40 years on, Armstrong and heroes of ’82
THERE was a time when the Europa in Belfast held the unwanted title of the most bombed hotel in Europe. Visited by Bill and Hillary Clinton, it later became a symbol of the Northern Ireland peace process. Tonight, the venue will be a fitting backdrop as a group of men raise a toast to the manager who helped them all achieve what no politician ever could: by bringing the whole of Ireland together during The Troubles. Billy Bingham’s boys created one of the World Cup’s all-time shocks when Gerry Armstrong’s famous goal saw hosts Spain beaten 1-0 at Espana ’82. Bingham, who also led Northern Ireland to the World Cup in 1986, died earlier this month aged 90. But the events of June 25, 1982 provide a wonderful, lasting legacy. ‘We will be raising our glasses to Billy Bingham on Saturday night,’ goalscorer Armstrong told Sportsmail. ‘Without a shadow of a doubt, Billy is the best manager in the history of Northern Ireland for what he achieved and for what he did for the country, particularly through those dark days in the 1970s and 1980s. ‘Billy gave people in Northern Ireland hope and belief during that time. ‘He put smiles on faces during the World Cup in 1982 and 1986 and under Billy, Northern Ireland also won the British Championship in 1980 and 1984. ‘I remember the morning after we beat Spain at the World Cup, Billy asked us to come and look at over 300 telegrams that had arrived at the team hotel in Valencia. There were messages from everywhere and from all denominations; from the Reverend Ian Paisley to Charles Haughey, the-then Irish President in Dublin. Our win had brought Ireland together.’ For Northern Ireland to even reach the World Cup was an achievement against all odds especially since few had given them a prayer of qualifying. But they finished second behind Scotland in a five-team group that also included Sweden, Portugal and Israel, and Bingham and Co were packing for Spain. After drawing 0-0 with Yugoslavia and 1-1 with Honduras, Northern Ireland needed to beat the hosts in their final Group Five match or they would be heading home. Two minutes into the second half, Armstrong galloped up the park and fed
Billy Hamilton on the right flank. When Hamilton’s cross was spilled by goalkeeper Luis Arconada, time seemed to stand still. ‘My goal was one of those frozen moments,’ recalled Armstrong, who organised tonight’s Spirit of 82 function in the Europa Hotel. ‘The chance came to me and it came down to professionalism. I knew bodies were in front of me and I knew to hit it hard and keep it low. It flew through a couple of sets of legs but you need a bit of good fortune. Then I saw the ball hit the net. ‘You know when you score a goal you hear the instant applause and cheering? There was none of that. There was a deathly silence. ‘I remember Norman Whiteside and Sammy McIlroy putting their arms up in the air to celebrate. But I looked to the referee. He hadn’t given us anything all night and I thought something was going on. But he was pointing to the halfway line and signalling that it was a goal. Then the euphoria took over. ‘But there was a lot of time to go and we had Mal Donaghy sent off but we kept our heads and won the match. ‘Before kick-off, Billy told us Spain would come at us in the first 20 minutes and we had to get behind the ball and stay tight. He said after 20 minutes we would get our foot in the door and start creating chances — and all we needed was one chance.’ Remarkably, Northern Ireland, featuring former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill and ex-Rangers defender Jimmy Nicholl, had progressed past the group stages; a feat Scotland have never achieved. Armstrong would earn a move to Real Mallorca in 1983 on the back of that famous strike against Spain in Valencia.
In the longer term he became a prominent media figure as an expert on Sky Sports’ coverage of La Liga. ‘That goal changed my life,’ the 68-year-old said. ‘There was interest in me from Spain when I was at Watford but there was more interest after the World Cup. ‘I spoke to Mallorca and I made the move in 1983 and I played in Spanish football for two years against players like Diego Maradona. That was an eye-opener. That led to my career covering Spanish football on Sky for 22 years.’ While playing for Mallorca, Armstrong enjoyed an eventful return to the Estadio Luis Casanova in Valencia, which has since been renamed the Mestalla Stadium. ‘The Press had been billing the game as the return of the guy who scored the winner against Spain,’ he laughed. ‘When the team bus drew up at the ground I didn’t realise that the other players were hanging back to let me off first. ‘Their fans started pelting me with apples, oranges, bananas — you name it. ‘My team-mates were all laughing because they had known a hot reception lay in store for me. But during the game, we were 2-1 down and I picked the ball up and went past a couple of players and hit one from distance. ‘It flew into the same goal I had scored against Spain at the World Cup. ‘I’m really proud of the goal I scored against Spain and I’m looking forward to catching up this weekend with a lot of the boys from the team. ‘It’s been 40 years and the last time we were together was 15 years ago on the 25th anniversary.’