“The ref not taking any of Jude Bellingham’s guff, and giving him a yellow card instead, was very satisfying,” writes Matthew Lysaught.

Bellingham’s been different in the last year or so, hasn’t he? At the Euros I thought he was a red card waiting to happen. To borrow a phrase from England’s past, have a word with him.

Do you remember the first time?

Tim Jones “My first game was Swansea v Leeds in about 1962. My uncle took me because John Charles was supposed to play for Leeds. But disappointingly he was replaced by someone called Jack Charlton.”

Tim Woods “Portsmouth 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday in 1987. I don’t remember much of the game except that Mark Chamberlain scored a goal. My abiding memory is the atmosphere… Fratton Park was quite the experience as a wide-eyed 10-year-old.”

Bogdan Kotarlic “Yugoslavia 5-0 Cyprus, November 1979, European Championship qualification. I was seven years old, Yugoslavia won 5-0 and I felt awesome. I loved that country and I am still sad that Yugoslavia does’t exist anymore. Still, there are some great footballing memories regarding that country although we were always underachievers.”

Richard Hirst “Fulham 3-3 Millwall in the FA Cup in 1965. Fulham, in the old Division 1, were leading Millwall (Division 4) 3-1 with not long to go. Needless to say we lost the replay. Perfect preparation for a life supporting Fulham.”

Nigel “My first match was watching Walton and Hersham at Stompond Lane in what was then the Athenian league. I don’t remember the opponent or the score but I followed them for years until they went to the amateur FA cup at Wembley where they won, 2-1 I think. I think my dad was as thrilled as I was.”

Bruce Crawford “Old Trafford, 5 December 1964. So coming up to 60 years ago! My mum and dad took me aged 5 to see United for the first time and I just have a memory of fog. The game was very nearly abandoned, and in fact was temporarily suspended at which point I remember being taken back to the car by my mum. Dad arrived later when it finally finished and Leeds had won 1-0. I was hooked for life, and got to see those who became my heroes Best, Law & Charlton, but it shows how the memory plays tricks because for years I had an image in my head of Billy Bremner looming out of the fog, only to find out more recently he hadn’t even signed for Leeds at that point!”

[He was at Leeds but you might be thinking of the FA Cup semi-final later that season.]

Nigel Moore “I remember my dad taking my brother and me to see Sunderland play Man City at Maine Road 1953-54 when I was six. The only memory of the game I have is all the legs of the spectators but afterwards trying to play like Len Shackleton who was the big star then.”

Dave Radmore “I’m the anecdotal proof that hosting a summer tournament creates new fans. After the joy and ultimate disappointment of the Euro 96 summer, I was invited to go along to the opening match of the season at Cambridge United by a friend. They won 1-0, couldn’t tell you who they played [Barnet – ed], and I was immediately hooked for 30 years of pretty much abject misery with the occasional bright spot, and wouldn’t change a thing.”

Darren “I haven’t been to that many matches (five) so I can remember every one. My first was as a glory-hunting Liverpool fan in London. My mum asked if I wanted to see them play her team Arsenal at Highbury. I was ten, and this sounded like a great idea. We were in the East Stand, near to the North, and I couldn’t see a thing. Just as well, my beloved ‘Pool got tonked 3-1, and I only knew about the late consolation goal thanks to commentary from my mother.”

[I think that was September 1984]

John Parry “18 September 18 1971. George Best hat trick! United 4-2 West Ham. One of the many things I have to thank my dear departed dad for. The ITV cameras were there…”

Thanks for sending in your memories of your first live game. I’m afraid I didn’t have time to go through them all, mainly because it looked like England were going to get a red card as half-time approached.

Half time: England 0-0 Republic of Ireland

45+3 min: It’s kicking off! Molumby tries to block Kane, who throws him to the canvas, at which point some players on both sides get involved. Both players are booked.

45 min Three minutes of added time. There still hasn’t ben a shot on target.

43 min And now Scales has been booked for some off-the-ball nonsense.

42 min That frustration I was talking about: Bellingham has also been booked, presumably for dissent.

41 min O’Dowda turns the tables on Madueke, who brings him down and is booked. England are getting increasingly frustrated.

