7 April 1894 - No, I Don't Know What The Nickname Means

On 7 April 1894, 21-year old Sheffield United midfielder Ernest "Nudger" Needham made the first of his 16 appearances for the English national team - the most England caps of any Sheffield United player. His national team debut came in a 2-2 draw against Scotland at Celtic Park, Glasgow before a crowd of 45,107.

All of his 16 caps were in competitive matches in the British Home Championship. He captained the side once, in the 18 March 1901 match against Wales which England won 6-0, including one goal from Needham - one of the three he scored for England over the course of his national team career.

Needham played for Sheffield United from 1892-1909, totaling 554 matches and 65 goals. He helped the Blades achieve promotion to Division One in 1893 and then, as captain, helped them to the Division One title in the 1897-98 season and the FA Cup trophy in 1899 and 1902.

29 March 1884 - They Played Like Warrior-Poets

On 29 March 1884, the Scottish national team beat Wales at Caithkin Park in Glasgow by the score of 4-1 to claim the inaugural British Home Championship. John Kay scored two goals for the Scottish side, while Joseph Lindsay and Francis Shaw added one more each.

The British Home Championship was contested annually between the four national teams within the United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland (Northern Ireland after the Irish partition in 1922). The Championship used a standard table format where each of the four teams played the other three teams once, earning two points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. The title went to the team with the highest number of points at the conclusion.

Scotland finished the 1883-84 Championship at the top of the table with maximum points. They beat Ireland away 5-0 in the first ever BHC match on 26 January 1884, then beat England 1-0 in Glasgow, before completing their title with the victory over Wales.

The British Home Championship was canceled between 1914-19 due to World War I and again during 1939-46 due to World War II. It was also canceled in 1980-81 due to the civil unrest in Northern Ireland that year. It was last played in 1984, when it was won by Northern Ireland.