Many footballers signed up to fight in the war and as a result many teams were depleted, and fielded guest players instead.

Scotland faced England in a wartime international on 16 October 1943 at Maine Road, Manchester in front of 60,000 fans.

The Scotland team that day comprised: Joe Crozier, Jimmy Carabine, Archie Miller, Adam Little, George Young, Billy Campbell, Willie Waddell, Torrance Gillick, Alex Linwood, Tommy Walker, and Johnny Deakin.

England won again, this time 6–2, with a Jock Dodds double accounting for Scotland's goals.

They met for a third time at Hampden Park on 22 April where a crowd of 133,000 saw England win 3–2, Dodds and Caskie scoring for Scotland.