Ian Durrant may have taken on a back-seat role as an unused substitute when Scotland beat England with Don Hutchinson’s header at Wembley in 1999, but the unheralded part he played in the famous victory as unofficial cheerleader and wind-up merchant should not be underestimated.
Given licence by manager Craig Brown to fan the flames of resentment that had been building in the Scotland camp since their loss to the English at Hampden just days earlier, Durrant needed no further encouragement to make it his mission to get up the noses of their opponents while stoking the fires in the bellies of the vengeful Scots.
“It was brilliant in 1999. We went down there as massive underdogs,” Durrant said.
“The English press did their usual and absolutely battered us after the 2-0 defeat we had at Hampden.
“Wee Broony used a lot of it. He kept bringing clippings into the boys along with Alex Miller.
“It was the usual motivational stuff and the cuttings were everywhere, even when you walked down the stairs for dinner or for lunch. He was giving us wee jags.
“I had a bit of carte-blanche to wind it up. Did I chap their dressing room door? Everything!
“The usual, banging the door and saying: 'They don’t want to come out!' The boys got a reaction that night and it worked for us.
“Craig would do his bit, but then there is 40 minutes before kick-off and you are taking things in and absorbing information.
“You have a glance up and these things can make a difference.
“We had a lot of vocal players, everyone chipping in and a lot of big characters. You sensed before the game we fancied our chances and we were able to do it.
“I was winding everyone up. At the old Wembley, when you went down the tunnel, they had the English voices on and the Chelsea Pensioners there.
“Everything that represents England is there, even down to a couple of Cockney boys coming into the dressing room with the teas and coffees.
“We had a bit of banter with them, saying we’d stuff them, while they said they’d hammer us.
“It was good fun and there were shouts as we went down the tunnel, the usual Braveheart stuff, but it seemed to gee the boys up.
“Craig and the staff are passionate and it was great for them and to see the fans celebrating, it was just a shame that we didn’t qualify.”
Much has changed since that match before the dawn of the millennium; the famous twin towers of Wembley are long gone, of course. But from a Scottish perspective, one thing remains constant ahead of tonight’s clash between the game’s oldest foes; hardly anyone outside of their own dressing room gives the Scots a prayer.
Durrant says that today’s players must use being written off as an inspiration to upset the odds, just as Brown’s side did some 17 years ago.
“It is as if 1999 has come around again,” he said. “Written-off again.
“Gordon Strachan has come in for a bit of stick and there is a lot of negativity around.
“This is a perfect opportunity for players to go down and put on a show. We’ll have 15,000 fans there and it will be some atmosphere.
“You just wish you could turn the clock back and put your boots back on, but the boys can go down there and do it.
“Get behind Gordon, get behind the team and we might be able to shatter that doom and gloom.
“I just hope someone like a Snodgrass can go there and become another James McFadden, be another hero. Go and grasp the opportunity.”
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