Walker marks pilgrimage with the winner

Years later, I recalled the match with Bill Shankly, who went on to become a Liverpool legend. Said Bill: ``That was a great occasion for me, and I was back at Wembley the following week winning the FA Cup with Preston North end.''

Preston, at that time, were one of the top clubs in England. In 1954 they signed Scot Symon from East Fife, but a year later Rangers stepped in to make him successor to the legendary Bill Struth. Preston also had in their ranks Andy Beattie, later to become Scotland manager on two occasions, Tom Smith, Bill Shankly and George Mutch, who were all in the Scottish team.

Smith, a former Kilmarnock player, and Tommy Walker, of Hearts were the men of the match in 1938.

I hadn't long to wait for the Wembley cheers. After just five minutes, Walker eluded a tackle from Stan Cullis, of Wolverhampton, and hit a swerving shot into the net.

In the 1953 international, Rangers' George Young captained the Scots to a 2-2 draw. Young had team-mate Sammy Cox in the side along with Tommy Docherty and two famous Hibernian players, Bobby Johnstone and the last-minute scorer, Lawrie Reilly, plus Billy Steel, of Dundee.

What a roasting the Scots got in the 1955 game with the scoreline England 7, Scotland 2. They were down 4-1 at half-time.

Stanley Matthews was the star, but the sporting gesture came from one of the Scottish all-time greats, Harry Haddock, left back of Clyde. He was given a roasting during the game by Matthews, but at the end of the match he immediately ran over to congratulate the England winger.

There was a touch of drama before the Scots lost 2-1 to England at Wembley in 1957.

I was at Reading, where the Scots were training, and as I was approaching the dressing room I was given an order to get a brush and sweep the floor.

Lawrie Reilly takes up the story: ``A cup of water was being thrown to greet me as I came out of the shower, but the cup fell and broke on the floor. Part of it caught my left foot and I required stitches and injections.

``You were asked to get the brush to sweep up the cup. Not only did you do that, but you kept quiet so that the English didn't know anything of the mishap. Unfortunately, we lost 2-1 with Duncan Edwards getting the winner.''

The game will be remembered for the brilliant debut of Eric Caldow, of Rangers, and Tom Finney being hacked down five times by his admirer and Preston team-mate, Tommy Docherty.

The English keeper that day was Alan Hodgkinson, of Sheffield United. On Saturday he will be in the Scottish dug-out as one of the coaches.

The '59 Wembley ended in a 1-0 defeat, but then came Scotland's day of humiliation, their largest defeat since Uruguay beat them 7-0 in the World Cup in 1954.

The scoreline was England 9, Scotland 3.

At that time the teams were chosen by the international committee. Some of them were crying with shame at the end. But despite losing nine, Frank Haffey, the Celtic keeper, agreed to pose on the No.9 platform in St Enoch's railway station for a posse of photographers.

Wembley still had its magic moments, as 1963 was to demonstrate. Scotland played with 10 men for 50 minutes after Eric Caldow broke his leg in two places, but went on to win 2-1. It was Jim Baxter's day with two goals, one from a penalty.

Four years later there was further glory for Scotland, when they ended England's run of 19 games without defeat, which included their 1966 World Cup triumph.

John Greig captained the side with Jim Baxter again in command of the midfield, and after the match Sir Alf Ramsey, manager of England's World Cup heroes, said: ``I always said it would take a great team to beat England and it did.''

But two years later Sir Alf got his revenge with a 4-1 win to secure the British championship.

I'll always remember 1971. On the eve of the international Celtic's Jimmy Johnstone received a death threat - and I was ordered to switch rooms with the winger.

I treated it all as a joke, but it was an anxious weekend for Bobby Brown, the Scotland manager, because he was on the verge of being axed after England won 3-1.

In 1973, Martin Peters broke Scottish hearts with the winner. Then Ally McLeod became Scotland manager before Jock Stein took over to win the 1981 match.

Young players have always broken through at Wembley. John White, of Spurs, Ian St John, of Liverpool, Kenny Daglish, of Celtic and Liverpool, Billy McNeill, of Celtic, Dave Mackay, of Spurs, Davie Wilson, of Rangers, all played major roles in the Wembley history.

Although I was too young to attend London to honour the Wembley Wizards in 1928, I remember a unique occasion in No.10 Downing Street.

It was the day Libya was bombed, but Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher kept her promise to see me and Rangers chairman David Holmes, who presented the Prime Minister and Sir Stanley Rous with special portraits of Alan Morton.

Sir Stanley said: ``I was the young linesman at Wembley that day. I just couldn't keep my eyes off the wee blue devil. It was one of the finest displays of football that I have seen.''

Present that day along with the Prime Minister were three Cabinet Ministers, George Younger, Malcolm Rifkind and John MacGregor, who all went to the same Dykehead Primary school as Alan Morton.

Morton's dad was a colliery manager in Shotts and he asked a famous footballer of the day, Alex King of Hearts, Celtic and Rangers fame, for a few words of guidance for his wee boy. Alex said: ``I'll give you the advice I got as a young player from Celtic's James Kelly and that was: Just play your natural game.''

On Saturday I'll be at Wembley cheering the Scots on with the same passion I had those long 58 years ago.