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The 1979 British Home Championship was an English football victory in a competition which was seeing marked increases in hooliganism and falling attendance which would result in its cancellation in 1984. The English started well, beating Northern Ireland to match the heavy Welsh victory over Scotland on the same day, which featured a hat trick by John Toshack. Scotland recovered by beating the Irish in their next match while England and Wales played out a goaless draw, leaving three sides capable of winning in the final round. Wales could only manage a draw with the Irish, and so in the deciding match between England and Scotland, a 3-1 win gave the English overall victory, with Wales in second place. The tournament also saw the introduction of goal difference to separate teams, although it had no effect on the eventual outcome.
The points system worked as follows:
- 2 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
For the first time, goal difference was used to divide the teams, although it made no difference to the final outcome at this tournament.
[edit] Results
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
