No 223
East
Germany, Wembley, 25.11.70. England won 3-1
Shilton Hughes Cooper Mullery Sadler Moore*
Lee1
Ball Hurst Clarke1
Peters1
Highlights: Peter Shilton won the first of his record 125 caps against an
East German team that promised much more than they finally produced. The
Germans had scored sixteen goals winning their previous four matches, but they
could make little impression against an experimental England defence as Sir
Alf Ramsey started rebuilding with the 1972 European championships in mind.
Manchester United's utility player David Sadler patrolled alongside the
maestro Bobby Moore in the middle of the defence, and Emlyn Hughes partnered
Terry Cooper at full back. Sir Alf reverted to his favourite 4-3-3 formation,
with Allan Clarke joining Francis Lee and Geoff Hurst at the front. Lee and
Martin Peters gave England a 2-0 lead inside the first twenty minutes, and the
cool, calculating Clarke clinched an impressive victory midway through the
second-half after the East Germans had pulled a goal back with a dipping
twenty-five yard drive by Vogel that caught Shilton off his line.
No 224
Malta,
Valletta, 3.2.71. England won 1-0
Banks Reaney Hughes Mullery* McFarland Hunter
Ball
Chivers Royle Harvey Peters1
Highlights: Alan Mullery was skipper in place of Bobby Moore, who had been
suspended by his West Ham club following the 'Blackpool Affair' (Bobby along
with West Ham team-mates Jimmy Greaves and Clyde Best had been caught drinking
in a nightclub on the eve of an FA Cup tie they thought was going to be
cancelled because of snow … the match went ahead and West Ham lost). Martin
Chivers, Roy McFarland and Everton team-mates Joe Royle and Colin Harvey made
their debuts in a European championship qualifying match played on an
iron-hard pitch that Gordon Banks described as 'the worst I have ever seen.'
It had a sand surface that had been rolled flat by a steam-roller. Martin
Peters scored the only goal after half a dozen chances had been missed.
No 225
Greece, Wembley, 21.4.71. England won 3-0
Banks Storey Hughes Mullery McFarland Moore*
Lee1
Ball (Coates) Chivers1
Hurst1
Peters
Highlights: Greece arrived for this European championship qualifying match
without any of the their star players from Panathinaikos, who were being saved
for a European Cup semi-final. A superbly struck goal by Martin Chivers was
all that separated the teams at half-time, and it took late headed goals by
Geoff Hurst and Francis Lee to clinch victory and silence the jeers of a
frustrated crowd. Peter 'Cold Eyes' Storey got his first England call up as
reward for his consistent performances for an Arsenal team on the way to a
League and FA Cup double. A hard-tackling midfield ball winner for the
Gunners, he went back to his original position of right-back for his first
taste of international football.
No 226
Malta,
Wembley, 12.5.71. England won 5-0
Banks Lawler1
Cooper Moore* McFarland Hughes
Lee1
Coates Chivers2 Clarke1
Peters (Ball)
Highlights: Allan Clarke scored one penalty and missed another and Martin
Chivers netted twice and might have had five goals. Francis Lee was on the
mark, and Chris Lawler decorated his debut with a spectacular long-range goal
from thirty yards. But it was not enough to please the 36,500 spectators who
jeered and slow-handclapped England's performance in this return European
championship match. It was so one-sided that Gordon Banks did not have a
single shot to save, and touched the ball only from back passes aimed to him
by colleagues.
No 227
Northern Ireland, Windsor Park, 15.5.71. England won 1-0
Banks Madeley Cooper Storey McFarland Moore*
Lee
Ball Chivers Clarke1
Peters
Highlights: George Best had an opportunist goal disallowed after flicking the
ball away from Gordon Banks as the England goalkeeper threw it up in
preparation for a kicked clearance. Many people considered it a magical piece
of skill and impudence by Best, but Scottish referee MacKenzie decided he had
been guilty of dangerously high kicking and, much to the annoyance of Best and
the crowd, he awarded England a free-kick. Allan Clarke's winning goal ten
minutes from the end brought off-side claims from the Irish defenders who also
insisted that Francis Lee had handled the ball before passing to Clarke. It
was not Ireland's lucky day. Paul Madeley, Leeds United's versatile defender,
came in at right back as Sir Alf Ramsey continued to search for the perfect
blend and balance at full back.
No 228
Wales,
Wembley, 19.5.71. Drew 0-0
Shilton Lawler Cooper Smith Lloyd Hughes
Lee
Coates Hurst Brown (Clarke) Peters*
Highlights: Sir Alf Ramsey's experimental side played like passing strangers
in the face of a fierce challenge from Wales. England included new caps Larry
Lloyd, Tommy Smith and Tony Brown, whose only appearance for England lasted
just seventy-four minutes before he was replaced by substitute Allan Clarke.
