The 1974 World Cup was the first major international tournament that I was exposed to. The 1970 matches in Mexico had been on too late - sent to bed and I had to make do with highlights on TV, such as they were in those days. England had to beat Poland to qualify and after a defeat in Katowice, the return at Wembley took on crucial significance. The esteemed football men of the day assured us that it would be a mere formality. After all, they had a clown in goal. The clown played out of his skin, we didn't qualify and Poland went on to become the surprise packet by grabbing 3rd place in World Cup. The top scorer was a balding right winger by the name of Grzegorz Lato. This must have made a
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