When reflecting on the Home Internationals of 1976, it is hard to escape the sense of inertia attached to proceedings.
England, Scotland and Northern Ireland had each failed to qualify for the European Championship quarter-finals of that year, (from which a quartet of countries would advance to the four-team final stages hosted by Yugoslavia in June), leaving the months ahead something of a wasteland, the qualification process for the 1978 World Cup due to start as the current year drew to a close.
Wales, on the other hand had managed the commendable achievement of topping their qualifying group, (the only time, to date, they have ever done so) and under the guidance of English coach Mike Smith progressed to meet the last eight, two-leg challenge of Yugoslavia.
In his charge Smith had a resolute, capable group of players, but even the big match experience running through the squad was not to prevent a damaging 2-0 defeat in Zagreb on April 24. With the Ninian Park return to come on Saturday 19 May, Wales therefore had more important matters to consider than a three match dust-up with the neighbours.
While almost two years into the Don Revie era England had so far only lost once, there was a fast prevailing mood of things regressing rather than progressing. The sole defeat of his 12-game tenure, crucially, had occurred in the fixture that truly mattered. Back in October a costly 2-1 European Championship reversal away to Czechoslovakia had greatly diminished chances of onward progress, the visitors performance compromised by muddled tactical thinking.
The subsequent 1-1 draw in Portugal a month later scuppered any remaining hopes making the quarter-final cut (that said, the Czechs advanced from the group to win the competition), creating a situation where Revie and his employers, the FA International Committee, had become uneasy bedfellows – the coach failing his first remit on being appointed in July 1974, namely reaching the finals of the European Championship in two years time.
As a consequence of failing to progress beyond the qualifying stage, Revie had used a fixture against Wales at Wrexham in March 1976, arranged to mark the centenary of the Welsh FA, to blood eight new caps. This amounted to either a bold step into the future or the act of a manager hoping to stumble upon some players who may fit a strategy that 20 months along the road was still to be defined.
Having taken the decision to dispense altogether with the services of Alan Ball after he had skippered England to a 5-1 thumping of Scotland in May ’75, (the international know-how of the 1966 World Cup winner badly missed when losing to the Czechs), Revie had also fallen out with Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes, who for the moment was assigned to the wilderness.
If the manager had a plan it now appeared based upon extraction rather than construction. While established campaigners had been discarded – in the case of Hughes temporarily – and with in-form players (Malcolm MacDonald, Stan Bowles, Dave Thomas, Trevor Brooking) being overlooked, Revie and his FA paymasters were also, covertly, seeking ways of freeing themselves from each other.
Indeed, it has since been revealed the barons at Lancaster Gate were already sounding out potential replacements. The manager for his part was rumoured to be actively seeking a return to club football, reportedly offering his services when, before May 1976 was out, vacancies arose at both Spurs and Arsenal.
If so, such advances were declined in each instance.
Two years on from their presentable showing at the 1974 World Cup, Scotland exiting the tournament at the group stage despite not losing a game, there remained a nagging notion the Scots were a better team than recent results suggested.
Since their fateful 1-1 Frankfurt draw against Yugoslavia in June 1974 (victory would have seen Scotland continue at the ’74 competition), Willie Ormond’s side had contested 13 fixtures and while they had only suffered two defeats, each in their own way was significant.
Qualification for Euro ’76 began with a disheartening Hampden Park loss to eventual group winners Spain, which immediately put the campaign on the backfoot, their 1974-75 fixture schedule concluding with the Wembley walloping off England. Ormond rode out the ensuing storm of indignation with a five match unbeaten run, although home and away draws against Romania dashed any hope of Euros quarter-final involvement.
But with a nucleus of Danny McGrain, Archie Gemmill, Bruce Rioch, Kenny Dalglish and Joe Jordan to work with, about to be supplemented by stylish QPR midfielder Don Masson, the priority for Ormond was harnessing application to undoubted ability – which to a large extent had been his brief since taking the job three years before.
For Northern Ireland progressing from a tough qualifying group that also included Yugoslavia, Sweden and Norway was never, in truth, a realistic possibility, yet to their credit they recorded a victory against each. Despite, or perhaps because of, their limited resources, they could always muster indomitable spirit, while the emergence of young talent such as Manchester United teenagers Jimmy Nicholl and David McCreery did bode well for the future. In the harsh reality of the present, however, Belfast would not be staging a Home International fixture due to the sectarian violence afflicting the city.
