1888 World Championship (football)

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1888 World Championship

Renton team, winning side

Event

Renton	West Bromwich Albion

4	1

Date

19 May 1888

Venue

Hampden Park, Crosshill

Attendance

6,000

Weather

Thunderstorm^[1]

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The 1888 World Championship was an exhibition football match that took place in Crosshill (today part of Glasgow), Scotland, on 19 May 1888 between the winners of the Scottish Cup, Renton, and the English FA Cup, West Bromwich Albion. The match was won by Renton who beat Albion 4–1.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] The match was played in very bad weather and a replay in England was proposed, but never took place.^[1]

Overview

This was not the first "World Championship" game between English and Scottish sides; however, the next edition was the first such club competition contested between national league winners (as the leagues had not been yet created before that time). Johnny Campbell, who played for Renton in this fixture, would also win a world championship with Sunderland in 1895; he is therefore the first known British footballer to have been twice listed as a world champion with different clubs.^[6]

It was noted in the press that West Brom were "one of the English clubs which have never had a Scotchman either as a coach or a player"^[1] and the match were therefore seen as a truly international event – by this point may of the leading English clubs (which were allowed to become professional in 1885) had Scottish players, and in the aforementioned Sunderland v Hearts match in 1895 both entrants had an all-Scottish line-up.

Renton's win was something of a watershed for Scottish football, as within a few days James Kelly and Neil McCallum had left to join the newly-formed Celtic and quickly helped to establish them as a force in the game,^[7] Meanwhile Renton soon lost several other members of their 'world champion' team to professional clubs in England (including Andrew Hannah who moved to West Brom after he impressed them in the Glasgow match) and gradually declined, never returning to the same level.^[1]

Participant teams

Team	Qualification
West Bromwich Albion	1887–88 FA Cup winners
Renton	1887–88 Scottish Cup winners

Match details

19 May 1888

Renton	4–1	West Bromwich Albion
McNee J. McCall H. Campbell	Report	Pearson

Hampden Park, Crosshill

Attendance: 6,000

Referee:

J. Sinclair^[1]

Renton

West Bromwich
Albion

Teams

Renton:
GK	John Lindsay
FB	Andrew Hannah
FB	Archie McCall
HB	Bob Kelso
HB	James Kelly
HB	Donald McKechnie
FW	Harry Campbell
FW	James McCall
FW	Johnny Campbell
FW	Neil McCallum
FW	Jack McNee

West Bromwich Albion:
GK	Bob Roberts
FB	Charlie Mason^[a]
FB	Harry Green
HB	Ezra Horton
HB	Charlie Perry
HB	George Timmins
FW	Billy Bassett
FW	George Woodhall
FW	Jem Bayliss (c)
FW	Joe Wilson
FW	Tom Pearson
^ Guest player from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e The Championship of the World Robert Bradley & Douglas Gorman, 2018, via Scottish Sport History
^ Renton crowned World Champions, BBC
^ RENTON F.C. CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD, The League, 2 March 2019
^ Remember when a team from Scotland won the World Cup? The incredible story of Renton F.C, Glasgow Live, 12 November 2018
^ Saturday's Football. | Renton V. West Bromwich Albion., The Glasgow Herald, 21 May 1888
^ Johnny Campbell, The Twice World Club Championship Winner, Ryehill Football, 27 April 2020
^ Mitchell, Andy (2021). The men who made Scotland: The definitive Who's Who of Scottish Football Internationalists 1872-1939. Amazon. ISBN 9798513846642.

v t e Football World Championship
1888 1889 1895 1901–02

v t e West Bromwich Albion F.C. matches
FA Cup Finals	1886 1887 1888 1892 1895 1912 1931 1935 1954 1968
League Cup Finals	1966 1967 1970
FA Charity Shields	1920 1931 1954 1968
Football League play-off Finals	1993 Second Division 2007 Championship
Other matches	1888 World Championship 5–3 v Manchester United (1978) Len Cantello Testimonial Match (1979) Battle of Bramall Lane (2002)

v t e Renton Football Club
Club	Players Tontine Park Dumbartonshire Cup
Matches	1875 Scottish Cup final 1885 Scottish Cup final 1886 Scottish Cup final 1888 Scottish Cup final 1888 World Championship 1895 Scottish Cup final

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