Francis Lee had a goal ruled off side in the 43rd minute. Martin Peters
captained England for the first time in place of rested Bobby Moore, whose
poise and authority was greatly missed in England's back line.
No 229
Scotland, Wembley, 22.5.71. England won 3-1
Banks Lawler Cooper Storey McFarland Moore*
Lee
(Clarke) Ball Chivers2 Hurst
Peters1
Highlights: Martin Peters headed England into the lead before Alan Ball gifted
Scotland an equaliser with a suicidal back pass into the path of Hugh Curran.
Ball made amends with a storming performance in midfield, and two Martin
Chivers goals gave England victory and the home international championship.
The defeat was a massive disappointment for Scotland central defender Frank
McLintock, who at the same Wembley Stadium two weeks earlier had collected
the FA Cup as captain on the day that Arsenal completed the double.
No 230
Switzerland, Basle, 13.10.71. England won 3-2 (own goal1)
Banks Lawler Cooper Mullery McFarland Moore*
Lee
Madeley Chivers1
Hurst1
(Radford) Peters
Highlights: Two rare mistakes by Gordon Banks let Switzerland in for
equalisers after England had twice taken the lead through goals by Geoff Hurst
and Martin Chivers in the first-half of this European championship qualifier.
It was just looking as if the Swiss would escape with a draw when a Chivers
cross was deflected into the net by defender Weibel for a seventy-ninth minute
winner. The victory put England top of their qualifying group.
No 231
Switzerland, Wembley, 10.11.71. Drew 1-1
Shilton Madeley Cooper Storey Lloyd Moore*
Summerbee1
(Chivers) Ball Hurst Lee (Marsh) Hughes
Highlights:
Mike Summerbee gave England the lead in the ninth minute, but then they
struggled to contain a lively Swiss team that deserved their equaliser,
hammered in from twenty-five yards by Odermatt in the twenty-sixth minute. It
was a swinging shot that spun into the net off Shilton's hands. England's
passing was often careless, and Sir Alf Ramsey responded to the crowd chants
of 'Rod-ney, Rod-ney' by sending on Queen's Park Rangers cult hero Rodney
Marsh for his England debut as substitute for Summerbee, the player he would
soon join as a clubmate at Manchester City. Only a defeat by four or more
goals in their final qualifying match in Greece would stop England reaching
the quarter-finals of the European championship.
No 232
Greece, Athens, 1.12.71. England won 2-0
Banks Madeley Hughes Bell McFarland Moore*
Lee
Ball Chivers1
Hurst1
Peters
Highlights: A cannonball shot from Geoff Hurst midway through the first-half
put England in charge of a match dominated by the attacking midfield trio of
Alan Ball, Colin Bell and Martin Peters. Martin Chivers wrapped up the victory
with a last-minute goal to clinch England's place in the quarter-finals of the
European championship. Francis Lee twice hit the post, and the final scoreline
flattered a Greek team now under the management of 1958 Northern Ireland World
Cup hero Billy Bingham. Waiting for England in the quarter-finals were Franz
Beckenbauer's West German side, and a re-match at Wembley.
No 233
West
Germany, Wembley, 29.4.72. England lost 3-1
Banks Madeley Hughes Bell Moore* Hunter
Lee1
Ball Chivers Hurst (Marsh) Peters
Highlights: Derby manager Brian Clough pulled slightly injured Roy McFarland
out of the England squad at the last minute, and Sir Alf Ramsey's gamble of
playing Bobby Moore at centre-half was a tactical disaster in this European
championship quarter-final. Moore and Norman Hunter were always struggling at
the heart of the defence against the dynamic Gerd Muller, who fed off a
procession of passes from the gifted Gunther Netzer. Francis Lee equalised a
twenty-sixth minute goal by Uli Hoeness, and outplayed England clung on until
six minutes from the end when Netzer scored from the penalty spot. Moments
later Muller made it 3-1 with a devastating shot on the turn. It left England
with a mountain to climb in the second leg in Germany.
No 234
West
Germany, Berlin, 13.5.72. Drew 0-0
Banks Madeley Hughes Storey McFarland Moore*
Ball Bell Chivers Marsh (Summerbee) Hunter (Peters)
Highlights: Franz Beckenbauer was outstanding as the German defence shut out
England's attack in a match played in a non-stop downpour. The Germans,
content to protect their two-goal lead from the first leg, came closest to
breaking the deadlock when a 40-yard free-kick from Gunther Netzer smacked
against the bar. England, with Norman Hunter and Peter Storey literally making
their presence felt, conceded twenty-seven free-kicks and were described by
German manager Helmut Schoen as 'brutal'. For Sir Alf Ramsey the 1974 World
Cup finals in Germany now became all-important. His enemies at the FA were
gathering like vultures. Oly four of the 'Old Guard' were left in his squad –
Banks, Moore, Ball and Peters.
