Today I'm going back 39 years to 1983 and England's European Championships Qualifier against Hungary played at the old Wembley Stadium in front of 55,000 spectators.
The programme cover star is Manchester United's Steve Coppell, pictured in action against Hungary in a World Cup Qualifier in Budapest two years earlier. We didn't know it on the night of the featured match but Coppell, who had appeared in England's recent goalless draw against Greece at Wembley, wouldn't win another cap and he finished on 42 caps, having scored seven goals. Coppell's knee had been shattered during a match, ironically, against Hungary in 1982 and, although he returned following an operation, he was never the same player again and he retired from the game in October 1983.
This game was England's 576th ever but only my second. This fixture has always had something of an aura about it dating back to 1953 when the Magyars became the first "foreign" side to win on English soil. They won 6-3 back then and, just to prove that it was no fluke, they then beat England 7-1 in Budapest six months later! Sadly, as far as Hungary are concerned, their golden generation failed at the final hurdle in the 1954 World Cup final losing to West Germany when they were hot favourites to lift the trophy. Hungary have never come as close again.
England's victory in today's featured game strengthened their position at the top of their European championship qualifying group. Their first goal came from a corner kick routine after 31 minutes with Gordon Cowans crossing to the near post for Trevor Francis to head down and in past the Hungarian keeper. In the 70th minute Peter Withe scored England's second with a cracking goal. A long pass from Sammy Lee was chested down by Withe and he fired home an unstoppable cross shot. Later, action man Withe had to go to hospital for treatment to a depressed fracture of a cheekbone and a broken thumb and the video attached to my blog shows Peter replete with one heck of a shiner! Withe's goal was his first and last for his country and with his two fractures to boot, I'd be pretty sure that this was a night that he'll remember to this day!
In that video, Withe argues his case as being more than just a battering ram of a centre forward and, when you look at the trophies that he won, you have to believe that there was more to his game than just brute force and ignorance. Withe won the League Championship for Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest in 1978 and followed that up with another League title, this time at Aston Villa in 1981, along with the small matter of the European Cup in 1982!
Sadly for England, Withe's heroism proved to be all in vain as they failed to qualify for that summer's European Championships in France. England finished in second place in their Group, one point behind Denmark whom they had failed to beat either home or away during the qualifying campaign. Ironically England would have qualified irrespective of their results against Denmark if they had they only beaten Greece at Wembley but that goalless draw proved to be very costly and England boss Bobby Robson had every reason to fear for his position.
CRB Match No. 247
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