This Team Would Surely Give England a Gubbing

Wembley Week – 2

SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY, on Sunday past, ran a feature on Scotland's nine Wembley Wins, great occasions, worth remembering. But, great wins have to be accompanied by great individual performances, so, just who were the true Wembley Wizards – the Scots whose individual brilliance lit-up the stadium. How about:

Goalkeeper – Jimmy Cowan (1949 - 1951)

The Tartan Army carries Cowan from the field in 1949

THIS one was a no-brainer, the Morton 'keeper from Paisley was an absolute stick-out in the 1949 win. Sammy Cox, another of the Scottish stars that day – of whom more later – said: “Jimmy, in that opening half hour, gave the most-incredible display of net-minding I have ever seen”.

The Scots were under the cosh in that opening English onslaught, but, Cowan produced at least six world-class saves, Cox kicked another one off the line, then, when Jimmy Mason, on a breakaway, put Scotland ahead, the whole game changed and Scotland won 3-1 to post their first Wembley win since 1938. But, it was; 'Jimmy Cowan's Wembley'.

Full-backs – Danny McGrain (1981) and Sammy Cox (1949 - 1953)

Danny McGrain - World Class

Sammy Cox - unbeaten at Wembley

OVER the years, Scotland has been blessed with great full-backs, and great full-back partnerships, but, if it came down to picking an all-time Scotland XI, you can bet, Danny McGrain would be in one or other of the full-back spots. He was genuinely World-class.

Going into the 1981 Wembley match, the English media hype machine was at full blast, talking-up the English and talking-down the Scots. But, Scotland skipper McGrain and his men ignored all the paper talk, did theirs on the park and won 1-0, courtesy of a John Robertson penalty.

In truth, it wasn't a great game, but, McGrain's absolute class stood out. He led by example and at the end, even the English media had to admit, this was one excellent full-back.

  SAMMY Cox played left-half in Rangers' great 1949 side, which had posted Scottish football's first Treble of League, League Cup and Scottish Cup. He had made his Scotland debut as an 11^th hour call-up in France, in May, 1948 – playing right-half. Indeed, when he was surprisingly named at left-back for the Wembley trip, many Scottish newspapers had his call-up down as his international debut.

He would be facing Stanley Matthews, the English outside right who had been tormenting Scottish left-backs since 1937. But, “the Wizard of Dribble” got no change out of the Rangers man; indeed, some English commentators ignored Cowan's goalkeeping heroics and named Cox as their Scottish Man of the Match, because of the way he nullified the Matthews threat.

Two years later, in 1951, as Scotland posted back-to-back Wembley wins, he again snuffed-out the Matthews magic, before, back at Wembley in 1953, he kept Tom Finney – a player Cox always maintained was harder to play against than Matthews – quiet, as Scotland forced a 2-2 draw. Three trips to Wembley, never on the losing side – Cox has to go into the dream team.

Central defenders – Tom Bradshaw (1928) – Willie Woodburn (1947 – 1951)

Tom "Tiny" Bradshaw

Willie Woodburn

"TINY" Bradshaw, then plying his trade with a Bury side which finished fifth in the old First Division that season, was the surprise choice for the 1928 Scotland team for Wembley. His selection must go down as a rare, perhaps unique moment of selectorial brilliance from the SFA committee – since he was apparently selected soley to counter the aerial threat of the great “Dixie” Dean of Everton, the England centre forward.

This the six-foot-four Bradshaw did brilliantly, blunting England's most-potent attacking weapon and helping the Scots, forever to be known as “The Wembley Wizards” to their iconic 5-1 win. Bradshaw was never picked for Scotland again.

  WILLIE Woodburn is still, in the eyes of veteran Rangers and Scotland watchers, the club's greatest-ever centre-half, ahead of, to name but a few: Davie Meiklejohn, Jimmy Simpson, Ronnie McKinnon, Terry Butcher and Richard Gough. Woodburn was so good, Rangers played his contemporary, George Young, the Scotland captain, at right back whenever Woodburn was fit.

He also had, however, a hair-trigger temper, which eventually saw him, somewhat unjustly, suspended sine die by the SFA in 1954, ending his career. Dominant in the air, quick, able to play more than a bit on the ground, “Big Ben” was in many ways ahead of his time – today he'd be worth squillions.

Woodburn wore the number five shirt at Wembley three times. We drew in 1947, and won in 1949 and 1951. His immediate opponents were: Tommy Lawton in 1947, Jackie Milburn in 1949 and Stan Mortenson in 1951 – only Milburn scored against him.

Wingers – Alex Jackson (1928) – Davie Wilson (1961 – 1965)

Alex Jackson

Davie Wilson

JACKSON, “The Prince of Wingers” simply has to go into any Wembley dream team – how can you argue against picking the scorer of the only Scottish hat-trick at Wembley? This, of course, came in the 1928 match in which the Scots passed the English off the park on their way to a 5-1 win which has been the benchmark and the curse of Wembley visitors ever since.

At, five-foot-seven, Jackson was Scotland's tallest forward that day, and, with his goals he truly stood head and shoulders above everyone else.

