Wales national football team results (1920–1939)
Wales national football team results |
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The Wales national football team represents Wales in international association football and is governed by the Football Association of Wales (FAW). Between 1920 and 1939 the side played 62 matches, the majority against the other national teams of the Home Nations in the British Home Championship. The side played their first official match after the end of World War I in February 1920 on the resumption of the Home Championship, drawing 2–2 with Ireland.[1] A draw with Scotland and a win over England, their first since 1882, in the 1919–20 tournament secured the second Home Championship in Wales' history.[2] They won a third title in the 1923–24 British Home Championship after defeating all three opponents in the same competition for the first time.[3]
Wales won the Home Championship again in the 1927–28 tournament but, as Football League sides became increasingly reluctant to release Welsh players for international competition, results dropped as the decade drew to a close.[4][5] This culminated in the 1929–30 British Home Championship where Wales lost all three matches, conceding 17 goals whilst scoring just 2.[6] When the Football League added further restrictions on releasing players ahead of the following tournament to avoid fixture clashes, Wales were forced to call-up a mixture of non-league and lower division players which led to the side being dubbed by media outlets as "Keenor and the ten unknowns", in reference to team captain Fred Keenor and the relative obscurity of his teammates. The side secured a draw with Scotland but suffered a 4–0 defeat to England before being replaced by the returning first team players.[7][8]
When Wales relented on hosting fixtures alongside those of the Football League, they were able to call upon their first team more frequently.[9] This coincided with one of the most successful periods in the team's history as they won four Home Championships between 1933 and 1939,[5] led by the goals of Dai Astley, Pat Glover and Bryn Jones.[10][11] The 1938–39 British Home Championship was the final hosting of the tournament before World War II.[1] During this period, Wales also played their first match against an opponent other than the Home Nations when they drew with France in May 1933 in Paris. The two sides also met for a second time in May 1939 in Wales' final match before the start of the war.[1]
Of the 62 matches Wales played during this period, they recorded 22 victories: 8 against both England and Ireland, and 6 against Scotland.[12][13][14] In the remaining 40 matches, Wales drew 15 and lost 25.[1]
Results[]
Wales' score is shown first in each case. The colours listed below are also used to signify results combined with the scoreline.
Colour (with score) | Meaning |
---|---|
Defeat | |
Draw | |
Win |
Match no. | Date | Venue | H/A | Opponents | Score | Competition | Wales scorers | Att.[b] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
109 | 14 February 1920 | The Oval, Belfast | A | Ireland | 2–2 | 1919–20 British Home Championship | Stan Davies (2) | 30,000 |
110 | 26 February 1920 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | Scotland | 1–1 | 1919–20 British Home Championship | Jack Evans | 16,000 |
111 | 15 March 1920 | Highbury, London | A | England | 2–1 | 1919–20 British Home Championship | Stan Davies, Dick Richards | 21,180 |
112 | 12 February 1921 | Pittodrie, Aberdeen | A | Scotland | 1–2 | 1920–21 British Home Championship | Dai Collier | 20,824 |
113 | 14 March 1921 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | England | 0–0 | 1920–21 British Home Championship | 12,000 | |
114 | 9 April 1921 | Vetch Field, Swansea | H | Ireland | 2–1 | 1920–21 British Home Championship | Billy Hole, Stan Davies | 12,000 |
115 | 4 February 1922 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | Scotland | 2–1 | 1921–22 British Home Championship | Len Davies, Stan Davies | 7,000 |
116 | 13 March 1922 | Anfield, Liverpool | A | England | 0–1 | 1921–22 British Home Championship | 35,000 | |
117 | 1 April 1922 | Windsor Park, Belfast | A | Ireland | 1–1 | 1921–22 British Home Championship | Len Davies | 20,000 |
118 | 5 March 1923 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | England | 2–2 | 1922–23 British Home Championship | Fred Keenor, Ivor Jones | 12,000 |
119 | 17 March 1923 | Love Street, Paisley | A | Scotland | 0–2 | 1922–23 British Home Championship | 25,000 | |
120 | 14 April 1923 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | Ireland | 0–3 | 1922–23 British Home Championship | 12,222 | |
121 | 16 February 1924 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | Scotland | 2–0 | 1923–24 British Home Championship | Willie Davies, Len Davies | 26,000 |
122 | 3 March 1924 | Ewood Park, Blackburn | A | England | 2–1 | 1923–24 British Home Championship | Willie Davies, Ted Vizard | 30,000 |