No 235
Wales,
Ninian Park, 20.5.72. England won 3-0
Banks Madeley Hughes1
Storey McFarland Moore*
Summerbee Bell1
Macdonald Marsh1
Hunter
Highlights: England cruised to a comfortable victory in a bruising Home
Championship match in which Peter Storey and Terry Yorath, two of the hardest
men in the League, had a personal feud, with Norman Hunter often joining in
on Storey's side. Leading 1-0 from a first-half goal by Emlyn Hughes, England
clinched victory with two goals in a minute midway through the second-half.
Rodney Marsh scored with a first-time volley from eighteen yards, and then
Mike Summerbee laid on the third goal for his Manchester City team-mate Colin
Bell. Malcolm Macdonald made a bright debut in the number nine England shirt.
No 236
Northern Ireland, Wembley, 23.5.72. England lost 1-0
Shilton Todd Hughes Storey Lloyd Hunter
Summerbee Bell* Macdonald (Chivers) Marsh Currie (Peters)
Highlights: This was England's first defeat by Northern Ireland since 1957.
Terry Neill, the Irish player-manager winning his fiftieth cap, scored the
only goal of the match from close range following a Danny Hegan corner in the
thirty-third minute. Colin Bell skippered England in the absence of injured
Bobby Moore, and Tony Currie and Colin Todd won their first caps. It was the
first match since the 1966 World Cup that England kicked off without one of
the heroes of '66 in the starting line-up.
No 237
Scotland, Hampden Park, 27.5.72. England won 1-0
Banks Madeley Hughes Storey McFarland Moore*
Ball1
Bell Chivers Marsh (Macdonald) Hunter
Highlights: The referee called captains Bobby Moore and Billy McNeill together
and ordered them to tell their players to calm things down after forty-six
free-kicks had been awarded in the first thirty minutes. An Alan Ball goal in
the twenty-eighth minute gave England victory in this daggers-drawn centenary
match between the two countries. Peter Storey and Norman Hunter were at the
heart of the trouble with their fierce tackling, and this brought out the
competitive spirit in the likes of Billy Bremner, Bobby Moncur and Denis Law.
For long spells players seemed more intent on kicking each other rather than
the ball. Scottish FA President Hugh Nelson described the game as 'a
disgrace,' and made no secret of the fact that he thought England had started
it with their retaliate-first approach. Veteran onlookers could not recall a
more vicious encounter between the auld enemy, and football was the loser.
No 238
Yugoslavia, Wembley, 11.10.72. Drew 1-1
Shilton Mills Lampard Storey Blockley Moore*
Ball
Channon Royle1
Bell Marsh
Highlights: Mick Mills, Frank Lampard (senior, of course), Jeff Blockley and
Mike Channon made their international debuts as Sir Alf Ramsey juggled his
squad because of club calls and injuries. The quartet of newcomers looked set
for a winning start when Joe Royle scored his first goal for England in the
fortieth minute, but Yugoslav centre-forward Franjo Vladic snatched an
equaliser five minutes after half-time and Peter Shilton had to be at his best
as skilful winger Dragan Djazic started to pull the uncertain England defence
apart. The Yugoslavs missed three clear-cut chances in the closing stages.
Tough luck on Mick Mills that he had to make his international bow against the
famed and feared Djazic, one of the greatest players ever produced by
Yugoslavia. It was a baptism of fire, and Mills had to wait four years for his
next cap.
No 239
Wales,
Ninian Park, 15.11.72. England won 1-0
Clemence Storey Hughes Hunter McFarland Moore*
Keegan Chivers Marsh Bell1
Ball
Highlights: Colin Bell cashed in on clever approach work by Alan Ball to score
the decisive winning goal in the first-half of this World Cup qualifying
match. Liverpool team-mates Ray Clemence and Kevin Keegan made quiet debuts
in what was Sir Alf Ramsey's 100th match as manager. A feature of the game was
the way Peter Storey snuffed out the challenge of Wales dangerman Leighton
James with a controlled, man-to-man containing role. Keegan, conspicuous with
his bubble-permed hair, had a golden opportunity to mark his debut with a
last-minute goal, but Leeds goalkeeper Gary Sprake whipped the ball off his
toes as he attempted to dribble the ball into the net. It was a memorable
night for both Keegan and Clemence, who had each started their careers in the
football outpost of Scunthorpe United.
No
240
Wales,
Wembley, 24.1.73. Drew 1-1
Clemence Storey Hughes Hunter1
McFarland Moore*
Keegan Bell Chivers Marsh Ball
Highlights: A long-range shot from Norman Hunter in the forty-second minute
beat his Leeds team-mate Gary Sprake in the Welsh goal to salvage a World Cup
point. John Toshack had given Wales the lead in the twenty-third minute after
clever approach play by Leighton James, and England's forwards floundered
against a Welsh defence in which Sprake, Peter Rodrigues and Mike England were
outstanding. It was a disastrous point for England to drop on the way to the
World Cup finals, and there was a much tougher obstacle ahead in the shape of
Poland.
