With constant changes in the lineup, the core narrative remains unchanged. The fresh Irish manager, Heimir Hallgrímsson, is set to host his English counterpart, the interim coach Lee Carsley, in Aviva Stadium, this Saturday. This encounter marks the latest chapter in the history of their friendly competition.
Carsley, a former Republic of Ireland player, has temporarily taken over England’s managerial duties following Gareth Southgate’s exit post-Europe. On the other hand, Hallgrímsson was appointed for the Irish job after an arduous eight-month hunt to fill the spot previously occupied by Stephen Kenny.
The rivals first faced each other back in September 1946 at Dalymount, since then, they have clashed 17 times. England boasts a superior record with six victories compared to Ireland’s modest two. However, eight matches resulted in a draw, and one notorious game was cut short during the first half. Here, we look back at the journey these teams have taken across a span of 78 years.
Rehashing the stories of Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, the twin betrayers, serves no purpose. The wins and losses of Ireland against England since 1946 offer a condensed history of our matches. Triumphing over England would be enjoyable, yet Ireland’s destiny relies more on matches against teams like Greece. Hallgrímsson’s return to basic pragmatism is a welcoming sign.
On 30th September 1946, the Republic of Ireland battled England at home. Despite a stout defence, Ireland conceded a goal to Tom Finney’s sudden strike ten minutes before the finish, securing a victory for Walter Winterbottom’s team amongst an audience of 32,000 in Phibsborough.
The next meeting took place on 21st September 1949, in Liverpool’s Goodison Park. The crowd of 51,847 fans was astonished to see England’s cream of the crop fall against Ireland by 2-0. Goalkeeper Tommy Godwin put on a splendid show, earning applause as he retreated from the pitch. Ireland’s triumph was secured by Con Martin’s pre-half-time penalty and a late goal from Everton’s Peter Farrell, a victory they tried to repeat for the next 39 years.
On the 8th of May, 1957, the England football team secured a decisive 5-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland during a match at Wembley Stadium. This was a major setback for Ireland in their quest to secure a place at the 1958 World Cup tournament set to be held in Sweden. Tommy Taylor had an exceptional day on the field, scoring two goals within the first 20 minutes and completing his hat-trick by the 40th minute. Furthermore, John Atyeo added to Ireland’s struggles, scoring twice past goalkeeper Alan Kelly in the second half. Ireland’s sole highlight was a goal from Dermot Curtis, but it was clear they were completely outplayed this time.
On the 19th of May, 1957, Reutersport for a rematch at Dalymount Park, Dublin, with a significantly better outcome for the home side. They managed to secure an even 1-1 draw, much to the relief of the record-breaking crowd of 47,500. Even though the result signalled progress compared to the previous game, Irish fans were somewhat disappointed by the match’s conclusion.
Ireland showed promising signs of victory as Alf Ringstead scored early in the game. However, as the clock was about to run out, Atyeo once again managed to score for England, tying the match. Frank Johnstone, reporting on the match, conveyed the shock and disappointment of the spectators as England, who had been behind for most of the game, astoundingly managed to claw their way out of near defeat. Atyeo’s last-minute goal guaranteed England a spot in the 1958 World Cup campaign in Sweden.
The narrative culminates on May 24th, 1964, rounding out a crucial phase in British-Irish football history.
In May 1964, under the Dublin sunshine, the Republic of Ireland played a friendly game against England but it wasn’t a favourable day for the Irish side. England triumphed with a 3-1 victory, with goals scored by George Eastham, Johnny Byrne and Jimmy Greaves. Ireland’s sole goal was scored by Fred Strahan. Even so, Séamus Devlin’s match observation noted very few believed an unexpected twist was in the cards.
On September 8, 1976, more than ten years later, the Republic of Ireland returned to Wembley for another friendly. Now under the leadership of player manager Johnny Giles, they held the English team to a 1-1 draw. Peter Byrne described the result as the best in six encounters against their longstanding adversaries. The opening score was made by Stuart Pearson from England just before halftime, but Gerry Daly equalised the score with a penalty in the 57th minute.
On October 25, 1978, the Republic found itself in a tough spot in its attempt to qualify for the European Championships. According to Peter Byrne, the loss of a home point to England at Lansdowne Road potentially derailed their chances of qualifying for the European Championship finals in Rome. England’s Bob Latchford netted in the first 10 minutes, with the Irish response coming from Gerry Daly at the 27th. Although Ireland managed to even the score, a missed chance by Don Givens towards the end probably underscored the foreseeable draw.
February 6, 1980 marked another encounter between the two teams.
With England holding unbeaten records in Group One, the chances of Ireland qualifying for Euro 1980 were set ablaze. Despite that, England managed to keep up the good fight and secured their position at the Rome tournament, courtesy of Kevin Keegan. Nonetheless, they didn’t make it past Group Two.
On the 26th of March, 1985, England witnessed a 2-1 victory against the Republic of Ireland, adding to Ireland’s string of failed qualifications in the 1982 World Cup and Euro 84. Trevor Steven and Gary Lineker scored for England, while Liam Brady managed a late goal, though it wasn’t enough to take the sting out of the disappointing defeat for Ireland.
As Ireland entered the late 1980s, they embraced a golden period in their soccer history. Jack Charlton’s appointment marked this era. In their inaugural match in Group Two at the Euro 88, a goal from Ray Houghton within the first six minutes gave Ireland the upper hand against England. Packie Bonner’s performance as the goalkeeper played a pivotal role in reassuring the victory. The match ended in triumph for the Irish with a scoreline of 1-0. Unfortunately, they were unable to progress beyond the group stages, after a draw with the Soviet Union and a loss to the Netherlands.
