1983–84 British Home Championship

1983–84 British Home Championship
Tournament details
Dates	13 December 1983 – 26 May 1984
Teams	4
Final positions
Champions	Northern Ireland (8th title)
Runners-up	Wales
Tournament statistics
Matches played	6
Goals scored	11 (1.83 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Mark Hughes; Tony Woodcock; (2 each)
	← 1982–83

The 1983–84 British Home Championship was the 100th anniversary of and the last staged of the British Home Championship international annual football tournament between the British Home Nations. Both England and Scotland had announced their withdrawal from future competition, citing waning interest in the games, crowded international fixture lists and a sharp rise in hooliganism. The football competition was instituted in 1884, but this edition was the 87th tournament to be staged due to a five-year hiatus during World War I, a seven-year gap in World War II and the cancellation of the 1981 competition following threats of violence during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The tournament was surprising in its outcome, as the favourites in England and Scotland played each other into a 1–1 draw in the final game, thus allowing Northern Ireland to claim victory on goal difference, with Wales second. This was only the third time in 87 tournaments that (Northern) Ireland were undisputed champions, and the only time goal difference was used to determine a champion. It also marked the first time since 1928 that neither Scotland nor England placed in the top two. The trophy was permanently awarded to the Irish FA.^[1]

Table

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Northern Ireland (C)	3	1	1	1	3	2	+1	3
Wales	3	1	1	1	3	3	0	3
England	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	3
Scotland	3	1	1	1	3	4	−1	3

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

13 December 1983

Northern Ireland	2–0	Scotland
Whiteside 17' McIlroy 56'	Report Page 22

Windsor Park, Belfast

Attendance: 10,000

Referee: Neil Midgley (England)

28 February 1984

Scotland	2–1	Wales
Cooper 37' (pen.) Johnston 78'	Report Page 26	James 47'

Hampden Park, Glasgow

Attendance: 21,542

Referee: Jack Poucher (Northern Ireland)

4 April 1984

England	1–0	Northern Ireland
Woodcock 49'	Report

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 24,000

Referee: Ronald Bridges (Wales)

2 May 1984

Wales	1–0	England
Hughes 17'	Report

Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

Attendance: 14,250

Referee: David Syme (Scotland)

22 May 1984

Wales	1–1	Northern Ireland
Hughes 51'	Report	Armstrong 73'

Vetch Field, Swansea

Attendance: 7,845

Referee: Brian McGinlay (Scotland)

26 May 1984

Scotland	1–1	England
McGhee 12'	Report Page 15	Woodcock 35'

Hampden Park, Glasgow

Attendance: 73,064

Referee: Paolo Casarin (Italy)

References

^ "When Northern Ireland won the last ever British Home Championship". Guardian. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.

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

External links

Full Results and Line-ups

[1] "When Northern Ireland won the last ever British Home Championship". Guardian. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.

[1]

v t e British Home Championship
Football in the United Kingdom: England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
Competitors	England Ireland / Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
Seasons	1883–84 1884–85 1885–86 1886–87 1887–88 1888–89 1889–90 1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 First World War 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 Second World War 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84
Rous Cup Nations Cup Matches outside the British Home Championship