Malcolm Allison once said the football played in England during the early-70s was the best it had been since the war.
Indeed, many of similar age to myself who can remember this era reflect upon it as a memorable period for the domestic game – but while acknowledging the outlandish skills of say Tony Currie, Alan Hudson and Charlie George, to this observer there is still a sense that post-war British football reached a peak in the second half of the 1960s.
Far be it for me to contradict ‘Big Mal’ (arguably the most innovative coach of his generation in guiding Manchester City to four major trophies as the 60s gave way to the 70s), but in the years between the World Cups of 1966 and 1970, there is substantive proof levels of achievement reached an all-time high – the case for built upon rock solid evidence of England being World Champions and both Celtic and Manchester United winning the European Cup.
Furthermore, all across Britain authentic world class talent (George Best, Denis Law, Bobby Moore, Jimmy Greaves, Alan Ball, Gordon Banks, Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Johnstone, Martin Peters), illuminated Saturday afternoons the way The Beatles and The Kinks had turned pop music from monochrome to technicolour.
The rivalry between great managers, Busby, Shankly, Stein, Nicholson, Revie, Catterick, Mercer was intense, but respectful, their differing philosophies reflected in the contrasting way their teams’ sought success.
Yet for all that divided them in terms of approach, there is no doubt, Liverpool, Leeds United, Manchester City and Celtic all produced outstanding football at this juncture – the August 1967 Charity Shield fixture when Manchester United and Spurs shared six goals, an early indication of what heights would be reached in the years ahead.
As the chapter drew to a close, in 1970 Chelsea and Leeds produced an FA Cup Final and Replay rich in drama, while an Everton team steeped in Corinthian spirit and sublime skill become League Champions.
These halcyon times, however, would end in the weeks that followed – Celtic unexpectedly losing a European Cup Final to Feyenoord, with England relinquishing their hold on the World Cup at the quarter-final stage of Mexico 70.
Just as there are four different winners of Division One between 1967 and 1970 (Manchester United, Manchester City, Leeds United and Everton) and four different winners of the FA Cup (Spurs, West Bromwich Albion, Manchester City and Chelsea), neither is there overall superiority in the oldest football fixture of all.
During the three years under review in the annual clashing of swords between England and Scotland, they once put each other to the sword and with two hard fought draws on either side, it exemplifies just how close and keen the rivalry remained.
One landmark victory apiece, a couple of tough encounters where the spoils were shared, dazzling passages of play, superbly worked goals, fierce competitiveness and arguably the greatest save ever seen, this quartet of fixtures are representative of the period – to paraphrase the most noted songsmith of the decade, ‘The Times They Were Amazing.’
In what appears a contrived arrangement by modern standards, the Home International fixtures of 1966-67 and 1967-68 served as Qualifying Group 8 for the 1968 European Championships (or European Nations Cup as it was then known).
Under pressure from the Football League, who by now viewed the British Championship as a blot on the fixture landscape (topflight matches being postponed to accommodate the fixtures), the format was agreed by the Football Association’s of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – the Football League winning another concession two years later when the Home Internationals were condensed into a week at the end of the season.
By the spring of 1967 England were not only nine months into their reign as World Champions but boasted an unbeaten record going back 19 matches (they had in fact lost only one of their previous thirty games) – the three fixtures since lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy yielding qualifying wins over Northern Ireland (2-0), Wales (2-0) and a goalless friendly against Czechoslovakia.
For their first match of 1967, England showed one change from the World Cup winning XI when facing Scotland at Wembley on April 15 (although the inclusion of Jimmy Greaves in place of Roger Hunt could hardly be said to weaken the line-up).
Two matches into their qualifying campaign (recording a draw against Wales and win over Northern Ireland), Scotland, also facing their opening gambit of the year, awarded first caps to Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Jim McCalliog and, at the age of 36, goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson, returning to a ground where he had won FA Cup winners medals with Newcastle United in 1952 and 1955.
Keep your friends close and enemies….
With both sides showing a pleasing inclination to keep the ball on the floor, very quickly a high-quality international match develops, each mixing technique with tenacity in the battle for supremacy. But armed with the swagger and strut of Jim Baxter Scotland begin to dictate, going ahead when Denis Law finishes smartly in the 28th minute.
An England response is hampered by Jack Charlton sustaining a foot injury and in the days before substitutions in international football, he plays for 70 minutes with a broken toe, offering little more than nuisance value in limping through the second half as a makeshift striker.
Scotland capitalise by moving the ball around fluently, having the better of an unrelenting game before Bobby Lennox extends the lead, a tiring England defence caught out when he scores on 78 minutes.
What follows, however, is arguably the most extraordinary 12 minutes in the long history of the fixture.
Thirty seconds after Baxter writes himself into Scottish football folklore with a quick exhibition of ball-juggling skills, emphasising their dominance among other things, England regain possession. Showing admirable resolve, clever interplay between Alan Ball and Greaves creates a close-range chance the injured Charlton brother is able to convert.
With the World Champions committed to an equaliser Scotland find space to exploit, the issue apparently settled when Law produces an audacious lob that initially leaves Gordon Banks wrong-footed – only for the world’s best goalkeeper to defy gravity, his leap to palm the ball behind leaving Law and everyone who has since seen the save, in a state of disbelief.
But sixty seconds later there is nothing even Banks can do as neat exchange between Willie Wallace and MaCalliog results in the debutant restoring the two-goal buffer.
At the death Geoff Hurst heads home a Bobby Charlton centre, but England run out of time to salvage a point and their pride, although in truth they produced a commendable performance given the injury to Jack Charlton, that effectively reduced them to ten men for over two thirds of the game.