39 min Kane overruns the ball slightly, allowing Scales to make an empathic and entirely fair man-and-ball challenge. The Ireland fans enjoyed that.

38 min Hall’s chipped cross is diverted to Madueke, whose off-balance shot is blocked. Hall has arguably been England’s best player in the first half.

36 min Szmodics, back on the field, wants a penalty after going down in the England area. For a split-second it looked like he would be through on goal after a long pass by O’Shea (I think), but Walker stooped to get a crucial headed touch back to Pickford.

36 min Bellingham slashes a half-volley well wide with his left foot. Ireland have done a really good job on England so far.

35 min I’m happy to say it looks like that was a false alarm – he’s ready to come back on the field. The way he fell looked horrible, slightly reminiscent of Simon Jones’ awful injury in the 2002-03 Ashes.

33 min Sammie Szmodics is down with what looks like a nasty injury. His foot got stuck in the turf, with nobody else near him, and he immediately started punching the ground in pain. This looks serious I’m afraid; it could be ligament damage.

30 min England take a short corner to Bellingham, who plays an imaginative give-and-go with Madueke and then drags a cross on the turn well wide. The angle was far too tight by the time he got to the ball, but it was a nice idea.

29 min Madueke appeals unsuccessfully for a penalty when his close-range shot is blocked by Scales.

27 min Lewis Hall makes a good run behind the defence on the left and drives a dangerous low cross that is booted away at the near post by Collins.

25 min Not much is happening. You’d expect England to break Ireland down eventually but they haven’t managed a shot on target so far. The one save Kelleher made was from a Madueke cross in the fifth minute.

22 min Guehi and Ferguson grab one another’s shirts in the penalty area, a tactic that is more risky for Guehi. Again the referee isn’t interested, but the Irish fans are loudly affronted when it comes up on the big screen.

22 min Thanks for sending in your memories of your first football match. I’ll collate as many as I can and publish them at half-time.

21 min Ebosele goes on a winding run from right to left before going over just outside the area. He thought he was fouled by Livramento, the referee did not.

19 min England continue to probe, though it’s not easy to find an eye in the needle – as I type Ireland have all 10 outfield players within 25 yards of their own goal.

16 min England are on top but it hasn’t been one-way traffic, and overall I suspect qualified dentist Heimir Hallgrimsson will be happy with how Ireland have started.

13 min Walker is playing the role at centre-back at both ends. He is first to another Madueke corner, but this time he gets ahead of the ball and can only head it whence it came.

11 min Bellingham rakes a shot from 20 yards is that blocked by Cullen. England have started well, particularly through Madueke on the right.

10 min “My first game was, I think, Spurs 6-0 Slovan Bratislava (6-2 on aggregate) in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963,” writes Jon Scott. “My second game, though it’s possible I have mixed the order, was Spurs 6-2 Man United. Those were the good old days. That 6-2 scoreline in both helps me remember.”

I’d have to double check but from memory I think it was Man Utd first, on 24 October 1962, with the Slovan Bratislava game on 14 March 1963.

7 min Ebosele barrels thrillingly down the right, away from Jones, but Guehi steps across to make a well-judged interception.

6 min “Rather fitting that Lee Carsley signs out on his pretty successful England tenure with a match against Ireland, the team he played for,” says Colum Fordham. “He’s been understated, imaginative, at times to the point of recklessness, but has not put too many steps wrong. Say ‘aah’!”

5 min: Chance for England! Madueke slaloms thrillingly past two players in the area and drives a low cross from the byline that is kicked away by Kelleher. Jones runs onto the loose ball, 20 yards out, and hits a stinging shot that deflects behind for a corner.

The resulting corner leads to a good chance for Walker, who gets the run on Molumny at the near post but heads Madueke’s inswinger over the bar.

3 min “I’m at Finland v Greece with my nine year old son,” writes Kári Tulinius. “It’s his first match, outside a couple of second tier games in the Icelandic league, and he’s very excited. I’ve prepared him for the possibility of a loss for the Eagle Owls, but he believes. Let’s hope the home team pulls one out of the bag.”

That’s so sweet. I was going to say you never forget your first game but I’ve just realised I can’t remember mine. All I know that it was somewhere in London in the late 1970s. I started drinking at a very young age.

