1903–04 British Home Championship

The 1903–04 British Home Championship football tournament was a low-scoring affair, won by a powerful England side who were followed by the unfancied Irish in second place. The tournament was played during the second half of the British domestic season and was, for the time, low-scoring.

1903–04 British Home Championship
Tournament details
Host countryEngland, Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Dates29 February – 9 April 1904
Teams4
Final positions
Champions England (12th title)
Runners-up Ireland
Tournament statistics
Matches played6
Goals scored14 (2.33 per match)
Top scorer(s)England Joseph Bache
EnglandGeorge Davis (2 goals)

England began well, with a hard-fought draw with Wales and a 3–1 victory over Ireland in their opening games. Scotland were unable to match this success, only managing draws against both sides. The Irish recovered from their early loss in their draw with Scotland and managed to beat the Welsh 1–0 in Bangor to claim second place. In the final game, England and Scotland played out a close encounter which England won 1–0 thanks to a goal by Steve Bloomer.

This was the first time in tournament history that either England or Scotland finished below second place.

Table

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Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  England (C) 3 2 1 0 6 3 +3 5
  Ireland 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 3
  Scotland 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
  Wales 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2
Source: [1]
Rules for classification: 1) points. The points system worked as follows: 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
(C) Champions

Results

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Wales  2–2  England
Watkins   15'
Davies   75'
Davis   68'
Bache   77'
Attendance: 9,000
Referee: Tom Robertson (Scotland)

Ireland  1–3  England
Kirwan   49' Common   16'
Bache   14'
Davis   65'
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: Tom Robertson (Scotland)

Scotland  1–1  Wales
Walker   5' Atherton   65'
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Frederick Thomas Kirkham (England)

Wales  0–1  Ireland
  McCracken   77' (pen.)
Penrhyn Park, Bangor
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Frederick Thomas Kirkham (England)

Ireland  1–1  Scotland
Sheridan   70' RC Hamilton   22'
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Frederick Thomas Kirkham (England)

Scotland  0–1  England
  Bloomer   64'
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: William Nunnerley (Wales)

Winning squad

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Name Apps/Goals by opponent Total
 
WAL[2]
 
IRE[3]
 
SCO[4]
Apps Goals
Tom Baddeley 1 1 1 3 0
Herbert Burgess 1 1 1 3 0
Bob Crompton 1 1 1 3 0
Joseph Bache 1/1 1/1 2 2
Alf Common 1 1/2 2 2
George Davis 1/1 1 2 1
Alex Leake 1 1 2 0
Vivian Woodward 1 1 2 0
William Brawn 1 1 2 0
Tommy Crawshaw 1 1 2 0
Herod Ruddlesdin 1 1 2 0
Steve Bloomer 1/1 1 1
Fred Blackburn 1 1 0
Stanley Harris 1 1 0
Jock Rutherford 1 1 0
Sam Wolstenholme 1 1 0
Bernard Wilkinson 1 1 0
Arthur Brown 1 1 0
Bert Lee 1 1 0

References

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  1. ^ "British Championship 1904". EU Football. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  2. ^ Monday, 29 February 1904 | Wales 2 England 2, England Football Online
  3. ^ Saturday, 12 March 1904 | Ireland 1 England 3, England Football Online
  4. ^ Saturday, 9 April 1904 | Scotland 0 England 1, England Football Online
  • Guy Oliver (1992). The Guinness Record of World Soccer. Guinness. ISBN 0-85112-954-4.