While they had only won two Home International fixtures since the turn of the decade (both against Northern Ireland), it was apparent Welsh football had entered a halcyon period.
After losing their first European Championship qualifying game, a 2-1 defeat in Austria, Wales responded with a six match unbeaten trot. While they failed to win a match in the 1975 Home Internationals (draws against Scotland & England, losing to Northern Ireland), they recovered to beat the Austrians in the deciding group game at Wrexham in November – affording them status as the only home nation to secure a quarter-final berth.
In the great scheme of things losing to England in the Welsh FA Centenary game was neither here nor there, (not least due to their oval ball counterparts serving up a Twickenham thumping of the English on their way to a Five Nations Grand Slam), but losing to the Yugoslavs without the consolation of an away goal had been dispiriting – a 3-0 winning margin in the imminent Cardiff return more thought consuming for the Welsh than backyard bragging rights.
During the preceding fortnight Liverpool had established a narrow first-leg lead in their UEFA Cup Final against Club Brugge and also pipped QPR to the league championship in dramatic fashion. Second division Southampton had upset the odds in beating Manchester United to lift the FA Cup while a few days later West Ham went down gallantly to Anderlecht in an exiting European Cup Winners’ Cup Final.
Football-wise what a time to be alive – with the Home Internationals about to begin…………
Thursday 6 May:
SCOTLAND 3 WALES 1 (Hampden Park, Glasgow – 25,466):
Scotland: Rough (Partick Thistle); Donachie (Manchester City), Forsyth (Rangers), Jackson (Rangers), McGrain (Celtic), Gemmill (Derby, capt), Gray (Leeds), Masson (QPR), Rioch (Derby), Jordan (Leeds), Pettigrew (Motherwell); Wales: Lloyd (Wrexham), Jones D (Norwich City), Jones J (Liverpool), Roberts D (Hull City) Roberts J (Birmingham City), A Griffiths (Wrexham), Harris (Leeds), O’Sullivan (Brighton), Yorath (Leeds, capt), James (Derby), Curtis (Swansea) – sub Cartwright (Coventry)/Harris, 66;
For reasons not altogether apparent, the 1976 Championships began on a Thursday night, Wales on the back of losing in Yugoslavia travelling to Hampden Park.
Facing a Scottish side containing debutant Masson, for Wales away match travails continued when Willie Pettigrew added to his debut strike in the previous game (a 1-0 Glasgow victory over Switzerland), by opening the scoring six minutes before half-time – the Motherwell forward finishing smartly on being sent clear by a superb pass from skipper Gemmill. With half-time fast approaching the Welsh rearguard were breached again 90 seconds before the break, Rioch rising to head home unmarked on meeting a Masson free-kick.
As Scotland continued to hold sway Masson slammed a shot against the crossbar, but on the hour Wales grabbed the lifeline to come their way. Veteran midfield man Arfon Griffiths (whose goal on his Wrexham home ground in November had secured victory over Austria), netting from the penalty spot after winger Leighton James had been tripped by full-back Tom Forsyth.
But it proved only a temporary break in the established order of things. Welsh ‘keeper Lloyd, having only just denied Pettigrew, was beaten in the unusual circumstances of centre-forward Jordan crossing for his Elland Road team-mate, winger Eddie Gray, to score with a well-placed 70th minute header.
Anyone questioning the validity of the Home Internationals as an ongoing concern would have thought again on witnessing a late-on confrontation between respective captains Gemmill and Terry Yorath.
The pair were involved in a frank exchange of views (or studs to be more accurate), in what appeared continuation of long-standing Derby/Leeds animosity – that seven months before had seen former England internationals Francis Lee (Derby) and Norman Hunter (Leeds) sent-off for fighting during a tempestuous Baseball Ground clash.
