The night at Anfield that led to Argentina
The car park was packed with Scottish punters
LONG before ‘God’ raised his hand above a flailing Peter Shilton to leave a nation on its knees, a footballing colossus from Cleland beat him to the punch.
Next month marks 40 years since Scotland defeated Wales 2-0 at Anfield to qualify for the World Cup in Argentina. Such a happening — the next generation of Tartan Army foot soldiers are doubtless sick of hearing — used to be as predictable as day following night.
Waxing lyrical about a proud run of six qualifications from seven tournaments between 1974 and 1998, Billy Connolly once observed that such a prolific record could be attributed in no small measure to treating Wales ‘very badly’. None more so surely than on that fabled night on Merseyside on October 12, 1977.
Needing to beat the Scots to move to the brink of qualification, the Welsh FA scored a spectacular own goal before a ball was kicked. Crowd trouble at a match with Yugoslavia at Ninian Park meant the game had to be shifted from Cardiff but their choice of Anfield rather than Wrexham, purely for monetary reasons, spectacularly blew up in their faces.
‘I remember someone thinking there was going to be a big Welsh support there,’ recalled Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish. ‘We’d had a bit of carry on with (Liverpool team-mates) Joey Jones and John Toshack in the build-up.
‘I just remember the thousands and thousands of Scotland fans who were there. The car park was packed, not with cars but Scottish punters. It was unbelievable. I don’t know how many managed down the road.’
Looking back at the TV footage of that night, you’d be inclined to believe any estimate. The possibility of a day-trip to see Scotland qualify for Argentina for the price of a tank of petrol was never going to be a hard-sell. The natives of Hampden Park simply moved 220 miles south en masse.
Dalglish had made the same journey for £440,000 (£2.5million in today’s money) four months previously when Bob Paisley took him from Celtic Park, yet oddly didn’t view the staging of the game at Liverpool’s home as a personal advantage.
‘That didn’t matter,’ he insisted. ‘I was the only Liverpool player in the Scotland team that night because Graeme Souness didn’t sign until the January and big Alan Hansen wouldn’t have been playing. Steven Nicol was too young.
‘If I’d got any advantage then Joey Jones and Tosh would have been thinking the same thing, wouldn’t they?
‘I didn’t think it was an advantage for me. I had only played two or three games there for Liverpool anyway. I wasn’t worried about me, only what the result would be for Scotland.’
Looking back now, the qualification process was remarkably simple and brief. With Europe still enjoying the lion’s share of the spots in South America (nine from 16), Scotland only had to beat Wales and Czechoslovakia to get there.
A loss in Prague was negated by victory over the Czechs and Welsh at Hampden. A failure to beat Wales at Anfield would risk being pipped by Mike Smith’s men on goal difference as they were still to play the Czechs.
With 12 minutes remaining, Asa Hartford’s long throw-in was contested by Joe Jordan and Dave Jones. A raised arm, seemingly clad with the long sleeve of Jordan, struck the ball but French referee Robert Wurtz pointed to the spot.
‘I don’t know what happened with Big Joe,’ insisted a poker-faced Dalglish. ‘Even on the television now you can’t see what happened.
‘But we should have had a penalty in the first half when Dai Davies brought me down.’
What is beyond dispute is that Don Masson slotted the penalty beyond the Welsh keeper.
Three minutes from time, Martin Buchan’s surge up the right brought the denouement. His cross into the middle, Dalglish’s glancing header and the raucous celebrations behind the goal remain one of the national team’s most iconic moments.
‘Oh what a goal,’ screamed commentator Archie Macpherson, dispensing with all sense of neutrality. ‘That’s done it! No wonder he turns to the supporters. Ally MacLeod’s on the park…’
‘It was unusual for Martin to be so accurate!’ smiled Dalglish.
There is an argument that it represented the zenith for Scotland. Look at the other names in the team that night: Sandy Jardine, Gordon McQueen and Lou Macari. Danny McGrain was injured. It was an embarrassment of riches.
What transpired in Argentina the next summer went down in
the annals of shame and contrasted sharply with a sojourn there earlier in 1977 that gave rise to an unfortunate sense of bravado. ‘We went to Chile and won 4-2, then drew 1-1 with Argentina,’ said Dalglish. ‘Big Roughie (Alan Rough) was unbelievable in the Maracana against Brazil, even though we lost 2-0.’ Forty years on, Scotland’s joint record goal-scorer would dearly love the elation he felt as that header rippled the Anfield net to be felt by a modern-day hero. A campaign that began grimly has gathered pace since Chris Martin’s late goal downed Slovenia in March. A draw with England, all be it one that felt like a defeat, has been augmented by victories over Lithuania and Malta. The task remains arduous — even more so after the losses of Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong through injury — but clear. Defeat Slovakia on Thursday and Slovenia on Sunday and the play-offs await. ‘You only get there if you deserve to get there,’ warned Dalglish. ‘And at the moment, wee Gordon (Strachan) and the team have given themselves a fantastic chance. ‘If we hadn’t lost the last-minute goal against England that would have made a helluva difference but we have two big games now.’
One Scot under Dalglish’s watchful eye is Andrew Robertson. Man of the match on his debut as he retraced Dalglish’s steps to Anfield, the sight of the Liverpool full-back being ousted from Jurgen Klopp’s side by Alberto Moreno in recent weeks is a concern. Dalglish remains unperturbed.
‘Andrew has done very well,’ he said. ‘He got off to a great start. It is up to him how he takes it forward. Everybody at Liverpool will be on his side. He just has to settle down. It is a big move and so is becoming a parent.
‘I am sure he will be a big success down there. He will be good for Liverpool and Liverpool will be good for him.’
The likelihood of Robertson on one side and Kieran Tierney on the other on Thursday recalls the time when Jardine and McGrain were shoe-horned into the same Scotland side.
‘Is it not ironic?’ asked Dalglish. ‘We never bring so many players through and bring through two in the one position who are very good in the same position. (Anthony) Ralston might not be too bad either in years to come.’
In the here and now, though, there is no margin for error or room for regret. That Scotland can yet make next month’s play-offs is almost beyond comprehension. Forty years on from Anfield, another stolen moment is surely long overdue.
‘Gut feeling? That doesn’t win you anything,’ warned Dalglish. ‘It’s what you do on the pitch and they’re certainly giving everyone a huge lift by getting this close because they were written off.’
Kenny Dalglish was speaking at the SFA Grassroots Awards supported by McDonald’s at Hampden Park. Find out more about all the winners at mcdonalds.co.uk/awards