FROZEN IN TIME

All of Scotland hopes that tonight’s result in Slovenia will propel Scotland into a World Cup play-off.

The last time the Dark Blues were in that position was in 1985 when they eliminated Australia 2-1 on aggregate to reach the Finals in Mexico.

Their previous appearance in a World Cup play-off had come 24 years earlier. The Scots faced Czechoslovakia in Brussels in November, 1961, after the countries had finished level in their qualifying group.

The Czechs, although beaten 3-2 at Hampden in the qualifiers, were a formidable side, and had thumped Scotland 4-0 on their own patch.

A raft of Scottish call-offs was a major setback for the game in Belgium, but in front of just 7000 fans, Ian St John twice gave Scotland the lead, only for the Czechs to force extra-time.

Two goals in the first period of the final half-hour put paid to the Scots’ hopes, and Czechoslovakia would go on to reach the 1962 World Cup Final in Chile, where they lost 3-1 to Brazil.