1888 World Championship (football)

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1888 World Championship
Renton fc team 1888-89.jpg
Renton team, winning side
EventFootball World Championship
Renton West Bromwich Albion
Scotland England
4 1
Date19 May 1888
VenueHampden Park, Crosshill
Attendance6,000
WeatherThunderstorm[1]
← 1887
1889 →

The 1888 World Championship was an exhibition football match that took place in Crosshill (today part of Glasgow), Scotland, on 19 May 1888 between the winners of the Scottish Cup, Renton, and the English FA Cup, West Bromwich Albion. The match was won by Renton who beat Albion 4–1.[2][3][4][5] The match was played in very bad weather and a replay in England was proposed, but never took place.[1]

Overview[]

This was not the first "World Championship" game between English and Scottish sides; however, the next edition was the first such club competition contested between national league winners (as the leagues had not been yet created before that time). Johnny Campbell, who played for Renton in this fixture, would also win a world championship with Sunderland in 1895; he is therefore the first known British footballer to have been twice listed as a world champion with different clubs.[6]

It was noted in the press that West Brom were "one of the English clubs which have never had a Scotchman either as a coach or a player"[1] and the match were therefore seen as a truly international event – by this point may of the leading English clubs (which were allowed to become professional in 1885) had Scottish players, and in the aforementioned Sunderland v Hearts match in 1895 both entrants had an all-Scottish line-up.

Renton's win was something of a watershed for Scottish football, as within a few days James Kelly and Neil McCallum had left to join the newly-formed Celtic and quickly helped to establish them as a force in the game,[7] Meanwhile Renton soon lost several other members of their 'world champion' team to professional clubs in England (including Andrew Hannah who moved to West Brom after he impressed them in the Glasgow match) and gradually declined, never returning to the same level.[1]

Participant teams[]

Team Qualification
England West Bromwich Albion 1887–88 FA Cup winners
Scotland Renton 1887–88 Scottish Cup winners

Match details[]

Renton Scotland4–1England West Bromwich Albion
McNee Goal Goal
J. McCall Goal
H. Campbell Goal		 Report Pearson Goal
Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Ireland [1]
Renton
West Bromwich
Albion

Teams[]

Renton:
GK Scotland John Lindsay
FB Scotland Andrew Hannah
FB Scotland Archie McCall
HB Scotland Bob Kelso
HB Scotland James Kelly
HB Scotland Donald McKechnie
FW Scotland Harry Campbell
FW Scotland James McCall
FW Scotland Johnny Campbell
FW Scotland Neil McCallum
FW Scotland Jack McNee
West Bromwich Albion:
GK England Bob Roberts
FB England Charlie Mason[a]
FB England Harry Green
HB England Ezra Horton
HB England Charlie Perry
HB England George Timmins
FW England Billy Bassett
FW England George Woodhall
FW England Jem Bayliss (c)
FW England Joe Wilson
FW England Tom Pearson
  1. ^ Guest player from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e The Championship of the World Robert Bradley & Douglas Gorman, 2018, via Scottish Sport History
  2. ^ Renton crowned World Champions, BBC
  3. ^ RENTON F.C. CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD, The League, 2 March 2019
  4. ^ Remember when a team from Scotland won the World Cup? The incredible story of Renton F.C, Glasgow Live, 12 November 2018
  5. ^ Saturday's Football. | Renton V. West Bromwich Albion., The Glasgow Herald, 21 May 1888
  6. ^ Johnny Campbell, The Twice World Club Championship Winner, Ryehill Football, 27 April 2020
  7. ^ Mitchell, Andy (2021). The men who made Scotland: The definitive Who's Who of Scottish Football Internationalists 1872-1939. Amazon. ISBN 9798513846642.
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