ireland played out a 1-1 draw in their opener, England began well, beating the Welsh 4-0 in Cardiff. The second round of matches however changed the tournament's direction as Northern Ireland beat England in London in a surprising overturn of form. The match was very close, the Irish only winning 3-2, one of the English goals coming from Duncan Edwards. Scotland and Wales meanwhile were both unable to take advantage of England's discomfort, drawing 1-1. Before the final matches, the season was permanently disfigured by the Munich disaster. Wales and Northern Ireland again struggled to a 1-1 draw, denying the Irish a rare undisputed title whilst England, with a team containing several young and inexperienced players, achieved an impressive 4-0 victory over the Scots in Glasgow to take their share of the tournament.

The competition was also intended to have been a good indicator of form going into the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, which all four Home Nations had reached through separate qualifying groups. The disaster however made the tournament a poor indicator and so it proved, England and Scotland unable to progress from the group stage, England still suffering from the loss of so many key players. Wales and Northern Ireland progressed from their groups in impressive form but were unable to sustain their momentum, Wales going down to a Pelé goal in a hard fought match to eventual winners Brazil, whilst the Irish lost 4-0 to the France of Just Fontaine.

Table

The points system worked as follows:
* 2 points for a win
* 1 point for a draw

Results

footballbox
date = 19 October 1957
team1 = fb-rt|Wales
score = 0–4
team2 = fb|England
goals1 =
goals2 = Johnny Haynes 2, Tom Finney, "Own Goal"
stadium = Ninian Park, Cardiff----footballbox
date = 5 October 1957
team1 = fb-rt|Northern Ireland
score = 1–1
team2 = fb|Scotland
goals1 = Billy Bingham
goals2 = Graham Leggat
stadium = Windsor Park, Belfast----footballbox
date = 13 November 1957
team1 = fb-rt|Scotland
score = 1–1
team2 = fb|Wales
goals1 = Bobby Collins
goals2 = Terry Medwin
stadium = Hampden Park, Glasgow----footballbox
date = 6 November 1957
team1 = fb-rt|England
score = 2–3
team2 = fb|Northern Ireland
goals1 = Alan A'Court, Duncan Edwards
goals2 = Jimmy McIlroy, Billy Simpson, Sammy McCrory
stadium = Wembley Stadium, London----footballbox
date = 16 April 1958
team1 = fb-rt|Wales
score = 1–1
team2 = fb|Northern Ireland
goals1 = Ron Hewitt
goals2 = Billy Simpson
stadium = Ninian Park, Cardiff----footballbox
date = 19 April 1958
team1 = fb-rt|Scotland
score = 0–4
team2 = fb|England
goals1 =
goals2 = Derek Kevan 2, Bobby Charlton, Bryan Douglas
stadium = Hampden Park, Glasgow

References

*cite book
author= Guy Oliver| title=The Guinness Record of World Soccer
date=1992
publisher=Guinness
id=ISBN 0-851129-54-4