Nevertheless Scotland, with boss Bobby Brown in charge for the first time, had ended the long unbeaten trot of their old rivals. England manager Sir Alf Ramsey conceded the Scots had deserved to win but was inwardly seething at the outcome of a fixture he hated to lose – England not losing to Scotland again during the rest of his tenure.
celebrations after Bobby Lennox scores;
On a day when Scotland, produced a mature, expressive display, Simpson was not only brave but handled well, centre backs John Greig and Ron McKinnon coped with nigh on everything England threw at them (captain Greig making a vital goal-line clearance at 1-0) with Law and Baxter both sublime.
Six weeks later Lisbon would make Lions of Simpson, Wallace, Lennox and Tommy Gemmill as Celtic became the first British team to win the European Cup.
Back at Wembley there were 60s subplots across the pitch; three weeks later Scotland full-back Eddie McCreadie (Chelsea) and Greaves faced each other again on opposing sides in the FA Cup Final (Greaves successful on this occasion as Spurs win 2-1), while the following year Jack Charlton, Billy Bremner (Leeds United) and Ball (Everton) were back for domestic cup finals.
But most significantly of all, Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles would be in a Manchester United team who defeated Benfica 4-1 beneath the Twin Towers – adding a European Cup winners medal to their World Cup winning honours.
While north of the border a Scotland win over England was always greeted joyously, it also put them in a strong position with regard to reaching the European Nations Finals of the following year.
But when the Hampden return came around on Saturday 24 February 1968, the situation had altered to the extent the visitors only required a point to qualify. Scotland had been undone by a George Best wonder-show in Belfast as Northern Ireland recorded a surprise 1-0 victory, England making up lost ground with comfortable wins over Northern Ireland and Wales.
In the event they attain what was required without undue alarm and although John Hughes (Celtic) levelled after Peters had given England an early lead, a typically feisty encounter produced little in the way of clear-cut chances, English revenge taking the form of vindication through qualifying rather than victory.
As it transpired England were unable to add the European title to their World crown, finishing third after losing in the semi-final to Yugoslavia (who in turn lost to hosts Italy in the final).
The following year, with the Home Internationals now played over the course of a week, thoughts were turning toward Mexico when Scotland arrived at Wembley on May 10 1969 – the visitors needing victory to take the title after dropping a point, England having won both games.
Despite fielding a strong line-up, the dearth of high-profile Scottish goalkeepers is emphasised by selection of Jim Herriot, first choice at second division Birmingham City. In truth, he can do little as England run out easy 4-1 winners, a fine header from Rangers centre-forward Colin Stein to make the score 2-1 at half-time all Scotland offer in reply to a brace each from Hurst and Peters.
With defence of the World Cup uppermost in their minds, the England spine (Banks, Moore, Ball, Bobby Charlton, Hurst, Peters), has a familiar look, Ramsey continuing to adopt a square peg/square hole policy with his new full-back pairing of Keith Newton and Terry Cooper. At centre-half the classy Brian Labone (Everton) has usurped Jack Charlton, while Alan Mullery (Spurs) and Francis Lee (an FA Cup winner with Manchester City two weeks before) have filled the roles vacated by Stiles and Hunt.
On a night when England produce the form of world champions, they repeatedly carve Scotland open, scoring four well-worked goals (the third a penalty from Hurst, the fourth a gem by Peters) in what transpires as their most satisfying display between the World Cups of 1966 and 70.
By 1970 and the first meeting of a new decade, Mexico is looming large on English horizons. Having failed to qualify Scotland are determined to send them off to South America with a Hampden flea in their ear, the late-April encounter effected by the imminent Leeds v Chelsea FA Cup Final replay.
Ramsey is denied the Leeds contingent of Charlton, Cooper, Allan Clarke and Norman Hunter and Chelsea pair of Peter Bonetti and Peter Osgood, the Scottish absentees being Bremner, Eddie Gray and Peter Lorimor (Leeds), McCreadie and Charlie Cooke from Chelsea. Even so, the importance of the fixture is not lost upon Gemmill, David Hay and Jimmy Johnstone, who have a European Cup Final with Celtic in less than a fortnight.
With Ramsey giving a run to a number of fringe performers and Scotland boss Brown selecting eight home-based players, the game is a strangely low-key affair lacking in cohesion. England are fortunate not to concede a penalty when Labone upends Stein, although neither side deserve to win a game that drifts into the realms of stalemate long before the final whistle.
It proves to be the only drawn meeting of the 1970s.
In the days ahead Celtic fail to win a second European Cup and England are unable to retain the World Cup, so when Scotland lose 3-1 at Wembley in May 1971, both sides are just two more nations whose futures will be dictated by qualification for major tournaments.
England make laboured progress to the 1972 European Championship quarterfinals where they come off second best to an accomplished West German team who go on to become European champions, Scotland parting company with manager Brown when their hopes of qualifying have floundered.
By May 1974 however, fortunes have contrasted sharply. In the wake of failing to qualify for the 1974 World Cup Finals being staged in West Germany, World Cup winning cornerstones, manager Ramsey and captain Moore, have both departed the international scene. Scotland, meanwhile, their World Cup place secured, record a 2-0 Hampden victory over England – whose abject display reflects their fall from world champions to World Cup also-rans.
In what proved the final appearance of Martin Peters, a performer worthy of the 67 caps he won, defeat was conclusive proof the 60s were over, the 70s already a decade with not much for England to write home about.
For a first win over England since the Wembley success of seven years before, included in the Scotland squad are Billy Bremner and Denis Law, two survivors of that notable triumph. Despite the 1967 match being dissected and analysed long before your genial host waded in, there is still one unanswered question – just what did Law say to Banks after his apparent levitation denied the Scotsman a certain goal?
Given the nature of Scotland v England exchanges of the time, perhaps its best we don’t know.
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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as as an Amazon Kindle book.
