"I PREDICT THAT....Scotland's wee blue Soccer devils of 1961 will shock England at Wembley on Saturday.
Two of the tiny Scottish attack (Denis Law is tallest at 5ft. 9in.) told me after the victory over the Football League that if England selected Peter Swan (centre half) and Mick McNeil (left back) the game was in the bag." - Sam Leitch, Sunday Mirror, 9 April 1961.
     

HER Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh were welcome guests at the England-Scotland clash and if it was goals that the Royal couple liked best in football, then they could not have picked a better match. Two records were broken on the day, first by the margin of England's victory over their old enemy, and also by the fact that never before has Wembley seen as many goals in a single game.

The sun shone on a marvellously colourful sight as the fans waited in eager anticipation for this annual clash. Johnny Haynes won the toss and the England attack swiftly turned on the style that has been so effective in recent internationals.

After ten minutes they were in the lead. Brilliant work by Jimmy Greaves eventually allowed him to feed a pass to Bobby Robson in a good position. The first-time shot put in by the West Brom player gave Haffey no chance to save. Greaves himself was the next to score some nine minutes later, latching on to a Bobby Smith through-ball to hit a splendid shot accurately placed beyond the unfortunate Haffey.

Scotland, who had started brightly, were now in deep trouble and on the half-hour it was that man again Greaves again who proved the thorn in their side. A pin-point pass by the inspirational Haynes — so much of the game revolved around the England skipper — found Smith. He made ground down the right wing before putting over a dangerous centre. Haffey managed a touch but, typically, Greaves was in the right place at the right time to push home the loose ball. Given half a chance, Greaves would punish the opposition so lethally.

Mackay had worked so hard for the besieged Scottish team and Law and Wilson had shown up well. Wilson, in fact, had a goal disallowed by the French referee Monsieur Lequesne. But that was rare threat to England and had they showed a little more steadiness in front of goal, then they might easily have doubled their half-time lead. The army of Scottish fans had had little to cheer in that first period, but within ten minutes of the restart they were in a frenzy of excitement.

On 48 minutes they pulled a goal back, not surprisingly through MacKay. His fierce low free-kick took a deflection of England's defensive wall and left Ron Springett helpless. It was just the tonic Scotland needed and seven minutes later Wilson dived horizontally to get his head to McLeod's cross to close the gap further. Suddenly there was a real match on.

Alas for the visiting fans, their ecstasy lasted barely a minute as England went straight up to the other end to score a decisive fourth goal. Again a free-kick set it up as quick thinking by Greaves saw him flick the ball through a gap for Bryan Douglas to score off of Haffey's fingertips again. Scotland protested about the speed the kick was taken but the referee would have none of it.

Scotland were still able to produce some lovely football at times but they never had a Greaves to finish off their good approach play. In the last 15 minutes, the Scots were left shell-shocked as England stepped up the pace to crush them. It began to rain goals!

Haffey's nightmare continued thus. On 75 minutes Smith, who had previously been kept quiet by McNeill, suddenly popped up to score number five after a Greaves pass had set him up. Scotland perked up for a minute as Quinn received a pass from MacKay and fired in a shot. It passed through a forest of legs before trickling, oh so slowly, past Springett. If that was the end of Scotland's scoring, it certainly was not the end of England's.

Incredibly, in the last 11 minutes they added a further four goals! Haynes scored twice in the 79th minute and 81st minutes before Greaves in the 82nd and Smith in the 85th finished the rout.

The Queen for the first time, presented the Home International trophy to the winning captain and for Haynes it was the icing on the cake to end a magnificent afternoon. Meanwhile, spare a thought for poor Haffey in the Scottish goal. He trudged off, a forlorn figure, devastated by some very high-calibre finishing especially from the magical Greaves.
   

This was the peak performance by Walter Winterbottom's new team. Bobby Robson started the ball rolling with a 20-yard shot that left goalkeeper Frank Haffey flapping at empty air in the 9th minute. Greaves struck twice, putting the finishing touches to moves masterminded by Haynes. The Scots, including players of the quality of Billy McNeill, Dave Mackay and lan St John, pulled back to 3-2 early in the second-half before they were sunk under a storm of five goals in eleven minutes. Haffey was picked on by the Scots as the scapegoat for the defeat, and he was cruelly dubbed 'Slap-Haffey'. But neutral observers considered this an exceptional display by England in general and Haynes in particular. He pulled the Scottish defence apart with a procession of precise passes, and was chaired off the pitch by team-mates at the end of the nine-goal slaughter. Hat-trick hero Greaves (12) and Smith (7) had scored nineteen goals between them in five matches at the start of a partnership that was later to flourish for 'Super Spurs' who (minus Greaves) were on their way to becoming the first team of the 20^th Century to complete the League and FA Cup double.
 

England needed only a point for their tenth successive British Championship. Scotland had to win to gain their second successive share of the title but had lost on their three previous visits to the stadium.
A shot from Bobby Robson, from a pass by Greaves, gave England the lead in the ninth minute. Ten minutes later Jimmy Greaves added a second from Haynes' exquisite pass and Smith's lob. By the half-hour mark they were three up when Greaves again profited as the floundering Haffey failed to gather Haffey's shot. Scotland fought bravely back at the beginning of the second half. Dave Mackay struck a powerful shot which was deflected past Springett and five minutes later Davie Wilson headed in for the second from Mackay's back header. It was a false dawn.
Within two minutes England quelled the revival. From a Greaves free-kick, Bryan Douglas restored England's two-goal lead and subsequently fell part. In the last 17 minutes England scored five more goals. Haynes and Greaves provided Bobby Smith with a shooting opportunity for England's fifth.
Scotland briefly replied, with Mackay giving Pat Quinn the opportunity to beat Springett from close range following a corner, but with 11 minutes left, a superb run by Johnny Haynes ended with a shot from the edge of the box.
Two minutes later Haynes scored again, finishing a move involving Douglas and Charlton. Within a minute, Greaves ran from his own half to complete his hattrick and Haffey's nightmare was complete when Smith scored England's ninth.
It was England's biggest ever victory over Scotland, who had never before conceded more than seven, and their goalkeeper never again played for his country. Wembley had also never seen as many goals in one match at the stadium. Denis Law, European Footballer of the Year in 1964, had a traumatic Wembley debut.
There was a dramatic transformation the following year as Scotland gained their revenge with a 2-0 win over England at Hampden Park.
It had been 11 years since they had last beaten England, Scotland failed to qualify for their third successive World Cup, however. Czechoslovakia beat them in a play-off in Brussels.
     

On a bright and sunny April afternoon England scored their biggest win against Scotland since the series began in 1872. The brilliant display of the forward-line against a suspect Scottish defence was one of the finest seen at Wembley in post-war years, recalling memories of the great Hungarian line of 1953. In the ninth minute Robson scored with a magnificent volley from twenty yards, following a neat pass from Greaves. Ten minutes later a combined movement between Armfield, Robson, and Haynes whose through-pass split the Scottish defence, was pounced on by Greaves, who slipped away from two defenders and flicked the ball into the net past the helpless Haffey. England were three-up after half-an-hour when Greaves scored after Haffey had partially saved a drive from Smith. Scotland's hopes of saving the game were now remote but they attacked on the resumption and Mackay reduced the lead from a free-kick awarded for a foul just outside the penalty-area. Five minutes later Wilson dived full-length to head past Springett and England were a little fortunate to make it 4-2 when Douglas scored following a controversial free-kick. From that point England took complete command and goals came at frequent intervals. Greaves made his tally 3; Smith and Haynes each scored 2; and only Quinn could reply for Scotland.