No 241
Scotland, Hampden Park, 14.2.73. England won 5-0 (own goal1)
Shilton Storey Hughes Bell Madeley Moore*
Ball Channon1
Chivers1
Clarke2 Peters
Highlights:
England were three goals clear in fifteen minutes, and skated to an easy
victory on a treacherous, snow-carpeted pitch. The match was played to
celebrate the Centenary of the Scottish Football Association, but England -
with Bobby Moore making his one hundredth appearance - wrecked the party. It
was a nightmare start to Willie Ormond's job as new Scottish manager,
following in the shoes of Tommy Docherty who had taken on the challenge of
managing Manchester United. 'England hit the High Cs' was the tabloid
headlines as Allan Clarke (2), former Southampton side-kicks Mike Channon and
Martin Chivers shared the goals, and they were further helped by an own goal
from Peter Lorimer on what was a totally embarrassing night for the Scots.
No
242
Northern Ireland, Goodison Park, 12.5.73. England won 2-1
Shilton Storey Nish Bell McFarland Moore*
Ball Channon Chivers2
Richards Peters
Highlights:
The game should have been played in Belfast but vecause of the political
problems was switched to Goodison Park at the request of the Irish FA. A rare
mistake by goalkeeper Pat Jennings let Martin Chivers in for his first goal in
the ninth minute, and another mistake - this time by Terry Neill - set Chivers
up for the winning goal nine minutes from the end. Dave Clements scored for
Ireland from the penalty spot after a foul by Peter Storey in the
twenty-second minute. Wolves striker John Richards won his only cap. England's
disjointed display brought them jeers and slow handclaps from the Goodison
crowd, the majority of whom seemed to be supporting the Irish.
No
243
Wales,
Wembley, 15.5.73. England won 3-0
Shilton Storey Hughes Bell McFarland Moore*
Ball
Channon1
Chivers1
Clarke Peters1
Highlights:
England scored three goals and had two others disallowed as they pulled the
Welsh defence apart in this Home Championship match. Allan Clarke did not get
his name on the scoresheet, but he was the outstanding player on the pitch as
he combined neatly with Mike Channon and Martin Chivers. It was England's
first victory at Wembley for two years. Martin Peters saved the best until
last, scoring with a swerving shot from twenty yards after neatly combining
with Channon and Clarke to make an opening..
No
244
Scotland, Wembley, 19.5.73. England won 1-0
Shilton Storey Hughes Bell McFarland Moore*
Ball
Channon Chivers Clarke Peters1
Highlights:
Martin Peters headed in a beautifully flighted free-kick from Alan Ball in the
fifty-fourth minute to give England victory in a hard-fought match that tested
their stamina as much as their skill. The Scots might easily have won but for
magnificent saves by Peter Shilton from Peter Lorimer and Kenny Dalglish.
Scotland turned it into a physical battle, with Billy Bremner and big Jim
Holton kicking anything that moved. England's win gave them their twenty-ninth
Home Championship, which put them in a confident mood for their summer tour
that included a crucial World Cup qualifier against Poland.
No
245
Czechoslovakia, Prague, 27.5.73. Drew 1-1
Shilton Madeley Storey Bell McFarland Moore*
Ball
Channon Chivers Clarke1
Peters
Highlights: Allan Clarke saved England from defeat with a last-minute
equaliser after collecting the ball from his Leeds team-mate Paul Madeley. The
Czechs led from the fifty-sixth minute when Novak steered the ball into the
net off a post. England, unfamiliar in yellow shirts and royal-blue shorts and
with Peter Storey playing out of position at left-back, lacked cohesion. Their
punchless performance did little to please Sir Alf Ramsey as they made final
preparations for the World Cup qualifier in Chorzow. 'We must,' said a
tight-lipped Ramsey, 'make considerable improvement against Poland.' He knew
that he was living under the shadow of the axe.
No 246
Poland, Chorzow, 6.6.73. England lost 2-0
Shilton Madeley Hughes Storey McFarland Moore*
Ball Bell Chivers Clarke Peters
Highlights: This was disastrous defeat for England in a vital World Cup
qualifying match. Poland went ahead in the ninth minute when a Lubanski shot
found its way into the net off the foot of Bobby Moore and the arm of Peter
Shilton. Early in the second-half Moore made an uncharacteristic hash of a
tackle against Lubanski, who raced clear to make it 2-0. To compound England's
misery Alan Ball was sent off following an angry clash twelve minutes from the
final whistle. Once again, Sir Alf's poor understanding of the substitute
system let down England. It screamed out for attacking players to be sent on
when the Poles went two goals clear, but Ramsey stuck with his rigid 4-4-2
formation that meant the game became bogged down in midfield as Poland chose
to close up shop and hang on to their lead.