Saturday 8 May:
WALES 0 ENGLAND 1 (Ninian Park, Cardiff – 24,592):
Wales: Davies (Everton); Page (Birmingham), Thomas (Derby), Mahoney (Stoke), Evans (Crystal Palace), Phillips (Aston Villa), Yorath (Leeds, capt), Flynn (Burnley), Curtis (Swansea), Toshack (Liverpool), James (Derby) – sub Jones D/Thomas 55, Griffiths/Curtis 77; England: Clemence (Liverpool); Clement (QPR), Mills (Ipswich), Towers (Sunderland), Greenhoff (Manchester United), Keegan (Liverpool), Francis QPR, capt), Pearson (Manchester United), Kennedy (Liverpool), Taylor (Crystal Palace);
Less than 48 hours after their Glasgow reversal, Wales were back on the grey, green grass of home for the visit of England.
Seven days on from their losing FA Cup Final appearance for Manchester United against Southampton, Revie awarded first caps to Old Trafford pair of defender Brian Greenhoff and striker Stuart Pearson – a debut also handed to midfielder Tony Towers, who had recently achieved promotion to Division One with Sunderland.
Opting also to give first starts to full-back Dave Clements and winger Peter Taylor (both of whom appeared from the bench in the recent fixture between the sides at Wrexham), eight of the visitors line-up had only ten caps between them.
With Wales also making a number of changes, including recalls for goalkeeper Dai Davies and front man John Toshack, (the team including nine players who would face Yugoslavia a fortnight later), given the inexperience of the visitors there is a distinct feeling they are there for the taking, ‘keeper Clemence the main reason for the sides reaching half-time all square.
Sending out the same XI for the second half (Revie resisting any substitutions during the entire 90 minutes), England improved after the break, yet it was still against the run of play when they took a 59th minute lead. Taylor, the first third division footballer capped by his country since John Byrne in 1961, (also a Crystal Palace player), on target with a low drive – the immediate reaction from both sets of players suggesting it was a shot they expected to be saved.
With his second international goal – he had also scored on his substitute appearance against the Welsh in March – Taylor won a disjointed contest for England, victory posing more questions than answers as the cast of players grew to unwieldy proportion. For Wales, however, a second game without a goal from open play posed its own brand of questioning, their impending Euro ’76 showdown now only two weeks away.
SCOTLAND 3 NORTHERN IRELAND 0 (Hampden Park, Glasgow – 49,897):
Scotland: Rough (Partick Thistle); Donachie (Manchester City), Forsyth (Rangers), Jackson (Rangers), McGrain (Celtic), Gemmill (Derby, capt), Dalglish (Celtic), Masson (QPR), Rioch (Derby), Jordan (Leeds), Pettigrew (Motherwell) – sub Hartford (Manchester City)/Rioch 57, Johnstone/Pettigrew 65; Northern Ireland: Jennings (Spurs); Hunter (Ipswich), Nicholl (Aston Villa), Rice (Arsenal), Scott (York City), Cassidy (Newcastle), Finney (Sunderland), Hamilton (Ipswich Town), McIlroy (Manchester United), Morgan (Brighton), Sharkey (Ipswich Town) – sub McCreery (Manchester United)/Sharkey 55, Spence (Bury)/Morgan 72;
With the Scots deciding against a visit to Windsor Park, as they had done in 1974, (the Scots not having played there since April 1970), the fixture was again staged at Hampden – the venue largely academic when it came to the outcome of a one-sided contest.
After holding out for 23 minutes the visiting rearguard were opened up by a powerful run from Jordan. His cross to the far post eventually found its way to skipper Gemmill, who drilled a low shot past Northern Ireland ‘keeper Pat Jennings.
Through 90 minutes of predominantly one-way traffic, the most sustained action of the afternoon came in a six minute burst at the start of the second half.
Within a minute of the restart Jennings brought down Jordan when he broke into the box, only for Rioch to fire the ensuing spot-kick against the post. But the visitors reprieve lasted no more than 60 seconds as with their next attack Masson established the two-goal advantage – scoring his first international goal with a sweetly-struck drive from the edge of the box.
With any notion of Northern Ireland repeating their 1974 Hampden success virtually extinguished, in he 54tth minute Dalglish, recalled to the team after being omitted against Wales, benefitted from clever approach play between Rioch and Masson – the Celtic forward netting with a crisp drive as Scotland extended their undefeated sequence to seven matches.
