If James or Campbell appear for England against Israel or Russia they will become the first Pompey player to pull on the three lion’s shirt in a competitive game for over half a century
The only Pompey player to achieve that honour was the late Jimmy Dickinson MBE. Jim played in two World Cups, 1950 and 1954 and won five caps in those tournaments.
25 June 1950 v Chile – Rio de Janeiro W2-0
29 June 1950 v USA – Belo Horizonte L0-1
17 June 1954 v Belgium – Basle D4-4
20 June 1954 v Switzerland – Berne W2-0
26 June 1954 v Uruguay (QF) – Basle L2-4
The defeat by USA in Belo Horizonte is famous for being one of the great upsets in World Cup history. The USA were total outsiders with a collection of soccer misfits but the England side was totally under prepared. Jim was one of the casualties of the shock, missing the final qualifier in Rio against Spain (which England also lost).
In the 4-4 draw with Belgium, Jim became the only Pompey player to score in an England competitive game – unfortunately it was an own goal during extra time. No penalty shoot outs in those days!!
To date, no Pompey player has represented England in a European Championship game.
The first Blues player to represent his country in the European Championships was popular Irishman Eoin Hand when he played as a substitute for the Republic against Czechoslovakia in May 1969. Eoin, who spent more than 10 years (in two spells) at the club after signing from Drumcondra went on to manage his country. Hand’s reign began the revival of Irish football narrowly failing to qualify for the Europeans in 1984 and eventually being succeeded by Jack Charlton.
So Jamo or Sol can earn a place in Pompey history next Saturday against Israel in what will be first meeting between the two countries in England.
Written by eastneydave.
The views within this article are the views of the individual who wrote and submitted this piece, sometimes solely theirs. They are not necessarily shared by the Vital Pompey Site Journalists.
To join the Vital Pompey debate – in the forum or with comments on articles – simply take a few seconds to register an account.