No 247
USSR,
Moscow, 10.6.73. England won 2-1 (own goal1)
Shilton Madeley Hughes Storey McFarland Moore*
Currie Channon (Summerbee) Chivers1
Clarke (Macdonald) Peters (Hunter)
Highlights: Just four days after the disappointment of defeat in Poland,
England showed their character with a victory made harder by the stifling,
humid conditions in the Lenin Stadium. Chivers powered England into the lead
in the ninth minute, and ten minutes after half-time a clever dummy by Martin
Peters so confused Russian defender Khurtislava that he turned the ball into
his own net. The Russians pulled back a goal in the sixty-sixth minute from
the penalty spot. Tony Currie was an impressive deputy for Alan Ball. Bobby
Moore, equaling Bobby Charlton's record of 106 England caps, was back to his
imperious best following a below-par performance in Poland.
No 248
Italy,
Turin, 14.6.73. England lost 2-0
Shilton Madeley Hughes Storey McFarland Moore*
Currie Channon Chivers Clarke Peters
Highlights: Bobby Moore set a new appearances record in his 107th match for
England, but he was unable to celebrate a victory. Anastasi gave Italy the
lead in the thirty-seventh minute, and Capello made it 2-0 seven minutes after
half-time as the England defenders stood waiting for an off-side whistle that
never came. It was Italy's first victory against England in nine encounters
spread over forty years.
No 249
Austria, Wembley, 26.9.73. England won 7-0
Shilton Madeley Hughes Bell 1 McFarland Hunter
Currie1
Channon2 Chivers1
Clarke2 Peters*
Highlights: England over-ran an Austrian defence that had no answer to the
combined power of Mike Channon, Martin Chivers and Allan Clarke – the 'top
Cs', with Tony Currie also getting in on the goal spree. It was Currie, Colin
Bell and Martin Peters who dictated the pace and pattern of the match from
midfield. Channon scored the first goal in the tenth minute, and Clarke struck
twice before half-time. Channon and Chivers added goals early in the
second-half, and Currie made it 6-0 in the sixty-fourth minute with a rasping
shot from the edge of the area. Colin Bell completed the goal avalanche three
minutes from the end. 'England can still teach the world how to play,' said
Austrian manager Leopold Stastny. But this was a friendly. The test that
mattered was to come in the next match.
No 250
Poland, Wembley, 17.10.73. Drew 1-1
Shilton Madeley Hughes Bell McFarland Hunter
Currie Channon Chivers (Hector) Clarke1
Peters*
Highlights. England had thirty five goal attempts to two by Poland, but it
was the Poles who went through to the World Cup finals at England's expense.
Poland had the man of the match in goalkeeper Tomaszewski, who was labeled a
clown by Brian Clough. He gave England nothing to laugh about as he saved at
least four goals with eccentric but effective goalkeeping. It was Poland who
took the lead in the fifty-fifth minute in a rare breakaway raid. Norman
Hunter, the most feared tackler in English football, mistimed a challenge out
on the touchline and the ball was transferred to unmarked Domarski, whose low
shot went under the diving Peter Shilton. Allan Clarke equalised from the
penalty spot eight minutes later. England were denied the victory they needed
to clinch a place in the World Cup finals when late substitute Kevin Hector
headed wide from close range in the last minute of the most frustrating match
of Ramsey's reign. In the closing moments the tragedy briefly turned to Monty
Pythonesque farce. Kevin Keegan, on the substitutes’ bench, recalled: 'Alf
Ramsey proved yet again that he was uncomfortable with the substitute rule
when he left it until the eighty-fifth minute before he decided to make a
change. He called over his shoulder to the substitutes sitting in a row behind
him, ‘Kevin, get stripped.’ It was panic stations as goalkeeper Ray Clemence
tugged at my tracksuit bottoms to help me get ready for action. My Liverpool
team-mate was so eager that he pulled down my shorts as well! My embarrassment
was complete when Alf then made it clear that his command had been meant for
Kevin Hector, not this Kevin! Talk about ‘Don’t panic, Mr Mainwaring.'' There
were just ninety seconds left when the Derby Country striker at last got on to
the pitch, and he was desperately unlucky not to score with his first and only
touch of the ball. The game finished at 1-1, and England were out of the World
Cup.
No 251
Italy,
Wembley, 14.11.73. England lost 1-0
Shilton Madeley Hughes Bell McFarland Moore*
Currie Channon Osgood Clarke (Hector) Peters
Highlights. Italy scored their first ever win in England when Capello netted
the only goal of the match in the eighty-seventh minute, steering the ball
into the net after Peter Shilton had parried a shot from Chinaglia. England
dominated the match for long periods but could not find a way through Italy's
superbly organized defence. Veteran Italian playmaker Gianni Rivera was the
outstanding player on the pitch, continually slicing open the England defence
with a procession of precise passes. The match marked the hundred and eighth
and final appearance of Bobby Moore, arguably the greatest England defender of
all time.
