Home of football statistics and historyThe story of how international football began is told in “A Century of English international Football 1872-1972” by Morley Farror and Douglas Lamming.
Briefly, a letter appeared in the Sportsman, then the leading London newspaper dealing with football, as follows:
From the Secretary of the Football Association.
A match between the leading representatives of the Scotch and English sections will be played at The Oval on Saturday, 19 February, under the auspices of the Football Association. Players duly qualified and desirous of assisting either party must communicate with Mr AF Kinnaird of 2 Pall Mall East, SW or Mr. J Kirkpatrick, Admiralty, Somerset House, WC on behalf of the Scotch, or with Mr Charles W Alcock, Boy Court, Ludgate Hill, EC or Mr. RG Graham, 7 Finch Lane, EC on the part of the English.
(signed) Charles W. Alcock”
Severe frost on the proposed date caused the match to be played on March 5 instead. It should be emphasised that this and four succeeding matches in 1870-71 were not official in any way as “Scotland” was selected by the FA from players in and around London with Scottish connections. Not until the match at Glasgow on November 30, 1872 when the Scottish side was selected by the Queen’s Park club was the official series started.
Lord Kilmarnock and RN Ferguson were unable to play for Scotland. They were replaced by Moten and Gordon; for England Alcock and Butler replaced TC Hooman (Old Carthusians) and A Lloyd (Crystal Palace).
William Henry Gladstone (1840-1891), playing for Scotland above, was the eldest son of W.E. Gladstone, the Prime Minister. He was MP for Chester (1865-68) and Whitby (1868-1886) and so remains the only sitting Member of Parliament to play in an England-Scotland match, albeit in an unofficial international.
The playing positions are not known apart from the Scottish goalkeeper and full-back.