Almost sixteen years to the day England had drawn with Poland at Wembley in a World Cup match in which only a victory would do. Peter Shilton had been in goal then, and here he was again at the age of forty playing to the peak of his ability as England battled for the point that would guarantee their place in the World Cup finals. Shilton was beaten only once when a thirty-yard shot rattled his crossbar in the last minute. Thanks largely to Shilts, England had completed their six-match qualifying programme without conceding a single goal. The press were off Bobby Robson's back. He had again guided England to the World Cup finals. 'I have ignored all the flak,' Robson said, 'but I just wish the people writing the rubbish would stop and think for a second what effect it has on those nearest and dearest to the person being vilified. What I have found unforgivable is the intrusions into my private life and stories that are rarely substantiated by any facts.' Robson was referring to articles linking him with extra-marital affairs, allegations that hurt him much more than the headlines calling for his dismissal.

Source Notes

TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record (Breedon Books Publishing Company, Derby, U.K., 1993)
Norman Giller, Football Author
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CG