No 252
Portugal, Lisbon, 3.4.74. England drew 0-0
Parkes
Nish Pejic Dobson Watson Todd
Bowles
Channon Macdonald (Ball) Brooking Peters*
Highlights: Sir Alf Ramsey's final match as manager. Because of FA Cup
commitments and withdrawals, he gave first caps to Phil Parkes, Mike Pejic,
Martin Dobson, Dave Watson, Stan Bowles and Trevor Brooking. There was a lot
of promising football played up to the penalty area, but the finishing
continually let England down. Ramsey was sacked three weeks later. He had put
his indelible stamp on the international game, and his record will be a
lasting testimony to the fact that he was an exceptional manager:
Played
113 Won 69 Drawn 27 Lost 17 For 224 Against 99. It was the end of an
unforgettable era for English football.
No 253
Wales, Ninian Park,
11.5.74. England won 2-0
Shilton Nish Pejic
Hughes* McFarland Todd
Keegan1
Bell Channon Weller Bowles1
Highlights: Joe Mercer, the
favourite 'Uncle' character of English football, took over as caretaker
manager while Don Revie – the man chosen to succeed Sir Alf Ramsey – completed
club commitments with Leeds United. Laugh-a-minute Mercer, a master of PR, was
like a breath of fresh air after the sullen, secretive approach of Ramsey,
whose woeful handling of the media was his one major weakness. Mercer's first
match brought a satisfactory rather than spectacular victory against Wales.
Keith Weller, making an impressive debut, set up the first goal in the
thirty-fifth minute. His shot was pushed by goalkeeper John Phillips into the
path of Stan Bowles, who slipped the ball into the net from close range for
his first goal for England. It was a game of firsts, with Kevin Keegan scoring
the first of his twenty-one international goals. Mercer gave his skipper Emlyn
Hughes a big say in the running and selection of the team.
No
254
Northern Ireland, Wembley
15.5.74. England won 1-0
Shilton Nish Pejic
Hughes* McFarland (Hunter) Todd
Keegan Weller1
Channon Bell Bowles (Worthington)
Highlights: A late headed
goal by Keith Weller at last broke the Northern Ireland resistance, after
goalkeeper Pat Jennings had pulled off a series of magnificent saves.
England's defence became disorganised when centre-half Roy McFarland limped
off in the thirty-sixth minute with an achilles injury that put him on the
sidelines for six months. The energetic Kevin Keegan clipped the bar with a
shot just before half-time. Frank Worthington made his England bow as a
substitute for Stan Bowles in the sixty-fourth minute.
No
255
Scotland, Hampden Park,
18.5.74. England lost 2-0
Shilton Nish Pejic
Hughes* Hunter (Watson) Todd
Channon Bell Worthington
(Macdonald) Weller Peters
Highlights: Own goals by
Mike Pejic and Colin Todd deflated an England team that struggled to cope with
the pace and skill of a Scottish attack in which Peter Lorimer, Jimmy
Johnstone, Kenny Dalglish and Joe Jordan were outstanding. Pejic deflected a
Jordan shot into the England net in the fifth minute, and a harmless-looking
cross was diverted past goalkeeper Peter Shilton by Todd in the thirty-first
minute. England were vulnerable at the heart of the defence until Dave Watson
replaced Norman Hunter as a conventional centre-half.
No
256
Argentina, Wembley,
22.5.74. Drew 2-2
Shilton Hughes* Lindsay
Todd Watson Bell
Keegan
Channon1
Worthington1
Weller Brooking
Highlights: Argentina
equalised with a last-minute penalty by Mario Kempes after the Argentinean
referee adjudged that Kempes had been fouled by skipper Emlyn Hughes. There
were moments in the second-half when the game threatened to get out of control
as England's players started to get drawn into personal feuds in retaliation
against a spate of reckless tackles. England were flattered by a 2-0 lead
following goals by Mike Channon and Frank Worthington either side of the
interval. Hughes, who had got involved in a skirmish with the Argentineans as
they came off at half-time, blocked the ball in the fifty-eighth minute. It
ran into the path of Kempes who fired an unstoppable shot into the net to give
a glimpse of the goal-scoring ability that would power Argentina to the World
Cup in 1978. Alec Lindsay made a sound debut as full back partner to his
Liverpool team-mate Hughes.