On the 11th of June, 1990, Italia 90 became a treasured memory for Ireland. Jack Charlton’s team, including England, Egypt and the Netherlands, comprised Group F. The first game of the group, between Ireland and England, concluded with an equitable 1-1 draw.
Gary Lineker’s early goal had given England an advantage, as noted by Kevin Myers from Cagliari, who thought that the win for England was almost certain until nearly the end of the match. However, Kevin Sheedy’s last-minute goal sparked joy among Irish fans, who had remained strong in their support throughout the entire game. Sheedy scored his goal on the 73rd minute, making it the first of the three group-stage ties that saw Ireland advance to the knockout stages, where they beat Romania in penalty kicks. No doubt, the quarter-finals are memorable in their own right.
The match took place on November 14, 1990, ending in a 1-1 draw between the Republic of Ireland and England. After the emotional rollercoaster of the matches in Italy, Ireland were refocused on qualifying for the finals of the European Championship in 1992. The game, part of Group Seven, was held in Lansdowne Road and had them competing against England. Peter Byrne described the match as a test of determination from which Ireland managed to secure a point after Tony Cascarino was able to answer David Platt’s goal, both of which were made during the second half of the game.
Byrne added that this game was quite similar to the World Cup game, tough and antagonistic, with the stress of the situation more than compensating for any shortcomings in finesse. The spirit and resolve of the Irish side was incredibly impressive, he said. A noteworthy crowd of 45,000 witnessed the match and millions more watched the captivating game on TV from all around the Irish Sea.
Fast forwarding to March 27, 1991, the sides drew once again in a match held in England, with the Republic of Ireland visiting London. Consistent with past games, a goal was scored within the first 10 minutes. This time, it was England’s Lee Dixon who found the net, albeit with an assist from a deflection off Steve Staunton. The Irish side pursued an equaliser and succeeded in the 29th minute, thanks to a goal by Niall Quinn.
Ireland reflected on the overall disappointing picture of a stalemate, despite their dominance throughout a significant portion of the game. “I would have been satisfied with just one point before coming here, but in retrospect, it feels slightly disheartening,” lamented the manager post-match. “The second half saw us controlling the game, but not capitalising on our superiority might be something we regret eventually.” Sadly, the prediction of Charlton was accurate. In the group, Ireland sat a point beneath England and missed out on Euro 92 despite an undefeated record in the qualifiers.
In the annals of unforgettable matches for unfortunate reasons, February 15th,1995 stands as a stark example. The match between the Republic of Ireland and England was discontinued after 27 minutes. The game was marred by its grim aftermath – 45 fans arrested, around 30 persons rushed to the hospital, mainly due to minor head injuries, following an eruption of violence just after David Kelly’s home-side goal in the 22nd minute.
Fast forward to May 29, 2013, the teams met after an interlude of nearly a decade. Giovanni Trapattoni helmed the team. Despite an absence from the 2010 World Cup, the Italian, who started his tenure strongly, had steered Ireland to the finals of Euro 2012. This was the first significant tournament for Ireland after the 2002 World Cup.
The subsequent year, May, observed Trapattoni and his team at Wembley. England’s initial squad showcased several familiar names, such as Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, and captain Ashley Cole. Still, Ireland also had John O’Shea, Robbie Keane, Séamus Coleman and a prolific 26-year-old from Tipperary.
The 13th minute saw Ireland’s fans thrilled by Shane Long’s header – he connected with a long cross from Coleman, overcoming England’s goalkeeper Joe Hart. Lampard’s reply in the 23rd minute did little to contain Ireland’s spirited mood. Some matches you triumph, some you’re defeated, and in some, you draw.
This sequence continued until June 7th, 2015.
During the build-up to Euro 2016, in which we ultimately participated, the dynamic team of Martin O’Neill and his deputy, Roy Keane, extended an invitation to Roy Hodgson to take his squad to the Aviva. This was exactly two decades after the infamous 1995 incident.
Frank McNally, when writing about the game, noted, “The riot police were on standby throughout the game, silently reminding everyone of the 1995 abandoned match. However, fears of English fans causing a repeat of throwing seats onto the pitch were quickly alleviated. This time they came armed solely with biting sarcasm.” The said sarcasm was a chant by the English spectators alleging that ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter financed the Aviva’s makeover.
As McNally succinctly described, “If only the on-field activity had been as stimulating.”
Fast forward to November 12th, 2020, England won 3-0 against the Republic of Ireland.
This most recent Ireland encounter was a Covid-era visit to Wembley and in light of the scoreline, it was perhaps best that it occurred without spectators.
With Gareth Southgate at the helm, England was indeed on top form at the time. In contrast, Stephen Kenny was still finding his footing, and losing 3-0 couldn’t have been good for the team’s spirits, especially in the midst of a global pandemic.
Emmet Malone pointed out that the friendly match provided a great chance for England to introduce new international players and secure an easy win. However, he also added, “It’s slightly more difficult to evaluate what the visit offered to the visitors. Nevertheless, after many matches against similarly ranked teams, this was a solid reminder that stronger teams will penalise their lapses in defence.”
Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Dominic Calvert-Lewin all pounced on these defensive errors. Calvert-Lewin, more notably, scored from the penalty spot, thereby ending Ireland’s 35-year undefeated streak against their boisterous neighbours.