Tuesday 11 May:
ENGLAND 4 NORTHERN IRELAND 0 (Wembley Stadium , London – 48,000):
England: Clemence (Liverpool); Todd (Derby), Mills (Ipswich), Thompson (Liverpool), Greenhoff (Manchester United), Keegan (Liverpool), Francis QPR, capt), Channon (Southampton), Pearson (Manchester United), Kennedy (Liverpool), Taylor (Crystal Palace) – sub Towers/Taylor 65, Royle (Manchester City)/Keegan 75; Northern Ireland: Jennings (Spurs); Hunter (Ipswich), Nicholl (Aston Villa), Rice (Arsenal), Nelson (Arsenal), Cassidy (Newcastle), Spence (Bury), McCreery (Manchester United), Hamilton (Ipswich Town), McIlroy (Manchester United), Clements (Everton), – sub Scott/Nelson 52;
There was no clearer indication of just how ambivalent those tasked with administration of the national team had become than this visit of Northern Ireland – representing, as it did, the only home match England would play in a 17-month period from May 1975 to October 1976.
Whether due to existing commitments (the FA having already agreed to a three match summer tour of the United States as part of U.S. Bicentennial celebrations) or straightforward apathy in bringing opposition to Wembley is impossible to say, contributing nevertheless to the growing disconnect between the football public and England set-up.
As a yardstick to where he team stood in the aftermath of failed Euro ’76 qualification, this comprehensive triumph had to be judged against the limitations of their opponents – something BBC match commentator Barry Davies was quick to state in his post-match summation.
After they laboured through the opening half-hour, Emgland broke the deadlock on 34 minutes when skipper Gerry Francis was on hand to finish an enterprising move.
Barely two minutes later striker Mike Channon, dropped for the visit to Cardiff, was brought down by Tommy Cassidy, the recent Southampton FA Cup winner and top scorer in the squad, recovering to convert from the penalty spot as England increased the lead.
Exuding near total control, the hosts extended their advantage in the 63rd minute when Pearson struck his first England goal, pouncing to score after Jennings, (winning a record 60th Northern Ireland cap), had parried a Ray Kennedy effort – the rout was completed 15 minutes from time by Channon, who with green-shirted defenders in disarray, stroked home his 13th international goal.
For the moment two goals in each half and a decisive win represented another small step on the road to rejuvenation following the disappointments of the previous autumn. There was also another clean sheet to be pleased about, Northern Ireland denied in their only worthwhile attack when winger Bryan Hamilton found himself thwarted by Clemence – the Liverpool goalkeeper carrying his excellent club of the season into England duty…………..
Friday 14 May:
WALES 1 NORTHERN IRELAND 0 (Vetch Field, Swansea City 9,935):
Wales: Davies (Everton); Page (Birmingham), Roberts D (Hull), Mahoney (Stoke), Evans (Crystal Palace), Phillips (Aston Villa), Yorath (Leeds, capt), Flynn (Burnley), Curtis (Swansea), Griffiths (Wrexham), James (Derby); Northern Ireland: Jennings (Spurs); Hunter (Ipswich), Nicholl (Aston Villa), Rice (Arsenal), Scott (York City), Cassidy (Newcastle), Spence (Bury), McCreery (Manchester United), Hamilton (Ipswich Town), McIlroy (Manchester United), Clements (Everton) – subs Morgan/Spence 60, Nicholl (Manchester United)/Cassidy 72;
Decided by a first half goal in front of a meagre Friday night crowd, Wales ended a run of four straight defeats in consigning the visitors to the wooden spoon.
If nothing else the 24th minute winning goal from James ensured they would enter the Yugoslavia return with revived spirits. But if their future hung in the balance it was uncertain for Northern Ireland as player-manager, Everton midfielder Dave Clements, in post since March 1975, resigned the position a few days later. The role was subsequently taken on by Spurs double-winning great and former Northern Ireland captain Danny Blanchflower.
For Wales the tall order of reaching the finals of Euro ’76 was not helped, in fact reached unsurmountable heights, when fate conspired against them in the quarter-final Ninian Park home-leg eight days later.
In the 19th minute 1970 World Cup Final referee Rudi Glockner awarded the visitors a contentious penalty, which highly-regarded midfield man Jalop Katalinski duly converted. But while central defender Ian Evans levelled matters seven minutes before half-time, the game was rapidly losing any semblance of purpose and propriety.
When it came to some brutal tackling both sides were culpable, the atmosphere becoming febrile when the East German official disallowed two Welsh goals, the second half held up at various times by incidents when bottles and cans were thrown from the terraces, the match subjected to a five minute delay due to a pitch invasion.