123 | 15 March 1924 | Windsor Park, Belfast | A | Ireland | 1–0 | 1923–24 British Home Championship | Moses Russell | 40,000 |
124 | 14 February 1925 | Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh | A | Scotland | 1–3 | 1924–25 British Home Championship | Billy Williams | 23,000 |
125 | 28 February 1925 | Vetch Field, Swansea | H | England | 1–2 | 1924–25 British Home Championship | Fred Keenor | 8,000 |
126 | 18 April 1925 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | Ireland | 0–0 | 1924–25 British Home Championship | 10,000 | |
127 | 31 October 1925 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | Scotland | 0–3 | 1925–26 British Home Championship | 25,000 | |
128 | 13 February 1926 | Windsor Park, Belfast | A | Ireland | 0–3 | 1925–26 British Home Championship | 25,000 | |
129 | 1 March 1926 | Selhurst Park, London | A | England | 1–3 | 1925–26 British Home Championship | Billy Walker | 23,000 |
130 | 30 October 1926 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow | A | Scotland | 0–3 | 1926–27 British Home Championship | 25,000 | |
131 | 12 February 1927 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | England | 3–3 | 1926–27 British Home Championship | Len Davies (2), Wilf Lewis | 16,000 |
132 | 9 April 1927 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | Ireland | 2–2 | 1926–27 British Home Championship | Rees Williams (2) | 10,000 |
133 | 29 October 1927 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | Scotland | 2–2 | 1927–28 British Home Championship | Ernie Curtis, Jimmy Gibson | 16,000 |
134 | 28 November 1927 | Turf Moor, Burnley | A | England | 2–1 | 1927–28 British Home Championship | Wilf Lewis, Jack Hill (og) | 25,000 |
135 | 4 February 1928 | Windsor Park, Belfast | A | Ireland | 2–1 | 1927–28 British Home Championship | Wilf Lewis, Willie Davies | 27,563 |
136 | 27 October 1928 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow | A | Scotland | 2–4 | 1928–29 British Home Championship | Willie Davies (2) | 50,421 |
137 | 17 November 1928 | Vetch Field, Swansea | H | England | 2–3 | 1928–29 British Home Championship | Fred Keenor, Jack Fowler | 22,000 |
138 | 2 February 1929 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | Ireland | 2–2 | 1928–29 British Home Championship | Albert Mays, Fred Warren | 12,000 |
139 | 26 October 1929 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | Scotland | 2–4 | 1929–30 British Home Championship | Taffy O'Callaghan, Len Davies | 20,000 |
140 | 17 November 1929 | Wembley Stadium, London | A | England | 0–6 | 1929–30 British Home Championship | 25,500 | |
141 | 1 February 1930 | Windsor Park, Belfast | A | Ireland | 0–7 | 1929–30 British Home Championship | 25,000 | |
142 | 25 October 1930 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow | A | Scotland | 1–1 | 1930–31 British Home Championship | Tommy Bamford | 15,000 |
143 | 22 November 1930 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | England | 0–4 | 1930–31 British Home Championship | 14,000 | |
144 | 22 April 1931 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | Ireland | 3–2 | 1930–31 British Home Championship | Charlie Phillips, Tommy Griffiths, Fred Warren | 11,000 |
145 | 31 October 1931 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | Scotland | 2–3 | 1931–32 British Home Championship | Ernie Curtis (2) | 10,860 |
146 | 18 November 1931 | Anfield, Liverpool | A | England | 1–3 | 1931–32 British Home Championship | Walter Robbins | 15,000 |
147 | 5 December 1931 | Windsor Park, Belfast | A | Ireland | 0–4 | 1931–32 British Home Championship | 10,000 | |
148 | 26 October 1932 | Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh | A | Scotland | 5–2 | 1932–33 British Home Championship | Eugene O'Callaghan (2), Dai Astley, Tommy Griffiths, Jock Thomson | 31,000 |
149 | 6 November 1932 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | England | 0–0 | 1932–33 British Home Championship | 25,167 | |
150 | 7 December 1932 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | Ireland | 4–1 | 1932–33 British Home Championship | Walter Robbins (2), Dai Astley (2) | 8,500 |
151 | 23 May 1933 | Stade Olympique de Colombes, Paris | A | France | 1–1 | Friendly | Walter Robbins | 25,000 |
152 | 4 October 1933 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | Scotland | 3–2 | 1933–34 British Home Championship | Willie Evans, Walter Robbins, Dai Astley | 40,000 |
153 | 4 November 1933 | Windsor Park, Belfast | A | Ireland | 1–1 | 1933–34 British Home Championship | Pat Glover | 20,000 |
154 | 15 November 1933 | St James' Park, Newcastle | A | England | 2–1 | 1933–34 British Home Championship | Tommy Mills, Dai Astley | 15,000 |
155 | 29 September 1934 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | England | 0–4 | 1934–35 British Home Championship | 36,692 | |
