Wales 1-1 England (partially found footage of international football match; 1951)
On 20th October 1951, Wales hosted England for a British Home Championship match. Occurring in front of 51,500 at the Ninian Park, the encounter ended in a 1-1 draw, meaning Wales avoided a defeat against the visitors for the first time since the Second World War. It also marked one of the earliest instances of a football match being televised from Wales.
Background
Heading into the match, Wales and England had yet to play a game for the 1951/52 British Home Championship.[1] Both were seeking a win after Scotland defeated Ireland 3-0 on 6th October.[1] The visitors were deemed the favourites, as Wales' last win against the Three Lions was on 22nd October 1938, which was also the last time they avoided defeat against them.[2][3] Following a 2-2 draw with France on 3rd October, England made six changes, including calling up Thomas Thompson and Malcom Barrass for the first time.[4][5][6][3] By contrast, Wales opted for a strong defence with only two forwards, with the FA Yearbook 1952-53 remarking that the formation reflected the passion Welsh teams had in performing competitively against foreign opposition at Ninian Park.[4][6]
The encounter's second half received live television coverage from the BBC, with commentary provided by Jimmy Jewell.[7] Its broadcast was seemingly last minute, as Issue 1,457 of Radio Times merely lists its timeslot for 20th October as "To Be Announced".[8][9] It was notable for being one of the first matches to ever be televised from Wales.[7] Notably, this occurred prior to the BBC opening its Wenvoe transmitter in Glamorganshire for Welsh and West of England viewers on 15th August 1952.[10] This meant that the majority in Wales could not view the television coverage, although some areas of the country were able to unofficially access the Sutton Coldfield transmitter which had been operating since 17th December 1949.[10]
The Match
The match itself occurred on 20th October, with 51,500 in-attendance at the Ninian Park.[11][6] Wales received a free kick after three minutes following a Malcolm Barass foul. Roy Paul took it, where it was received and converted into a goal by William Foulkes.[3][4][5][6][11] It was notably Foulkes' first ever shot for Wales.[5] However, the home side quickly equalised when Tom Finney passed towards Les Medley, who in turn fired the ball into the path of Eddie Baily, Baily achieving a header in the middle of the box for 1-1.[3][4][5][6][11] For the remainder of the first half, few attacks were made, with Wales primarily controlling proceedings thanks to a stronger midfield, England being criticised for lacking cohesion.[4][3]
Near the end, Wales missed two opportunities to gain the victory; Trevor Ford narrowly missed two strong crosses by Foulkes, which most certainly could have turned the tide in Wales' favour.[3][4][5] Ultimately, the game ended 1-1, Wales finally ending its post-Second World War losing streak against England, although some reporters felt the team were unfortunate not to win.[3][4][5][6][11][2] England were criticised for a below-average performance, primarily due to its uninspired forwards.[4][3] Wales would later defeat Scotland 1-0 on 14th November and Ireland 3-0 on 19th March 1952.[1] Meanwhile, England beat Ireland 2-0, and overcame Scotland 2-1 on 5th April, meaning both nations shared the 1951/52 British Home Championship after accumulating five points each.[1]
Availability
The BBC broadcast was televised live during an era where the Corporation seldom made telerecordings until the perfection of video tape in the late-1950s.[12][13] While it did achieve a partial telerecording of the England-Italy game on 30th November 1949, it is the only known football broadcast featuring Jewell's commentary with surviving footage.[12] Thus, the BBC coverage of the Wales-England match is most likely permanently missing. Nevertheless, some surviving newsreels provide highlights of the game.
Gallery
Videos
See Also
- 1899 FA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1899)
- 1903 FA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1903)
- 1937 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1937)
- 1938 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1938)
- 1939 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1939)
- 1947 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1947)
- 1948 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1948)
- 1948 Summer Olympics (partially found television coverage of London Games; 1948)
- 1949 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1949)
- 1950 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1950)
- 1951 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1951)
- 1952 Coupe de France Final (partially found footage of football match; 1952)
- 1955 Scottish Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1955)
- 1956 Southern Junior Floodlight Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1956)
- 1966 FIFA World Cup Final (partially found original colour film of international football match; 1966)
- 1967 FA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1967)
- 1968 Football League Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1968)
- 1970 FA Cup Final Replay (partially found original ITV coverage of football match; 1970)
- 1971 WFA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1971)
- 1973 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1973)
- 1974 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1974)
- 1976 WFA Cup Final (partially found footage of football match; 1976)
- 1977 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1977)
- 1978 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1978)
- 1979 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1979)
- 1980 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1980)
- 1981 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1981)
- 1982 WFA Cup Final (lost footage of football match; 1982)
- 1985-1986 WFA Cup (lost list of entries for football tournament; 1985)
- A Football Match at Newcastle-on-Tyne (lost footage of football match; 1896)
- Arsenal 1-1 Sheffield United (lost radio commentary of football match; 1927)
- Arsenal 3-2 Everton (partially found footage of Football League First Division match; 1936)
- Arsenal 7-1 Hibernian (lost footage of charity football match; 1952)
- Arsenal vs Arsenal Reserves (lost footage of early BBC televised football match; 1937)
- Atlético Madrid 1-1 Real Madrid (lost footage of El Derbi Madrileño La Liga football match; 1958)
- Barbados 4–2 Grenada (partially found soccer match footage; 1994)
