Forget Brexit - 70 Years Ago It Was Brintro, Football Style

WHAT goes around, comes around, is one of those epigrams we all know, without perhaps knowing what it means exactly. Take relations between the United Kingdom and Europe. Here we are, holding an unnecessary General Election, because Theresa May wants a bigger majority as she takes on, if not the entire continent, then at least another 27 countries ina UK v Rest of Europe face-off.

Well, 70-years ago last week, the UK faced-off against the Rest of Europe in rather different, and far-friendlier circumstances, in what was hailed, at the time, as: “The Match of the Century”.

On 10 May, 1947, in front of 137,000 fans, at Hampden Park, 'Great Britain' beat 'The Rest of Europe' 6-1 in a game held to celebrate the return of the four UK football associations to FIFA. This match marked the healing of a long-running feud and, to a lot of unintended consequences.

But for that healing of the rift, we would maybe never have had USA 1, England 0 – the SFA's refusal to go to Brazil for the 1950 World Cup – the horror of Uruguay 7, Scotland 0 – the stooshie over George Young's last game for Scotland – the row over Denis Law's release by Torino to play in the 1961 play-off against Czechoslovakia – the row over the non-release of players for the 1965 final qualifier against Italy – the Bobby Moore bracelet case – Jinky's early-morning row round Largs bay would never have been such a big thing – we'd have been spared Argentina 1978 – Willie Miller would never have bumped into Alan Hansen – nobody would ever have known Gordon Strachan couldn't get his leg over in Mexico – Costa Rica would never have embarrassed us and so on.

No, you're right, I got carried away there. Money talks, the British would eventually have had to enter the World Cup, but, that 1947 game made it all easier.

The Great Britain team, who wore Scotland's dark blue strip, was: Frank Swift (England); George Hardwick (England, capt), Billy Hughes (Wales); Archie McAulay (Scotland), Jack Vernon (Northern Ireland), Ron Burgess (Wales); Stanley Matthews, Wilf Mannion, Tommy Lawton (all England), Billy Steel and Billy Liddell (both Scotland).

Great Britain captain George Hardwick of Middlesbrough and England

The Rest of Europe XI read: Da Rui (France); Petersen (Denmark), Steffen (Switzerland); Johnny Carey (Republic of Ireland, capt), Parola (Italy), Ludl (Czechoslovakia); Lemberechts (Belgium), Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordhal (both Sweden), Wilkes (Netherlands) and Praest (Denmark).

Manchester United's Johnny Carey led the Rest of Europe XI

Pre-game, it was accepted the European XI was not the strongest they could have picked. Several countries declined to send players to a trial game in Rotterdam, after which the side was selected, while, for obvious reasons, the Germans and Austrians could not be considered. Also, with the Iron Curtain descending across Europe, only one Eastern European player, Ludl of Czechoslovakia was selected. Jules Rimet himself was there, perhaps the only time the father of FIFA was ever at Hampden.

The Europeans began well but Nordhal, who would go on to have a sterling career in Italy, thrice failed to convert chances when left one v one with big Frank Swift. GB was equally loath to take chances, making nothing of six corners forced before, in 21 minutes, the dam broke and Wilf Mannion: “at least a foot offside” according to the Herald's long-serving Football Correspondent Cyril Horne, stopped a Billy Steel shot and directed the ball away from Da Rui.

Their lead lasted just four minutes, before Praest tied George Hardwick in knots down the left and crossed for the unmarked Nordhal to take not one but two touches, before beating Swift from eight yards.

But, the game was well and truly won and lost when GB scored three goals in the last ten minutes of the first half. Mannion got the first, his second of the match, from the penalty spot, after Ludl handled. Billy Steel then added one of his trademark 25-yard thunderbolts – the picture of Da Rui diving in vain as the ball screamed past him has become one of football's iconic picture images. Then, Lawton touched home a net-bound Mannion drive to make it 4-1.

In the second half, with GB in general, and Matthews in particular, delighting the crowd with some great football, the home team added a further two goals. The first was a Parola own goal, the result of a communication foul-up with Da Rui, the second, late in the game, something the Scottish fans were all-too-familiar with seeing, a Matthews' cross, bulleted home by the head of Lawton.

There were suggestions the game should become an annual affair. These, of course, came to nothing, but, the British associations were back inside the FIFA tent, for better or worse. The big winners from the game were the Swedes, Gren and Nordhal, who both earned lucrative moves to Italy, and Billy Steel, for whom Derby County paid a then British transfer fee within a month of the game.

Billy Steel's Hampden goal earned him a big-money move

In a piece he contributed to the match programme, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin wrote of his hopes that the match might spread international good will and understanding. Aye, that went well, not least, because the concept of an all-British team never caught on.

How about another Hampden match, to “celebrate” Brexit? Aye ~Right!!