The 105th meeting between Cymru and England will take place at Wembley Stadium on Thursday, 9 October when the two nations come together for an International Challenge Match (7.45pm).
The fixture is steeped in history and is one of the oldest international rivalries in the world game, dating back to the very first match that took place in November 1879 at the Kennington Oval in London. Captained by the founder of the FAW, Samuel Llewellyn Kenrick, Cymru were defeated 2-1 in what was the first of 69 defeats to England. The most recent being administered at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
A lot of water has passed under the Severn Bridge since those early years of regular home internationals and there have been many memorable matches and moments that have defined a rivalry that extends beyond the parameters of the beautiful game. Ahead of the latest chapter in this historic fixture, here’s a reflective look at some of those significant matches played on English soil.
England 0-1 Cymru – 26 February 1881
The third meeting between England and Cymru took place at Alexandra Meadows in Blackburn with reports at the time opening with the fact that around 4,000 spectators braved the snow and generally freezing conditions to witness the first ever Cymru victory over England. John Vaughan was the goalscoring hero in the 1-0 victory as he slotted the ball past goalkeeper John Hawtrey early in the 2nd half.
Both teams had hit the woodwork in the opening half of the match while Thomas Marshall was denied scoring an equaliser for England having been adjudged offside later in the match. There was confusion before kick-off as Cymru full-back Jack Powell failed to arrive and he was replaced in the starting line-up by Kenrick, who was only in attendance as the head of the FAW. It would be his last of his four international appearances.
Cymru would repeat their success the following year as they claimed a resounding 5-2 win over England at the Racecourse in Wrexham. However, despite back-to-back victories, it would be another 38 years, and 32 games, before they once again held the bragging rights over their neighbours.
England 1-2 Cymru – 15 March 1920
Cymru would finally end their long wait for a third victory over England when they arrived at Highbury, the home of Arsenal, in March 1920. The first meeting between the two nations since the end of the First World War, over 21,000 fans were in attendance as Stanley Davies and Richard Richards scored the goals in a 2-1 win for Cymru with Charlie Buchan scoring what would prove only to be a consolation for the home side.
This was the first British Home Championship to take place since the end of the war, and the win meant that Cymru were crowned champions ahead of Scotland following their 5-4 defeat to England on the final day. It was only the second time that Cymru had claimed the title, with their previous success arriving in 1906/07.
England 5-2 Cymru – 12 November 1952
Although football had been played at the original Wembley Stadium since 1923, Cymru would not visit the iconic venue and its famous twin towers for an international until November 1952. Trevor Ford would score twice for Cymru in front of a crowd of over 94,000, but an England side that included Tom Finney and Alf Ramsey were inspired by a brace from Nat Lofthouse and won the match 5-2.
Cymru had shared the British Home Championship title with England the year before, but this defeat followed a 2-1 reverse to Scotland the month before, and not even a 3-2 win over Ireland in April 1953 could prevent Cymru from finishing bottom of the table that year.
England 0-1 Cymru – 31 May 1977
The one and only Cymru victory at Wembley Stadium was delivered from the penalty spot by the late Leighton James in May 1977. The first win over England since October 1955, James converted the decisive goal just before half-time and it would remain 1-0 to Mike Smith’s side. The magnitude of winning at Wembley makes this one of the most memorable results in the history of this fixture, but the tone was set before the match by the decision not the play the Welsh national anthem.
“There had been a bit of an issue with the two sets of fans at the previous match at Wembley,” explained captain Terry Yorath in an interview with WalesOnline in 2016. “As such, the English FA decided they wouldn’t adhere to our request and play the Welsh anthem. We were far from happy about that. So we had a little bit of a meeting and decided if the band weren’t going to play it, then we would stand there and sing it ourselves.
“Officials were coming up to say the match has to start, but we weren’t moving. Nor did we feel under any pressure to move. They stood in front of us, looking on as if we were a bit daft. But we weren’t daft. This was an important point of principle which we felt very strongly about. We stood there and sang the anthem ourselves. We felt that if they weren’t to play our anthem, then they shouldn’t have played the other one either. But to play one, and not the other, was wrong in our eyes.”
Sadly, goalscorer Leighton James passed away in April 2024 at the age of 71. He scored ten goals in 54 appearances for his country between 1971 and 1983, with that penalty at Wembley the most famous of all.
England 1-0 Cymru – 6 September 2011
The two nations were drawn together in EURO 2012 qualifying. England were under the guidance of the experienced Italian Fabio Capello and had defeated their opponents 2-0 in Cardiff back in March, but Cymru were making significant strides forward with Gary Speed leading the side and went into the match on the back of a 2-1 win over Montenegro.
A goal from Ashley Young after 35 minutes would seal the 1-0 victory for England, but there were opportunities for Cymru to claim a famous result, the most notable falling to striker Rob Earnshaw late in the match but he just couldn’t direct the ball into the open net from close range. Meanwhile, defender Darcy Blake earned plenty of praise for his performance against Wayne Rooney.
Despite the defeat, the confidence gained from pushing England to the final moments help inspire an upturn in results as Cymru won their next three games against Switzerland, Bulgaria and Norway. In a devastating twist, Speed would never take charge of another match. The foundations he put in place continue to provide a platform for the success that has followed, and he will forever be remembered for his contribution to Cymru as a great player, great coach, but most importantly, a great person.