The final act of an altogether depressing spectacle was Welsh skipper Yorath having a late penalty easily saved by visiting ‘keeper Enver Maric, the feat of reaching this stage of the competition ending amidst despair and serious crowd disorder.
UEFA reacted to the unsavoury scenes by refusing Wales entry into the 1980 European Championship, which on appeal was reduced to Ninian Park being prohibited from staging qualifying fixtures for two years.
Saturday 15 May:
SCOTLAND 2 ENGLAND 1 (Hampden Park, Glasgow – 85,167):
Scotland: Rough (Partick Thistle); Donachie (Manchester City), Forsyth (Rangers), Jackson (Rangers), McGrain (Celtic), Gemmill (Derby, capt), Dalglish (Celtic), Masson (QPR), Rioch (Derby), Jordan (Leeds), Gray (Leeds) – sub Johnstone/Gray 78; England: Clemence (Liverpool); Todd (Derby), Mills (Ipswich), Thompson (Liverpool), McFarland (Derby), Keegan (Liverpool), Francis QPR, capt), Channon (Southampton), Pearson (Manchester United), Kennedy (Liverpool), Taylor (Crystal Palace) – sub Cherry (Leeds)/Pearson 46, Doyle (Manchester City)/McFarland 70;
For the first time since the Home Internationals were condensed into an end of season, week long format in 1969, the oldest international fixture of them all doubled as a British Championship decider.
Similar to the Wembley meeting of 12 months prior, when from two apparently well-matched teams one emerged an easy winner, once more there looked little to choose between the sides – each manager going for broke in selecting the strongest XI available to him.
With England having five survivors of the previous year (Clemence, Todd, Francis, Keegan, Channon) and Scotland three (McGrain, Rioch, Dalglish), for Revie victory was imperative in proving he had acumen at international level to pass tough tests away from home. This in light of poor autumn showings in Prague and Lisbon, with an eye also on a World Cup qualifying trip to Rome later in the year.
The initial portents, as they had been in the Czechoslovakia away game, were encouraging. England in this instance taking the lead on 11 minutes when fine build-up play between centre-half Roy McFarland and winger Taylor resulted in Channon scoring with a firm header.
Yet in a game featuring several similarities to the loss in the Czech capital, Scotland, like the Czechs leveled from a corner with the English defence found wanting – Masson heading home unopposed on 18 minutes as England conceded in a way Leeds seldom did during Revie’s time at Elland Road.
Looking vulnerable as crosses probed the penalty area, England were relieved when headers from Masson and Jordan flashed past the woodwork. They were more fortunate still when following a weaving run from Dalglish, reminiscent of George Best in his prime, the Scotland forward was sent crashing to the ground on being challenged by Clemence, Hungarian referee Károly Palotai weaving aside raucous appeals for a penalty.
Four minutes after the break the same two players, destined to become Liverpool team-mates the following year, were involved in the incident that ultimately decided the contest.
Even when the visitors back-four is opened up as Jordan escapes down the left, there is no obvious danger on his cross finding Dalglish. Despite being shadowed by Mick Mills, he manages to dispatch a close range shot the England goalkeeper appears to have covered – only for the ball to pass inexplicably between his legs and into the net.
The moment Clemence would later describe as ‘the worst of my career‘ proved sufficient to decide the game in favour of Scotland, who, in truth, deserved a greater margin of victory for some inventive second half play – Masson and Danny McGrain both unable to accept inviting opportunities that came their way.
Right at the death Revie’s dispirited looking side are denied a share of the spoils when a timely inception from Forsyth denies Channon with the goal suddenly at his mercy. Otherwise Scotland safely negotiate their way to victory and with it a first outright win of the British Championship since 1967 – their clean sweep of victories reflecting well on Ormond and his squad with a World Cup qualifying campaign coming into view.
While England were not quite so abject as they were on losing at the same venue two years before (the 1974 Hampden defeat coming to be regarded as their low point of the ’70s), there was little else by way of consolation.
Once again they had failed to display the collective grit and guile needed to win such contests, England fast becoming a soft touch for good teams wanting to beat them badly enough.
With a World Cup qualifying visit to the Eternal City on the horizon, Italy would surely have taken note…………….
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