Billy Hamilton lifts the lid on how he and the boys in green became our heroes

BILLY Hamilton played EIGHT times in the World Cup finals. That's eight times more than George Best, Alfredo Di Stefano, Duncan Edwards, Ian Rush, Eric Cantona, Liam Brady and Ryan Giggs combined.

And the same number as his Northern Ireland team-mates Jimmy Nicholl, Dave McCreery, Norman Whiteside and Sammy McIlroy, who played in all of their country's World Cup games in 1982 and 1986.

None of that fab four managed to score twice in the finals though. Hamilton did, securing his place as one of the most popular players ever to pull on the green shirt.

Everyone loves easy going, fun loving Billy, apart from defenders who took liberties with the Belfast-man and ended up regretting it.

Beginning his career at Linfield as a bustling forward, he moved to QPR in 1978, the same year he made his international debut, but it wasn't until he joined Burnley a year later that he started to make a major impression in full-time football.

It was while at Burnley, where he remains an idol with the fans, that he became a regular for Northern Ireland leading to him playing in attack with Gerry Armstrong in the 1982 finals in Spain.

It was to be the best experience of his footballing life, which kicked-off even before Billy Bingham's squad arrived in Espana.

Hamilton, who will write a hard-hitting column for the Belfast Telegraph during this year's World Cup, recalls: “While other teams were going off to exotic climes we went to Brighton for our pre-tournament training. It proved to be a masterstroke because Brighton was in the middle of a heatwave which helped us when we got to Spain.

“We trained from 9.30am to 12.30pm and then from 1.30pm to 3.30pm. It was tough going.

“There was an Ethiopian marathon runner at Brighton University and Billy Bingham got him to do stamina runs with us. Gerry Armstrong was the only one who could keep up with him!

“After working us hard during the day, Bingy was quite relaxed about what we got up to at night. Our curfew was around 11pm and groups of us would go out and have a couple of pints.

“That's when the craic and banter started. We really got to know each other. At the weekend Billy really allowed us to let our hair down and we didn't need to be told twice!

“Those bonding exercises were brilliant for team morale. It was a very happy camp, but we knew when to switch off the fun and switch on our serious side.

“Going to the World Cup was a dream for all of us and when we got to Spain we knew we really had hit the big time.

“There was so much media attention from camera crews and journalists around the world, especially when Norman Whiteside became the youngest player ever to play in the World Cup finals.

“Billy told us that for our own good we had to curtail our social activities and we weren't allowed outside the hotel.

“One afternoon Billy went to a factory which was making a replica of the World Cup and we were instructed not to go anywhere, so that day we all ended up beside the pool having a few cans of beer.

“One of our players Tommy Cassidy, a good midfielder, but who never looked the fittest, was sitting in a deckchair with a cowboy hat on him. We put our drinks close to him so he had a mountain of beer beside him with his belly hanging out over his shorts.

“A Spanish photographer took a picture of this and it appeared in a local paper with a big headline ‘ This is how the Irish prepare for the big game!'

“It was as if they were laughing at us. That backfired on them though because it gave us even more resolve when we played Spain.”

Hamilton admits that the World Cup group matches were like a journey into the unknown.

“We took on Honduras and they were tremendously athletic and capable of changing the tempo from slow to quick in a flash. It was difficult to get to grips