There is something about putting one over the Auld Enemy that makes it a more important quest than any other. Beating foreign opposition is always a good reason to celebrate – but beating England is the signal for parties in the streets.
Probably the greatest ever international upset of all time in the clashes between Scotland and England came on 31 March 1928 – the day of the Wembley Wizards. Possibly an Englishman would never really understand what all the fuss was about – but to Scotland it was far more than that convincing score-line. It was the manner in which a team of so-called Scottish no-hopers humbled the mighty England on their own hallowed turf.
When the Scottish team was first announced for that game it was instantly written-off by many. There was a criticism that it contained too many ‘Anglos’ – name given to Scots who were playing their regular football in England.
In 1927 England had visited Hampden and won 2-1. Scotland wanted revenge – and to add a little more spice to the contest, as if it needed any, there was the added incentive that whichever side lost would be finishing bottom of the Home International Championship table. That’s why interest in the game was at its peak when the side was announced. There were amazing scenes in those days, like of which are never experienced today.
On 21 March 1928, a large crowd of several thousand supporters packed into Carlton Place, Glasgow which was the address of the Scottish Football Association. They were there to hear the official announcement of the team to face England. The traffic was halted and the police marshaled the crowd as if they were actually at a match.
Nobody wanted to see Scotland finish bottom of the table, but they knew it was going to be a tough task playing away to England who would be putting out their big stars – Dixie Dean, Roy Goodall, Joe Bradford and goalkeeper Ted Hufton of West Ham – who was considered in those days to be the best in the world between the sticks.
That is why the crowd were rather tense as they waited for the Scottish FA official to stand at the top of the steps outside Carlton Place headquarters and read out the names of the team who had the job of at least giving England a run for their money.
The first reaction was one of astonishment as the crowd learned that regulars Meiklejohn, McPhail and McGrory had been omitted from the line up. The second reaction was one of annoyance when they discovered that only three players actually playing in Scotland had been named. There was disbelief that Bury’s Tom Bradshaw had been picked to make his international debut – especially since he would have the unevitable task of marking Everton’s prolific goal scorer, the great Dixie Dean. There was also some disquiet when the name of Hughie Gallacher was mentioned since he had been out with an injury for the last two months. Then there was another sharp intake of breath when it was realized that the forward line of Jackson, Dunn, Gallacher, James and Morton was the smallest attack team ever fielded by Scotland.
Newspaper reaction was much the same as that of the crowd. The headlines did not scream vitriolic abuse as they would have today, but comments like ‘its not a great side – which was the offering of the Daily Record – were as about as hysterical as you could get then. The general opinion amongst most Scots was that this was a side being taken like lambs to the slaughter. But the Scottish determination to cheer on even the most suicidal of lemmings prevailed and there could be no faulting of the spirit among the players or their followers.
England just about ruled football in those days and everyone considered that their failures against Wales and Ireland were little more than blips. Come the day of Scotland’s visit and the stars of England would shine once again.
On the eve of the match, the Scotland players and officials were gathered in a London hotel, aware that everyone was talking about just how many England would Score, rather than IF, they would score. Somehow this only added to the team spirit in the Scotland camp and strengthened their will to win. After dinner, an official suggested to Scotland skipper, Jimmy McMullan, that he should give his players a pep talk in preparation for the game next day. He stood up and made one of the shortest tactics talks on record, saying, “Go to bed – and pray for rain.”
Amazingly, when they climbed out of their beds the next morning, it was indeed raining. Over breakfast jimmy looked at his small forward line – of whom the tallest was only 5ft 7ins – and said; “You’ve got nice weather for it lads!”
By the time they set off for Wembley, the rain had developed into a downpour and the advantage to the lighter Scots was growing. They would be able to twist and turn much more effectively than would England’s heavyweights in those slippery conditions.
There is something very special about playing at Wembley, whether it is an international or a cup final, and that day was certainly no exception. The crowd of 80,868 had put on a brave face against the weather and for two hours before the kick off there was an enthusiastic spell of community singing. Meanwhile in the Scottish dressing room, Jimmy McMullan was talking to 19-year-old defender Tony Law to calm his nerves, while Alex James was in a blind panic. He was not at all concerned about the game – but about his shorts. He had a reputation for wearing baggy shorts. And he was not happy with the much briefer ones that he had been given. An official had to go out and buy another pair, returning just in time for Alex to maintain his ‘baggy’ image.
