Another Southern League player, Archie Turner of Southampton played the first of his two internationals at outside right, while on the left were Charlie Sagar of Bury and Fred Priest of Sheffield United, with the experienced Gilbert Smith in the centre.

In the event, the game was far more difficult than expected, with England only managing a 2–0 victory,[1] with goals from debutantes Johnson and Sagar.

The other three debutantes were up front, with Corinthians Geoffrey Plumpton Wilson and Tip Foster, lining up alongside their club captain, G. O. Smith, and Alf Spouncer of Nottingham Forest making his only England appearance on the left wing.

While the visitors were expected to win with ease, the Welsh "fought magnificently"[1] to hold the English to a draw with Billy Meredith's 55th-minute strike cancelling out Wilson's third-minute goal.

[3] As Scotland had defeated both the Welsh and Irish by large scores, England needed a victory at Celtic Park if they were to retain the British Home Championship.