2 min Ireland are actually playing with Nathan Collins in midfield in what looks like a 4-1-4-1 formation. Ferguson is up front with Szmodics playing from the left.

1 min Peep peep! Ireland kick off from left to right as we watch.

A reminder of the teams

England (4-2-3-1) Pickford; Livramento, Walker, Guehi, Hall; Gallagher, Jones; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane.
Substitutes: Henderson, Trafford, Lewis, Gibbs-White, Gomes, Quansah, Harwood-Bellis, Watkins, Rogers, Bowen, Solanke.

Republic of Ireland (possible 5-4-1) Kelleher; O’Shea, McGuinness, Collins, Scales, O’Dowda; Ebosele, Cullen, Molumby, Szmodics; Ferguson.
Substitutes: O’Leary, Travers, Doherty, Parrott, Johnston, O’Brien, Moran, Azaz, Manning, Coventry, McAteer, Cannon.

Referee Erik Lambrechts (Belgium).

It’s pouring down at Wembley, and both anthems have just been roundly booed. Tremendous.

“As a trepidatious Ireland fan I am hoping that we avoid a shellacking,” says Niall Mullen. “That will likely depend on the catlike reflexes of Caoimhín ‘Caoimh’ Kelleher. As a proud Three Lioner yourself would you swap him for Pickford?”

That’s a good question, apart from the fact I’m neither proud nor a Three Lioner. As a neutral I’d probably keep Pickford at this stage, for his experience as much as anything, but there isn’t much in it. Kelleher is ceaselessly impressive. I remember MBMing a Liverpool game during Covid, possibly at home to Wolves, when he made his Premier League debut. He kept a clean sheet but what really stood out, even in the first 10-15 minutes, was how calm and authoritative he was. Even when young keepers make great saves, you expect them to be like a cat on a hot tin roof.

Good Luck Mr Gorsky Carsley

“Thanks for clarifying the Ireland manager is a qualified dentist,” says DFGTR EDTRTT (sic). “So many unqualified dentists out there.”

You’re most welcome; information should be shared. I can lend you a couple of vowels as well if you like.

“Guess what?” says Jeremy Boyce. “I’m beginning to wonder if the FA weren’t a little hasty in picking up the phone to Thomas Tuchel. Carsley has made a more than decent fist of his interim term. The Greece embarrassment at Wembley aside, results have been okay, and should be again tonight.

“The no-shows have obliged him to turn to others, and he’s turned to the yoof. Quite right. They are the future, and if you’re good enough you’re old enough. Wasn’t there a famous northern team manager who thought similarly? Maybe two of them?

“He also seems to understand the idea of ‘rotation’, not overburdening your best players, picking on merit and form, not reputation. TT may have done him a favour, he’ll have good credentials when the inevitable managerial merry-go-round spins next time.”

In my opinion, if Carsley was the permanent manager he’d been overwhelmed by the off-field nonsense. He’s an outstanding youth coach, one the FA should cherish. That’s the impression I get, anyway, and I can’t be locked up for it. At least not yet.

Curtis Jones, who in the last couple of months has taken a shortcut from good to really, really good in the last couple of months, also gets another start tonight.

Lee Carsley speaks to ITV

[What impressed you most against Greece?] The mentality that we played with, the ability and intensity. We spoke about matching their enthusiasm. We did that and we’ll have to do the same today.

[On having the same five players behind the striker] With the time we’ve had on the training ground, I felt it was important to have more consistency of selection.

[On Tino Livramento] He’s a player I’ve coached for a number of years. He’s very talented, he’s playing well for Newcastle, so I’m looking forward to watching him.

GARY NAYLOR, THIS IS FOR YOU

“The football will have to go some to get anywhere near the Anderson – Littler semi-final in the darts,” says Simon McMahon. “Did you see it? It doesn’t get any better. Sorry if you’re not watching, no spoilers.”

Are you suggesting that, because the blog hasn’t been updated for about half an hour, I must have been spellbound by one of the greatest semi-finals of all time? You’ve got nothing on me!

Noni Madueke starts again tonight, having been one of the success stories of the Carsley Months.

Team news: Hall, Livramento start

Preamble