And so to the game. Despite the soaking and the community singing, the supporters were still in a fine voice and gave both teams a rousing welcome as they took the pitch. Once the preliminaries were over the teams lined up and faced each other like David and Goliath. The referee blew his whistle and the Scots in the crowd had their hearts in their mouth almost immediately. The first England attack resulted in Smith belting the ball past Harkness – but instead of making a bulge in the back of the net, it smacked off the post and rebounded back into play. Jimmy McMullan fastened onto the loose ball and sent James and Dunn away. After an interchange, James slipped the ball to Alan Morton who took it almost into the corner before sending a perfect cross into the area. Alec Jackson flew in from the other wing and headed the ball past the groping Hufton.
Scotland were a goal up inside three minutes and now the Scots in the Wembley crowd were rejoicing. England threw everything into getting an instant equalizer but Harkness, in the Scottish goal, had settled his nerves quickly after that initial near miss, and he pulled off several magnificent saves. England were rattled and their finishing suffered as their confidence began to drain away.
The downpour continued and, had they been weather experts, the Scottish selectors might have been able to claim that they had picked a side especially for the conditions. As it was, the Scottish forward line did indeed give the big England defenders a hard time. It seemed on the cards that Scotland might well score again as England began to flounder. Ted Huffton’s great goalkeeping reputation was certainly well deserved as Scottish pressure increased and he had to pull off a string of excellent saves to keep them at bay.
With the referee looking at his watch for the half-time whistle, Alex James picked up a bad clearance from the England defense. He dribbled past Wilson, then Heelless and finally Jones before reaching the edge of the penalty box – and from there he unleashed a cannonball of a shot, low into the corner of the net, and gave Hufton no chance. There was barely time to restart the game before half time and the Scots trooped off with their heads held high, while England was obviously plunging into a trough of depression.
What followed in the second half was one of the most memorable 45 minutes in Scottish football history. Conditions did not improve and, yet, somehow, the Scots raised their game further and played the sort of football that you would normally expect to see played on a perfect pitch by a team such as the Brazilians. I know it might sound biased but, if you don’t believe me, just take a look at the newspaper cuttings from the time.
That diminutive forward line teased and tormented the England defense –often leaving them on their backsides – as they danced around with the ball. The Scottish midfield took complete control of the center of the park and England were reduced to rare attacking forays. Meanwhile, the Scottish forward line played virtually at will and it was only a matter of time before they found the net again.
Alex James sent a crashing drive against the crossbar and then brought a magnificent save from Hufton. But Scotland were not to be denied. In a copy of the first goal. Morton took the ball almost to the corner flag before sending over another precision cross which Jackson met with his head. They were enjoying themselves and were going to make the most out of their afternoon out.
Moments after the third goal, Hughie Gallacher Decided to get his name on the score sheet and sliced forward through the England defence only to be brought crashing to the ground by a heavy tackle. Alex James pounced on the loose ball and hammered it into the net.
If this Scotland display was being shown on television nowadays, the pundits would be purring. Moves were made which strung together seven or eight passes – even 11 passes on one occasion. The midfield and forwards were playing so well that the Scotland defenders had time to applaud. England were demoralized at 4-0 down in front of their own supporters but, to their credit, they did not give up trying.
With only five minutes to go it was Morton who again drew the England defenders out of position by taking the ball into the corner before unleashing another marvelous cross – and there was Jackson rushing in again to meet the ball. This time he went for a spectacular mid-air volley and the ball flew into the back of the net to give him an historic hat trick.
England were humiliated. I’m sorry but there is no other word for it. In the last minute, Bob Kelly scored a magnificent consolation goal for them, hitting a 40 yard free kick past Harkness – but celebrations were muted.
At the end of the game the rain-sodden crowd applauded the performance. The England supporters were swift and warm in their praise of the Scots and the Scots fans were justifiably delighted. There were no pitch invasions – no aftermath of violence. The crowd went to see a football match and had been treated to a legendary performance which has slice become a part of soccer folklore.
