1979–80 British Home Championship

September 2020 1979–80 British Home Championship 16–24 May 1980 4 NIR 7 ENG 6 12 10 players (1 goal each) 1978–79 1980–81 October 2023 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. 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. thumb|Mural in Belfast celebrating the three outright wins of the British Home Championship by Ireland and Northern Ireland, including in 1980. Table main WDL n 2 NIR Northern Ireland ENG England WAL Wales SCO Scotland 2 1 0 3 1 C 1 1 1 4 5 1 0 2 4 3 1 0 2 1 3 #ccffcc C complete 1) points 2) goal difference. The points system worked as follows: 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw. Results 16 May 1980 Northern Ireland 1–0 Scotland Report Hamilton 36 Clive Thomas (Wales) Windsor Park, Belfast 17 May 1980 Wales 4–1 England Thomas 19 Walsh 30 James 60 Thompson 66 o.g. Mariner 16 Ian Foote (Scotland) Racecourse Ground, Wrexham 20 May 1980 England 1–1 Northern Ireland Brotherston 81 o.g. Cochrane 83 Gwyn Owen (Wales) Wembley Stadium, London 21 May 1980 Scotland 1–0 Wales Miller 26 Hugh Wilson (Northern Ireland) Hampden Park, Glasgow 23 May 1980 Wales 0–1 Northern Ireland Brotherston 22 John Hunting (England) Ninian Park, Cardiff 24 May 1980 Scotland 0–2 England Brooking 8 Coppell 75 António Garrido (Portugal) Hampden Park, Glasgow References Guy Oliver The Guinness Record of World Soccer 1992 Guinness 0-85112-954-4 External links Full Results and Line-ups 1979–80 Home Championship Category:1979–80 in European men's international football Category:1979–80 in Scottish football Category:1979–80 in Welsh football Category:1979–80 in Northern Ireland association football Category:May 1980 sports events in the United Kingdom