1979–80 British Home Championship

The 1979–80 British Home Championship saw only the second undisputed victory for Northern Ireland in the British Home Nations international football tournament in 96 years of its existence. It was the first time since 1970 that Scotland agreed to travel to Northern Ireland, having refused to play there since 1972.

1979–80 British Home Championship
Tournament details
Dates16–24 May 1980
Teams4
Final positions
Champions Northern Ireland (7th title)
Runners-up England
Tournament statistics
Matches played6
Goals scored12 (2 per match)
Top scorer(s)10 players (1 goal each)

The opening matches provided two great shocks for the long-established favourites of England and Scotland, with a narrow Northern Irish home victory over the Scots and a Welsh 4–1 thrashing of the English, putting the underdogs in pole position going into their remaining rounds. Scotland recovered slightly with a narrow victory over the Welsh, but England could only manage a draw with the Northern Irish, who were in the best position to claim undisputed first place for 66 years. In the final matches, England salvaged pride and points with a win over the Scots taking them to second place, but the Northern Irish claimed the trophy by defeating Wales in Cardiff, celebrating their centenary with a rare triumph.

Mural in Belfast celebrating the three outright wins of the British Home Championship by Ireland and Northern Ireland, including in 1980.

Table

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

Results

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Northern Ireland  1–0  Scotland
Hamilton   36' Report

Wales  4–1  England
Thomas   19'
Walsh   30'
James   60'
Thompson   66' (o.g.)
Mariner   16'
Referee: Ian Foote (Scotland)

England  1–1  Northern Ireland
Brotherston   81' (o.g.) Cochrane   83'
Referee: Gwyn Owen (Wales)

Scotland  1–0  Wales
Miller   26'
Referee: Hugh Wilson (Northern Ireland)

Wales  0–1  Northern Ireland
Brotherston   22'

Scotland  0–2  England
Brooking   8'
Coppell   75'

References

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  • Guy Oliver (1992). The Guinness Record of World Soccer. Guinness. ISBN 0-85112-954-4.
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