- Barnet 3-2 Wealdstone (lost footage of Athenian League football match; 1946)
- Bedford Town 1-2 Arsenal (partially found footage of FA Cup match; 1956)
- Blackpool 0-1 Bolton Wanderers (lost footage of Football League First Division match; 1960)
- Brazil 2-0 Italy (lost footage of international football match; 1956)
- Brian Clough's Football Fortunes (lost DOS port of football management game; 1987)
- Carlisle United 2-1 Plymouth Argyle (partially found footage of Football League Third Division match; 1999)
- Charlton Athletic 1-0 Blackburn Rovers (lost footage of FA Cup match; 1947)
- Chelsea 1-1 Burnley (partially found footage of FA Cup match; 1956)
- Chelsea 2-0 Sparta Prague (lost footage of international football match; 1957)
- Corinthians 1-3 Newcastle United (lost radio coverage of FA Cup match; 1927)
- England 0-1 Scotland (partially found footage of international football match; 1938)
- England 1-0 Scotland (lost footage of Schools' International football match; 1952)
- England 1-1 Scotland (partially found footage of international football match; 1947)
- England 1-2 Scotland (lost footage of international football match; 1903)
- England 1-3 Scotland (partially found footage of international football match; 1949)
- England 2-0 Italy (partially found footage of international football match; 1949)
- England 2-1 Argentina (partially found footage of international football match; 1951)
- England 2-2 France (partially found footage of international football match; 1951)
- England 2-2 Yugoslavia (partially found footage of international football match; 1950)
- England 3-0 France (partially found footage of international football match; 1947)
- England 3-0 Rest of Europe (partially found footage of international football match; 1938)
- England 6-0 Switzerland (partially found footage of international football match; 1948)
- Falkirk 3-2 Newcastle United (lost footage of football match; 1953)
- FC St. Pauli 3-4 Hamborn 07 (lost footage of DFB-Pokal football match; 1952)
- FIFA Soccer 2002 (lost build of cancelled Game Boy Advance port of football game; existence unconfirmed; 2001-2002)
- France 3-1 West Germany (partially found footage of international football match; 1952)
- France 6-3 Belgium (partially found footage of FIFA World Cup qualifying match; 1956)
- Hallo! Bundesliga (lost GolTV series; mid 2000s-mid 2010s)
- Hamburger SV 4-3 Altona 93 (lost footage of Oberliga Nord football match; 1952)
- Hero to Zero (partially found BBC One children's football drama show; 2000)
- Juventus 1-7 A.C. Milan (partially found footage of Serie A football match; 1950)
- The Kaiser Conspiracy (lost unfinished Dermot Morgan novel; 1990s)
- Liverpool vs Sheffield United (lost footage of FA Cup Semi-Final matches; 1899)
- Lowestoft Town 3-0 AFC Hornchurch (partially found footage of Isthmian League Premier Division play-off final; 2014)
- Manchester United Championship Soccer (lost build of cancelled Sega Mega Drive port of football game; 1995)
- Miracle of the Magyars (lost Dermot Morgan screenplay of unmade football drama film; 1990s)
- National Professional Soccer League (partially found footage of soccer matches; 1967)
- Netherlands 0-0 Sweden (lost footage of international football match; 1952)
- Premier League All Stars (partially found Sky One charity football tournament; 2007)
- PSV Eindhoven 2-1 E.V.V. Eindhoven (lost footage of Netherlands Football League Championship match; 1950)
- Quiz Ball (partially found BBC One football-based quiz show; 1966-1972)
- Re-united (lost Dermot Morgan script of unmade football sitcom; 1990s)
- Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona (partially found footage of El Clásico La Liga football match; 1959)
- Real Madrid 3-0 Racing Santander (lost footage of La Liga football match; 1954)
- San Lorenzo de Almagro 1-1 River Plate (lost footage of Argentine Primera División football match; 1951)
- Scotland 1-2 England (lost radio coverage of international football match; 1927)
- Scottish Universities 1-1 English Universities (lost footage of international football match; 1952)
- Serbia vs Albania (found footage of abandoned UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match; 2014)
- Stade de Reims 2-1 FC Metz (partially found footage of French Division 1 football match; 1956)
- Turkey 1-2 Soviet Union (lost footage of 1962 FIFA World Cup qualifying match; 1961)
- United! (lost British soap opera; 1965-1967)
- Walthamstow Avenue 0-2 Queen's Park (lost footage of friendly football match; 1951)
- West Ham United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur (partially found footage of FA Cup match; 1956)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 RSSSF detailing the 1951/52 British Home Championships results and table. Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 11 vs 11 detailing the encounters between Wales and England. Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record providing a detailed match report (report found on England Football Online). Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 FA Yearbook 1952-53 detailing the match and the changes England and Wales made heading into it. Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Norman Giller summarising the match (report found on England Football Online). Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 England Football Online detailing the result, statistics, and line-ups, as well as noting the match was televised by the BBC. Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 England Football Online detailing the BBC's coverage of England games from 1950 to 1955. Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ BBC Genome archive of Radio Times issues noting the match broadcast had yet to be confirmed by the time the issue was published. Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ Issue 1,457 of Radio Times noting the match broadcast was not yet confirmed prior to publication. Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 A History of Independent Television in Wales noting that the BBC opened its first transmitter for Welsh viewers on 15th August 1952, but that some could view television via the Sutton Coldfield transmitter. Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11 vs 11 detailing the result of the match and other statistics. Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 BBC Genome Blog noting how almost all football broadcasts featuring Jewell's commentary were never recorded. Retrieved 6th Dec '22
- ↑ Web Archive article discussing how most early television is missing due to the lack of directly recording television. Retrieved 6th Dec '22