History of the Wales national football team (1876–1976)

Wales improved considerably in the post-war period, and claimed three titles during the 1920s, although the team was often hindered by the reluctance of Football League clubs to release their players for international duty.

By the late 1930s, Wales were again able to call upon their strongest side, and enjoyed their most successful period in the British Home Championship, winning four titles in the six years before the Second World War.

[2] Four years later, G. A. Clay-Thomas, a Welshman living in London, placed adverts in sports magazines The Field and Bell's Life proposing that a Welsh side be raised for a match against either Scotland or Ireland in rugby union.

Jack Doughty scored four goals, and the game was so one-sided that three Welsh players left the field before the match ended to ensure they were on time for their train home.

[39] Having missed the previous two years while serving a ban for his part in the 1905 English football bribery scandal, Meredith returned to play for Wales in the 1906–07 British Home Championship.

In November of the same year, Roose suffered a broken arm while playing for his club side but declared himself fit for the British Home Championship internationals in March 1911.

Goals from Stan Davies and Dick Richards secured victory for Wales, who had been reduced to ten men in the second half when Harry Millership went off injured, but the performance of the now 45-year-old Meredith drew headlines.

When Wales were left short for the visit of Scotland in the 1925–26 Championship, Ted Robbins called up debutant Jack Lewis after following him to a train station in Newport where he was due to travel to Birmingham to play for Cardiff City.

[54] Defeats to Scotland and Ireland followed and Robbins was again forced to make a late addition for the final match against England: John Pullen had been travelling to London with Moses Russell and was persuaded to join up to win his first cap, alongside Charlie Jones.

By the end of the decade, Cardiff City had been relegated to the Second Division, Aberdare Athletic had dropped out of the Football League and both Newport County and Merthyr Town had survived re-elections to avoid the same fate.

Wales' first match under the ruling was the opening game of the 1930–31 British Home Championship against Scotland, who were largely unaffected as they drew the majority of their players from Scottish leagues.

Eric Brook equalised for England in the second half but, with less than ten minutes remaining, Dai Astley scored a header to give Wales victory and win the Home Championship in consecutive years for the only time in the nation's history.

[66] Wales also went on to share the 1938–39 British Home Championship title with both England and Scotland after all three sides attained four points in the final tournament before the outbreak of the Second World War.

[76] A further defeat to Scotland ended Wales' hopes of qualification and only a goalless draw with Northern Ireland stopped the side finishing bottom of the group on goal difference.

The Welsh squad contained several young players born or brought up in the Swansea area, including Ford, Ivor Allchurch and Roy Paul, and the game was regarded as a homecoming match.

[73][82] Wales struggled in the years immediately afterwards, finishing bottom of the Championship in consecutive seasons, including the 1953–54 tournament which saw the team fail to qualify for the 1954 FIFA World Cup.

[88] John Charles quickly gained a reputation as the side's leading player, featuring as either a centre-half or centre-forward, and his performance in the victory over England led Western Mail reporter Dewi Lewis to describe him as "the perfect footballer if ever there was one".

[87] The French referee, Louis Fauquemberghe,[89][90] who was unable to speak either German or English, had little control as both sides continually resorted to fouling each other resulting in injuries to eight players.

[93][94] A second opportunity at qualification emerged in December 1957 as the volatile political situation in Israel led to Turkey, Indonesia and Sudan withdrawing from matches against the nation for varying reasons.

Wales manager Jimmy Murphy prepared his team to play without Charles, but the player eventually secured his release and arrived in Sweden only three days before the start of the competition.

Wales were dealt a blow when Lajos Tichy gave Hungary the lead after 30 minutes while John Charles was again the focus of the Hungarian defence, leaving the field on more than one occasion to receive treatment.

Described by one reporter as having received "the most tremendous battering I have ever seen administered to a soccer player", Charles was unable to take his place in the side and was replaced by Colin Webster.

Charles' absence proved costly as several chances were spurned with Brian Glanville of The Times remarking "Wales could have won because all sorts of very tempting centres were coming across the goal and John wasn't there to head them in.

His side recorded a surprise 2–1 victory over their previously unbeaten opponents,[125] the only match the Soviet Union failed to win during qualifying,[121] via goals by Roy Vernon and Ivor Allchurch.

[128] Wales recorded a creditable 1–1 draw with West Germany in April 1969 ahead of the qualifying campaign for the 1970 FIFA World Cup, but the side was hampered by withdrawals and refusals to release players for matches.

Wales' first match was against reigning European champions Italy and Dave Bowen was forced to name several reserve players in the line-up, although the team only lost to a single goal by Gigi Riva.

In his book Red Dragons: The Story of Welsh Football, Phil Stead writes that Dave Bowen often could "not pick a side until the day of the game because he was never sure who would be available.

One player, Wrexham's teenage defender Gareth Davis, was contacted in the early hours of the morning and travelled overnight to make the team's flight to Rome.

[146][1] The second leg was billed as one of the biggest matches in Wales' history, and the FAW (which had grown increasingly short of funds) considered an offer to move the game to Wembley Stadium to maximise profit.

[147] He controversially awarded Yugoslavia a penalty in the first half and disallowed a goal for Wales in the second, as the increasingly irate crowd made several attempts to enter the pitch.