I had wild times with Bestie but even they can’t compare to day we ruled the world...
is an immortal moment in Scottish football history.
In the closing moments of the game, the 20-year-old striker in the dark blue jersey of the national team charges toward the goal.
A well-aimed pass puts the ball at his feet, then he turns quickly and smashes it into the net.
As one, thousands of Tartan Army foot-soldiers let loose a roar that shakes the Wembley stadium to its foundations.
As the final whistle blows, the truth sinks in – Scotland have just beaten World Cup winners England 3-2 at Wembley and are the ‘unofficial world champions’.
It is almost exactly 50 years since Jim McCalliog scored the goal that secured him legendary status among Scotland fans.
Today, the father of four runs a B&B in Fenwick, Ayrshire, with his wife Debbie. He still chuckles at the memory of April 15, 1967, when he made his Scotland debut and ended the World Cup holders’ run of 19 games unbeaten.
He said: ‘It was quite a coup, really. Before the match, England
‘Before the match, England were full of it’
had been full of it, having won the World Cup. They weren’t worried about anybody. I thought, “We’ve got to win today”.’
Recalling the atmosphere on the way to Wembley, he added: ‘The Scots were in their kilts and everybody was waving to us. I was taking it all in. Once you’d seen all that, you didn’t need a lot of motivation.’
At the final whistle, the jubilant Scots fans invaded the pitch, dancing jigs. ‘Me and the goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson had a terrible time making our way back because of the fans on the pitch.
‘They were trying to get our jerseys, our socks, shorts, everything. It was unbelievable. I had to run through the crowd.’
It was a sign of things to come from a prodigious talent which had already shone through as a youth player, and had previously led to 22 clubs – from Celtic and Manchester United to Queen’s Park and Clyde – turning up at his home in Glasgow’s Gorbals to try to sign him up.
McCalliog had his first taste of the good life as a teenager at Chelsea, between 1963 and 1965.
New to London and not short of female admirers, he rubbed shoulders with pop stars, actors and models.
He later signed for Sheffield Wednesday, then Wolves, before joining Manchester United in 1975. There, he became pals with the legendary George Best.
‘I would meet George in the pub he owned called Oscars, then go to his nightclub, Slack Alice’s. The name was typical George. It was a tongue-in-cheek Irish thing.
‘I remember seeing Rod Stewart, Joan Collins and Michael Parkinson there. Lots of people like that would be in George’s club.’
Both bachelors, McCalliog and Best enjoyed each other’s company. ‘Whenever I got the chance I would be on the town. Assistant manager Tommy Cavanagh called me a playboy, which I thought was quite funny. The only thing I didn’t do was gamble.’
‘The managers preferred us to be married because there was too much temptation. I didn’t get marIT ried until I was 30, so I had a good old time to myself, but I was disciplined. After the match on Saturday, you could go out and everyone would enjoy themselves.
‘In the summer, I’d go to Marbella and see George there. I was probably like him in so far as I went to clubs and pubs and I had a lot of girlfriends. We were a bit mischievous, the pair of us, and we had some great laughs together.’
After a bust-up with Cavanagh, McCalliog moved to Southampton and won the FA Cup against Manchester United in 1976.
But nothing ever surpassed Scotland’s win at Wembley.
‘I’m not trying to be flash, but I’ve never been on the losing side against England. I played them with Scotland schoolboys, youth, under-23s and full. Every time I was on the winning side. The one thing I wanted was to play for Scotland against England at Wembley. After that, everything pales into insignificance.’
Back in that Wembley moment, he says: ‘I could see Willie Wallace and I played it to him and went round the other side. When the chance came, the only thing was whether Bobby Moore would get to me. Goalkeeper Gordon Banks was trying to get me as well. I pulled the trigger at the right time.
‘For a Scotsman against the world champions, to have two world-class players on their backside was fantastic. I’ll never forget it.’
Jim McCalliog has organised a Legends of Football night at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall on Thursday, April 13, featuring football pundit Charlie Nicholas and Lisbon Lion Bertie Auld.