Sir, - Soccer followers of a past generation will recall with nostalgia an event that took place on September 30th 50 years ago. It was the occasion on which an English international team came to play in Dublin for the first time against an Irish side.
The game was arranged for 5.30 pm at Dalymount Park. As teams stood for the National Anthems, over 32,000 had packed into the ground. England had, on the previous Saturday, beaten a strong North of Ireland team 7-2 and were expected to beat easily a Southern Irish team considered inferior to its Northern counterpart.
The English team lined out: Swift (Manchester City), Scott (Arsenal), Hardwick (captain, Middlesboro), Wright (Wolves), Franklin (Stoke), Cockburn (Manchester United), Finney (Preston), Carter (Derby County), Lawton (Chelsea), Mannion (Middlesboro), Langton (Blackburn Rovers). Matthews (Stoke) was the only all star player missing, having been injured in Belfast.
The Irish team was: Breen (Shamrock Rovers), Hayes (Huddersfield), Gorman (Brentford), Carey (captain, Manchester United), Martin (Glentoran, shortly to go to Leeds), Walsh (Manchester City, replacing the injured Peter Farrell of Everton), Dr K. O Flanagan (Arsenal), Coad (Shamrock Rovers), M O'Hanagan (Bohemians, replacing D. Walsh of West Brom, who was injured), Stevenson (Everton), Eglington (Everton).
Both teams went near to scoring in a thrilling first half, in which Ireland had a good case for a penalty when Stevenson was fouled in the box just before half time; however the referee ignored the appeals. Ireland was handicapped in the second half, as Hayes was injured and was only a passenger on the wing (no replacements were allowed in that era).
Fifteen minutes from full time, Stevenson shook the crossbar with a blistering shot; however, eight minutes later Finney scored the only goal for England. It was the same Finney who was responsible for the goal 11 years later which knocked Ireland out of the World Cup. Henry Rose wrote in the Daily Express the next day: "If ever a team deserved to win, Ireland did. They reduced the brilliant, star studded England team to an ordinary team.
It was on this evening that the famous "Dalymount roar" was born, now sadly deceased. Of the Irish team, Kevin and Mick O'Flanagan, Con Martin, and Tommy Eglington are happily alive and well, and all living in Dublin. Yours, etc.,
Maywood Crescent,
Raheny,
Dublin 5.