Back in Scotland the pubs did rather well and the newspapers were not slow in piling praise on the head of those little no-hopers. The Glasgow Herald was a typical example when they said: ‘ Want of height was looked upon as a handicap to the Scots’ attack, but the Scottish forwards had the ability and skill of such high degree as to make their physical short – comings of little consequence.’
Scotland skipper, Jimmy McMullan took time out from the after match celebrations to comment on the way he saw the game.
“I want to emphasis that all our forwards are inherently clever,” he said. “But I wish to say that the English tactics were wrong. The Saxon wing-halves paid more attention to the wingers than the inside forwards – therefore the latter were given a lot of space. It is a common thing in England to let wing halves, and not fullbacks, mark the wingers. It doesn’t pay and I don’t know why they pursue it.”
It was a gentlemanly comment. He did not belittle the English effort, or try to elevate his own side to the abnormal, but merely made an observation which was probably just about right. By adopting those tactics, England placed themselves at the mercy of a much-underrated Scotland attack. The rain made matters worse for England too – but you cannot entirely blame the weather for a 5-1 drubbing at home!
To prove the point, Scotland won again the following year when the two sides met at Hampden. The score line was a more sober 1-0, but the result was all that the Scots had hoped for.
The Wembley Wizards of 1928 caught the imagination of all soccer-loving Scots. They had created a culture shock! Nobody could beat England at Wembley – let alone a little Scottish side with a forward line that looked as if it should have Snow White as the Captain. As a boy the Wembley Wizards were all I heard about. If you could not rattle – off the team, consisting of Harkness, Nelson, Law, Gibson, Bradshaw, McMullan, Jackson, Dunn, Gallacher, James and Morton then you were considered a soccer non-starter.
When you realize that I was born in 1942 and these heroes were still celebrated in my growing up time, more than 20 years after the event, it says something for just how much of a milestone in soccer history that result became.
It was also a historic day in the story of Wembley Stadium. In a booklet published by the stadium owners in 1945, the story is told like this:
“English football fans shudder when the year 1928 is mentioned. The traditional enemy, Scotland came to Wembley and gave the Sassenachs a first class lesson in the art of playing football. So much so that, to this day, that Scottish team is still spoken of as “The Wembley Wizards.’
‘All Scotland seemed to come to town for that match, and the fans actually brought their own scaling ladders to make sure of getting into the stadium. As a result of this, Wembley afterwards became a barbed wire fortress.’
‘The King and Queen of Afghanistan were among the mammoth crowd who saw the Scots make rings around England. It was Scotland’s day without a doubt. Alan Morton, Glasgow Rangers’ Wee Blue Devil, and Alec Jackson, then with Huddersfield and later with Chelsea, were on the Scottish wings and the English defenders just couldn’t do anything about them. Also of course there was the great Alex James – he of long pants who rarely scored a goal but made openings for hundreds.
Celebrated soccer scribe, Ivan Sharpe, wrote: ‘England were not merely beaten. They were bewildered – run to a standstill, made to appear utterly inferior by a team whose play was as cultured and beautiful as I ever expect to see.’
More than 30 years later he was still writing the same thing, adding that he had never seen a performance to match it in all the time that he had been watching football.
Those 11 Scots heroes were beyond compare. The title ‘Wembley Wizards’ says it all really, but perhaps the final word should come from one of the stars of that great day – Alex James.
When asked for his comment after the game, Alex simply beamed a smile and said, “We could have had ten!”
Scotland
John Harkness (Queen's Park), James Nelson (Cardiff City), Thomas Law (Chelsea),
Jimmy Gibson (Aston Villa), Thomas Bradshaw (Bury), Jimmy McMullan (Man City,
capt), Alex Jackson (Huddersfield), James Dunn (Hibernian), Hughie Gallacher
(Newcastle), Alec James (Preston), Alan Morton (Rangers)
Scorers: Jackson 3, 65, 86, James 44, 67
England
Arthur Hufton, Fred Goodall (c), Herbert Jones, Willis Edwards, Thomas Wilson,
Henry Healless, Joseph Hulme, Robert Kelly, Dixie Dean, Joseph Bradford, William
Smith
Scorer: Kelly 89
Referee: William Bell (Scotland) Attendance: 80,868
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