  DAVIE Wilson might be a surprise choice in the number 11 jersey, considering the competition from the likes of Alan Morton, Billy Liddell, Bobby Lennox, Eddie Gray and John Robertson. But, think for a moment – he scored one of our goals in the horror-show that was the 9-3 defeat in 1961, and he was one of our better players in the 2-2 draw in 1965. Between them, however, he was a giant in the 1963 win.

That day, he spent 85 of the 90 minutes playing as an emergency left-back, after skipper Eric Caldow was carried off with a broken leg, (no substitutes back then). With manager Ian McColl running the line beside him to talk him through his duties, Wilson kept the dangerous Bryan Douglas quiet, and still had time for the occasional raid up the touchlines of his own.

He also scored the first goal when we won at Hmpden in 1962 – our first home win over England in 25-years, and crossed for Alan Gilzean to head home the only goal of the game two years later. Davie's performances against England have to be recognised.

Central midfield – Tommy Walker (1936-1938) – Jim Baxter (1963 – 1967)

Tommy Walker

Jim Baxter with another player who might get into a Scotland team

TOMMY Walker is a rare example of a great player who became a great manager. The man who would guide Hearts through their golden era of the mid-1950s to mid-1960s was a boy wonder when first capped, as a 19-year-old in October, 1934.

He was still only 21 when he nervelessly re-spotted the ball, after it had been blown off the penalty spot by the wind, before banging a penalty – the first ever awarded in an England v Scotland game – past Ted Sagar in the 77^th minute of the 1936 game, to earn Scotland a draw.

Two years later, he slotted home the only goal of the game to give Scotland their first Wembley win since the “Wizards” had triumphed ten years earlier. World War II cut into Walker's potentially best years, otherwise, his playing career might be regarded as highly as his managerial one.

"SLIM JIM" Baxter is another shoo-in for any all-time Scotland XI at Wembley. Jimmy Cowan has one Wembley game named after him, the skinny Fifer has two. He scored both Scotland goals in the ten-man win in 1963, at which time he was at the peak of his considerable powers and, by a distance the finest midfielder on the planet.

Four years later, his taste for the good life and in particular Bacardi, plus a broken leg, had reduced him to a fat, unfit, parody of what he had been. However, the chance to beat World Champions England on their own turf was one to which Baxter could rise.

Pre-match, he dismissed the England side as: “Rubbish”, then, while Denis Law was urging Scotland to stick a few goals on them, Baxter, and Billy Bremner concocted a scheme to humiliate England 1-0 and, in the process make a fool of Alan Ball.

Baxter ran the show – the film clip of him, socks down round his ankles, shirt hanging out, playing keepie-uppie in front of a helpless Bobby Moore is unforgettable. This was his finest hour and a half. Seven months later, aged just 28, his Scotland career was over.

Strikers – Lawrie Reilly (1949 – 1957) – Denis Law (1961 – 1967)

Lawrie Reilly scores against England in 1949

Denis Law CBE - it really should be Sir Denis

“LAST-MINUTE REILLY”, like Alex Jackson, cannot be left out of any all-time Scotland XI at Wembley. He scored in 1949, when he was chosen at outside-left; he scored again in 1951; in 1953, he scored both Scotland goals. He got Scotland's first goal in the 7-2 hammering we took in 1955, and was back for his 38^th and final cap in 1957.

Five Wembley appearances for Scotland – five goals, that's a record no other Scotland striker can match, the arrowhead of the legendary Hibernian “Famous Five” forward line has to go into any dream team.

That “Last-Minute Reilly” nickname comes from his penchant for scoring late goals, never more-necessary for Scotland than his 90^th minute equaliser in the 1953 game at Wembley.

“THE LAW MAN” is one of the first names on any “Best-ever Scotland team” list. He played his 55^th and last game for Scotland in the 1974 World Cup Finals, 16-years after his debut, as an 18-year-old in Cardiff in 1958. His tally of 30 goals for Scotland has never been beaten.

He was controversially left out of the team in 1959, dropped in disgrace after kicking Bobby Robson, right in front of the Royal Box in the nightmare 1961 defeat. But, he bounced back to stretch the English defence mercilessly in 1963, then score in the drawn 1965 game, before opening the scoring in the legendary 3-2 in in 1967.

Only he and Reilly have scored in successive Wembley visits – he has to go into the team. And, if you cannot take my word for this, how about this independent testimonial from an old rival, the great Jimmy Greaves, who is on record as saying: “If I had to nominate someone to score a goal to save my life, the man I would choose would be Denis”.

So, there you have it, in 4-4-2 formation: Scotland's “Dream Team” to face England at Wembley:

Jimmy Cowan (Morton); Danny McGrain [capt] (Celtic), Willie Woodburn (Rangers), Tom Bradshaw (Bury), Sammy Cox (Rangers); Alex Jackson (Huddersfield Town), Tommy Walker (Hearts), Jim Baxter, Davie Wilson (both Rangers); Lawrie Reilly (Hibs), Denis Law (Manchester United).