Scots battle way to Munich

Scotland v Czechoslovakia, 26-Sep-73


Scotland 2 Holton, Jordan
Czechoslovakia 1 Nehoda

Magnificently and gloriously and with stirring spirit and skill, Scotland last night wiped out at Hampden Park the embarrassing World Cup record of the past. Czechoslovakia, a determined, well-ordered team were beaten solidly and convincingly even after they led and Scotland, for the first time since 1958, go to the finals of the World Cup in West Germany.

There have been many memorable occasions at Hampden but never one to better this and that faithful, encouraging crowd who crowded the terracing lent their support and were amply rewarded with such a display of aggressive football as put to shame those of little faith who had worried beforehand.

There were heart-stirring scenes at the end when the jubilant team paraded before the ecstatic supporters and a great moment when the captain, Billy Bremner, left the excitement to bring to the field the manager, Willie Ormond, and have him raised shoulder high and acclaimed for the hitherto unrewarded work he had put into this triumph. It was a night in which his critics were destroyed. Dennis Law, the controversial one who, they claimed, was too old, played like a goal-thirsty youngster, and exciting inspiring one, Billy Bremner urged and coaxed and steadied and there was no finer player on the field.

The surprise selection, the lanky Tom Hutchison, worked the ball as a Scottish player should and disorganised the tight defence of these uncompromising Czechs. George Connelly, who once ran away, redeemed himself with a display of intelligent defending and inspired leading out work, and beside him, big Jim Holton shouldered responsibility and stamped on any Czech expectation.

It was a team with determination befitting the occasion and the stupendous awards ahead of them but there was more to them than spirit. There was skill and method and good order and an unselfish urge to help each other and indeed it was a team to be proud of.
In going slightly hysterical about this team one has to admit being caught up in the excitement of the occasion. One could not help feeling proud and elated and sharing the ecstasy of the terracings but at the same time one is not being carried away to the extent of declaring that this Scotland team will win the World Cup. But at least we will not go to Germany and be ashamed of them. They will not let us down.

Under floodlights which were as bright as anything I have seen in the world, the game started in a nasty tense way as one could have expected considering all that was at stake. After all these were not choirboys on a Sunday school picnic.

In the first couple of minutes Dalglish and Hutchison were hacked to the ground and Denis Law showed that the kicking was not to be one-sided with a terrifying foul. Scotland predictably had the Czechs hemmed in their penalty area, urged on by as noisy and partisan a crowd as has ever crushed into Hampden. That physical phase was controlled when Samek was shown the yellow caution card for a bad foul on Bremner.

The crowd chanted: "Animals," and roared even louder when Morgan was cruelly kicked. But after ten minutes the football broke through and clearly the task for the eager Scots was to break through a seven-man uncompromising defence strung across the penalty area.

They set about it by spreading the play wide through the lanky, elusive Hutchison on the left and the prancing Morgan on the right and from his cross came the first excitement. Bremner somehow got his head to his cross but the goalkeeper leaped to knock the ball over the bar.

And then with great waves of sound surging down from the terracing and yellow lions rampant waving encouragement, the Scotland team buckled to wear down these Czechs who seemed incapable of doing any more than containing them.

Law was challenging in the middle as he might have been expected to do ten years ago and Dalglish was backing him ably and Billy Bremner, in aggressive mood, was right on their heels. The muscular Czech defence were in such trouble that they conceded free kicks recklessly.

Jardine almost scored from a free kick but the ball was turned round the post. There was an isolated Czech break and Hunter rushed out and sent waves of apprehension round the ground when he dropped the ball.

Kuna showed signs of wear and tear and was replaced by Dobias and he came on to find his goal under stirring and hectic assault with his team mates clearing indiscriminately.

There was a tremendous roar as Law leapt in that typical exciting way of his but he mistimed the ball. Then he leapt again and made contact and sent the ball across goal but Morgan's hooked shot was played over the bar.

It was a tremendously exciting spectacle, but while the agility of Law and the cunning of Dalglish were being admired by the home supporters the Czechs broke away in the 34th minute and scored a freak goal.

The ball was cleared aimlessly to the right-wing and there Nehoda was in possession with nobody in support. He swung at the ball hitting it hard and it flew towards the goal. Hunter got two hands to it but only played it into the side net and the Czechs surprisingly and completely against the run of play had scored. We wondered whether this was to be yet another night of misery.

The Scots recovered magnificently. Law shot quickly and the Scots claimed that the ball had been stopped with a hand. Dalglish was working through and was tripped. Those who had complained about the inclusion of Law must have been ashamed for in every dashing movement of his there was excitement and menace.

He took a free kick and surprised the Czechs and the goalkeeper had to dive to push the ball round the post. There was furious attacking as half-time approached and tremendous encouragement and in the 40th minute Scotland at last and deservedly did score.

Again it was Law who was in the action. With a typical flurry of action he won a corner. When the ball came over there was a crush of players jumping but Jim Holton rose above then all and his header, perfectly placed, hit the roof of the net. The crowd went berserk then and Scotland might have taken the lead before the interval.

The second half commenced in a more controlled manner. There was smooth, well-ordered play by the Scots right across the field, and again these white-shirted Czechs were reduced to uncompromising defence. Yet it was not reckless Scottish attacking and it dared not be because the Czechs had two sharp forwards prowling in the halfway circle, the burly Stratil and the hard-shooting Adamec. They were ready to pounce on the break.

It was exciting and stirring stuff and one thrilled to see this Scottish team play it with such composure. The left side was particularly impressive. Hutchison, the lanky one, could take on a man and beat him. McGrain was ever ready to come through in support. Hay was working like a galley-load of slaves and all the time the evergreen Law and his young accomplice Dalglish ware probing the penalty area. It was wonderfully exciting and satisfying.

There was a disturbing phase when the Czechs found a bit of form to confound those who had described them as a rubbishy team. They played slick cohesive possession football and did it so skilfully that they wrested the initiative from Scotland.

In the 19th minute of the second-half, Willie Ormond, apparently anxious, made a change. He took off Dalglish, whose subtleties had little opportunity to flourish in that hard Czech penalty area and sent on the more robust Jordan.

The Czechs' supremacy lasted no more than a few minutes and then the assault was on again with the play centred in that penalty area. It was hard driving stuff, met ruthlessly by clear-at-any-cost tackling. The crowd were still behind the team but there seemed an air of apprehension in their encouragement.

With 15 minutes to go there was such a cry of frustration as might have been heard all over Glasgow. Billy Bremner cleverly made position from a non-scoring free kick and shot strongly but the ball struck the inside of a post and rolled tantalisingly across the line and apparently to safety.

But the cry was choked then Willie Morgan turned the ball back across goal and Joe Jordan, the substitute, skipped to head it to the net.

The terraces erupted. The team went hysterical and there was such noise as had filled the eardrums until one was dizzy. Scotland was on her way to the World Cup finals in Munich.

• From The Scotsman of 27/09/73