156 | 21 November 1934 | Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen | A | Scotland | 2–3 | 1934–35 British Home Championship | Charlie Phillips, Dai Astley | 26,334 |
157 | 25 March 1935 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | Ireland | 3–1 | 1934–35 British Home Championship | Wilson Jones, Charlie Phillips, Idris Hopkins | 16,000 |
158 | 5 October 1935 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | Scotland | 1–1 | 1935–36 British Home Championship | Wilson Jones, Charlie Phillips | 37,568 |
159 | 5 February 1935 | Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton | A | England | 2–1 | 1935–36 British Home Championship | Dai Astley, Bryn Jones | 27,519 |
160 | 11 March 1936 | Celtic Park, Belfast | A | Ireland | 3–2 | 1935–36 British Home Championship | Dai Astley, Charlie Phillips | 27,519 |
161 | 17 October 1936 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | England | 2–1 | 1936–37 British Home Championship | Pat Glover, Seymour Morris | 44,729 |
162 | 2 December 1936 | Dens Park, Dundee | A | Scotland | 2–1 | 1936–37 British Home Championship | Pat Glover (2) | 23,858 |
163 | 17 March 1937 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | Ireland | 4–1 | 1936–37 British Home Championship | Pat Glover (2), Bryn Jones, Fred Warren | 19,000 |
164 | 30 October 1937 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | Scotland | 2–1 | 1937–38 British Home Championship | Bryn Jones, Seymour Morris | 41,800 |
165 | 2 December 1937 | Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough | A | England | 1–2 | 1937–38 British Home Championship | Eddie Perry | 30,608 |
166 | 16 March 1938 | Windsor Park, Belfast | A | Ireland | 0–1 | 1937–38 British Home Championship | 15,000 | |
167 | 22 October 1938 | Ninian Park, Cardiff | H | England | 4–2 | 1938–39 British Home Championship | Dai Astley (2), Bryn Jones, Idris Hopkins | 55,000 |
168 | 9 November 1938 | Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh | A | Scotland | 2–3 | 1938–39 British Home Championship | Dai Astley, Leslie Jones | 34,800 |
169 | 15 March 1939 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | H | Ireland | 3–1 | 1938–39 British Home Championship | Horace Cumner, Pat Glover, Les Boulter | 22,997 |
170 | 20 May 1939 | Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris | A | France | 1–2 | Friendly | Dai Astley | 23,000 |
Head to head records[]
Opponent | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | W% | D% | L% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
England | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 27 | 44 | 40 | 20 | 40 |
France | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 50 |
Ireland | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 35 | 42 | 40 | 30 | 30 |
Scotland | 20 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 34 | 43 | 30 | 20 | 50 |
Totals | 62 | 22 | 15 | 25 | 98 | 132 | 35.48 | 24.19 | 40.32 |
Notes[]
- ^ Table information sourced from the references listed in the statistics section below.
- ^ Due to the unavailability of exact figures, some attendance numbers are given as recorded estimates.
References[]
- Statistics
- Nygård, Jostein. "Wales – International Results". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- "Welsh International Matches". Welsh Football Data Archive. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- Tossani, Gabriele. "Scotland – International Results". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- Oliver, Guy (1992). The Guinness Record of World Soccer. London: Guinness World Records Ltd. pp. 560–561. ISBN 978-0-85112-954-9.
- Bibliography
- Stead, Phil (2013). Red Dragons – The Story of Welsh Football. Ceredigion: Y Lolfa. ISBN 978-1-84771-468-8.
- Specific
- ^ a b c d Nygård, Jostein. "International matches of Wales". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ Stead 2013, pp. 92–93
- ^ Stead 2013, pp. 98–99
- ^ Stead 2013, pp. 110–112
- ^ a b Reyes, Macario; Morrison, Neil. "British Home Championship 1920–1939". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ Stead 2013, pp. 113–114
- ^ Williams, Aled (7 September 2018). "Denmark v Wales: The story of the 1930s 'unknowns' who forced a draw in Scotland". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ Stead 2013, pp. 116–118
- ^ Stead 2013, pp. 122–123
- ^ Stead 2013, pp. 124–125
- ^ Stead 2013, pp. 128–129
- ^ "Wales national football team: record v Ireland". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Wales national football team: record v Scotland". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "Wales national football team: record v England". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- 1920s in Wales
- 1930s in Wales
- Wales national football team results and fixtures
- 1939–40 in Welsh football
- 1938–39 in Welsh football
- 1937–38 in Welsh football
- 1936–37 in Welsh football
- 1935–36 in Welsh football