No
257
East Germany, Leipzig,
29.5.74. Drew 1-1
Clemence Hughes*
Lindsay Todd Watson Dobson
Keegan
Channon1
Worthington Bell Brooking
Highlights: England hit the
woodwork four times before Streich gave the East Germans a fortunate lead in
the sixty-seventh minute. Just sixty seconds later Mike Channon cancelled it
out with a free-kick hammered low through the defensive wall from twenty
yards. Martin Dobson, Colin Bell and Trevor Brooking dominated the match in
midfield. Dobson was winning the second of five caps under three different
managers. Mercer, always ready with a quip regardless of the team's
performance, said: 'We hit the woodwork more times than a team of
lumberjacks.'
No 258
Bulgaria, Sofia, 1.6.74.
England won 1-0
Clemence
Hughes* Lindsay Todd Watson Dobson
Brooking Bell Keegan Channon Worthington1
Highlights: Frank
Worthington won the match in the forty-fourth minute with a classically
constructed goal. Kevin Keegan flicked on a Ray Clemence goalkick and
Worthington brought it under control and then rifled it into the net all in
one sweet movement. Colin Todd and Dave Watson were outstanding in a fine
all-round team display, with Keegan, Channon and Worthington pulling the
Bulgarian defence inside out with their pace and clever inter-changing of
passes and positions.
No
259
Yugoslavia, Belgrade,
5.6.74. Drew 2-2
Clemence Hughes*
Lindsay Todd Watson Dobson
Keegan1
Channon1
Worthington (Macdonald) Bell Brooking
Highlights: Joe Mercer's
farewell match got off to a cracking start when Mike Channon forced the ball
into the net in the sixth minute after the goalkeeper had failed to hold a
Trevor Brooking shot following a Kevin Keegan corner-kick. The Yugoslavians
fought back to equalise and then take the lead after misunderstandings in the
England defence. Keegan, who had been arrested at Belgrade airport and beaten
up by security guards two days earlier, had the satisfaction of heading the
equaliser in the seventy-fifth minute to give a happy ending to the Joe Mercer
interlude. They had arrested Keegan when completely
over-reacting to him clowning around while collecting his baggage. More
Pythonesque farce followed when Bernard Joy, one of the few journalists
who witnessed the incident, raced to a telephone to give his newspaper, the
London Evening Standard, the hot exclusive. When he finally got through
to the newspaper switchboard, after the frustrating delays that were common in
those pre-direct dialing days, the operator started with pleasantries: 'Nice
to hear from you, Mr. Joy. What’s the weather like out there?' Bernard, the
last amateur to play for England, was in urgent deadline-beating mode. 'I’ve
got no time for small talk,' he snapped. 'Put me through to the copytakers
immediately. I’ve got an exclusive story here.' 'Uh, but Mr. Joy,' the
operator said, 'It's Sunday. There's no paper today.'
No 260
Czechoslovakia, Wembley,
30.10.74. England won 3-0
Clemence Madeley
Hughes* Dobson (Brooking) Watson Hunter
Bell2
Francis G. Worthington (Thomas) Channon1
Keegan
Highlights: Don Revie boldy
opened his career as England manager by making a double substitution in the
seventieth minute of this European championship qualifier. Revie sent on Dave
Thomas and Trevor Brooking for Frank Worthington and Martin Dobson, and it
was Thomas who created the first goal when his cross was headed in by Mike
Channon. Two more goals followed in the next nine minutes. Channon found Bell
with a superb diagonal pass, and he steered it into the net with a well placed
shot. Then the inspired Channon crossed the ball for Bell to head in the third
goal that sent choruses of 'Land of Hope and Glory' thundering around Wembley
for an England team newly decked out in shirts with red and blue shoulder
stripes. The Admiral was in command, and there was huge criticism of the way
England had sold their image to a sportswear company that had their name –
Admiral – splashed across the tracksuits.
No
261
Portugal, Wembley,
20.11.74. Drew 0-0
Clemence Madeley
Watson Hughes* Cooper (Todd) Brooking
Francis G. Bell Thomas
Channon Clarke (Worthington)
Highlights: The 'Land of
Hope and Glory' anthem gave way to boos and jeers as England struggled to make
any impact against a disciplined and resolute Portuguese defence. Terry
Cooper, recalled by his old Leeds United club boss after three years in the
international wilderness, broke down with a nagging injury and Colin Todd
played exceptionally well as a make-shift left-back. There was a lack of
understanding between the midfield and the front line, with a procession of
passes going astray on the rain-sodden surface. Don Revie was already finding
the England hot seat uncomfortable as he tried to get accustomed to not having
day-to-day involvement with his players.
No
262
West Germany, Wembley,
12.3.75. England won 2-0
Clemence
Whitworth Gillard Bell1
Watson Todd
Ball*
Macdonald1
Channon Hudson Keegan
Highlights: England
celebrated the 100th international match played at Wembley by handing West
Germany their first defeat since the 1974 World Cup triumph. New skipper Alan
Ball inspired magnificent performances from his midfield partners Colin Bell
and, in particular, Alan Hudson. They paralysed the German defence with their
pin-pointed passing on a rain-soaked pitched, and it was Bell who gave England
a twenty-fifth minute lead with a deflected shot following a Hudson free-kick.
Macdonald, whose pace was always a problem for an experimental German team,
scored his first goal for England in the sixty-sixth minute when he raced to
the far post to head in a cross from Bell. Steve Whitworth and Ian Gillard
made sound debuts as new full-back partners.
No
263
Cyprus, Wembley, 16.4.75.
England won 5-0
Shilton Madeley Watson
Todd Beattie Bell
Ball* Hudson
Channon (Thomas) Macdonald5 Keegan
Highlights: Malcolm
Macdonald scored all five goals - four of them with his head - in an
extraordinary display of finishing. He became the first player to score five
at Wembley and it equalled the five-goal haul by Tottenham's Willie Hall for
England against Northern Ireland at Old Trafford in 1938. Macdonald scored his
first in the second minute, made it 2-0 in the thirty-fifth minute and added
two more early in the second-half against an outplayed, outclassed Cypriot
team. He finished off his one-man spectacular with a brilliantly headed goal
in the closing stages. Macdonald's team-mates came off at the end wondering
how between them they had managed to miss at least six more goals. 'To be
honest,' said Macdonald, 'I should have had eight goals. I managed to miss
three fairly easy chances. But I suppose I can't complain!'
No
264
Cyprus, Limassol, 11.5.75.
England won 1-0
Clemence Whitworth
Beattie (Hughes) Watson Todd Bell
Thomas (Tueart)
Ball* Channon Macdonald Keegan1
Highlights: England had to
be content with a sixth minute winning goal from a Kevin Keegan header in this
European championship return match. A bumpy pitch led to many of the England
passes missing their target in a scrappy match during which goalkeeper Ray
Clemence was hardly tested. Kevin Beattie, winning his second cap, limped off
with a groin injury just before half-time and Dennis Tueart came on as a
seventy-third minute substitute for Dave Thomas. It was the first match played
at the new Tsirion Stadium in Limassol, and while the stands were impressive
the pitch needed a lot of ground work! 'Probably the worst pitch any England
team has had to play on,' was the terse comment from Don Revie.
No
265
Northern Ireland, Belfast,
17.5.75. Drew 0-0
Clemence Whitworth
Hughes Bell Watson Todd
Ball* Viljoen Macdonald (Channon)
Keegan Tueart
Highlights: England
equalled their record of six consecutive clean sheets in a match that provided
an emotional return to Belfast for the first time in four years. The Irish
defence, in which goalkeeper Pat Jennings, right-back Pat Rice and centre-half
Allan Hunter were outstanding, allowed the England forwards little time and
space in which to work. 'We were given a wonderful welcome by the crowd,''
said Don Revie, 'and we are disappointed that we did not provide them with a
better spectacle. All credit to the Irish defenders. They worked their socks
off, but we should have had at least two goals to show for our supremacy.'
No 266
Wales, Wembley, 21.5.75.
Drew 2-2
Clemence
Whitworth Gillard Francis G. Watson Todd
Ball* Channon
(Little) Johnson2 Viljoen Thomas
Highlights: David Johnson
made a memorable debut, scoring both of England's goals including an
eighty-fifth minute equaliser that stole victory from a spirited Welsh team.
Johnson gave England an eighth minute lead, but Wales were rewarded for their
persistence with two goals ten minutes into the second-half. The first was
scored by John Toshack, who then laid on a second for Arfon Griffiths. Aston
Villa's Brian Little, sent on as a substitute in the seventieth minute, found
Johnson with a centre from which he headed the goal that ended Welsh hopes of
a first ever win at Wembley. South African Colin Viljoen, Johnson's Ipswich
team-mate, made his second and final appearance for England.
No
267
Scotland, Wembley, 24.5.75.
England won 5-1
Clemence
Whitworth Beattie1
Bell1
Watson Todd
Ball* Channon
Johnson1
Francis G.2 Keegan (Thomas)
Highlights: England scored
twice in the first seven minutes, the opening goal from Gerry Francis a
spectacular shot that rocketed into the net from twenty-five yards. Scotland
never recovered from this shattering start despite some superb play by Kenny
Dalglish. Colin Bell made it 3-0 five minutes before half-time before Bruce
Rioch pulled one back from the penalty spot in the last minute of the half.
Ball, Bell and Francis were in unstoppable form, and it was Francis who made
it 4-1 in the sixty-third minute with a deflected shot after Ball had pushed a
free-kick through Bell's legs into his path. Kevin Keegan, a bundle of energy
in the England attack, rammed a shot against the bar ten minute later and
Johnson steered the rebound into the net to complete the rout of a dispirited
Scottish side. 'That's as good as it gets,' said Alan Ball, who felt he was
cemented into the team as skipper.
____________________
CG
England
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