The huge crowd present at this game cheered ecstatically at 4.40pm after Scotland had beaten the Auld Enemy for the third time running. It had been a wet and stormy afternoon but the enthusiasm just could not be dampened. After all the lean years since 1947, it warmed the hearts of all true Scotsmen to see this victory.

There was a slow start to the game with both sides feeling their way. However, two excellent chances fell England's way in the first ten minutes. Both times Roger Hunt had the opening but alas, both times he wasted the opportunity. Each of those chances had been cleverly created and if either had gone in, then the whold complexion of the game may have altered.

As it was, Scotland grew in stature as play progressed. Baxter and Law gradually took command of their midfield battle with the predictable George Eastham and Gordon Milne, whilst Henderson caused Ray Wilson all sorts of problems down the Scottish right flank. The winger's trickery was a delight for the fans.

Early promise from Bobby Charlton and Terry Paine soon faded and, in fact, Charlton had one of those ineffectual games that tends to frustrate the onlooker. But England held on until the break with Bobby Moore in his most immaculate form. More than once the path to England's goal was blocked by one of Moore's timely interceptions and he was given good support by Maurice Norman.

After the interval, Scotland's possession and pressure increased. Baxter, polished and unhurried, controlled the pace of the game with Law his unrelenting partner. Gilzean, always a threat, looked increasingly dangerous and Davie Wilson was giving Jimmy Armfield as torrid a time as Henderson was giving his marker. Still, though, the clever play of Moore and Maurice Norman managed to nurse England through 72 minutes of Scottish pressure.

At that moment, the English armour was finally pierced.

Twice earlier, England had escaped penalty appeals against Ray Wilson and Moore, and they were again lucky when Gilzean appeared to be impeded by Armfield. But instead of getting a free-kick on the edge of the area the Dutch referee awarded Scotland a corner. Davie Wilson curled in the kick and, appropriately, Gilzean leapt high to beat Gordon Banks and Norman to the ball to head home. The Hampden Roar was deafening.

A last-minute header by Norman from Paine's cross almost made a mockery of the result which Scotland thoroughly deserved. England's only other worthwhile chance had come midway through the half. Johnny Byrne's quick throw enabled Paine to get to the by-line for the one and only time of the match. He pulled the ball back to Charlton, who just delayed his shot a fraction allowing McNeill the chance to block. It was a richly-deserved victory for Scotland.
  

Roger Hunt and Johnny Byrne deputized for injured Greaves and Smith on a wet and stormy afternoon at Hampden. Alan Gilzean, who was to take over from Smith as partner to Greaves at Spurs, scored the only goal of the match after Gordon Banks had misjudged a seventy-second minute corner-kick from Davie Wilson that got held up in the near-gale force wind. A crowd of 133,245 witnessed a third Scottish victory in a row over the Auld Enemy, the first time this had happened for eighty years. Gordon Banks said of the goal: 'This was my first match at Hampden, and I had often heard stories that whenever there is a strong wind it gets locked in the Hampden bowl and plays all sorts of tricks with the ball. On this day, there was a gale of wet wind swirling around the game and it was a nightmare trying to decide whether to come off my line for crosses and centres in case the ball suddenly changed course. Davie Wilson fired a corner kick high into the six-yard box. It was a goalkeeper's ball all the way and I shouted, "Mine!" as I left my line to collect it. But suddenly the ball was trapped by the wind and stopped as if it had brakes on it. I was left clutching thin air as Alan Gilzean stole in front of me and nodded the ball into the net with what was his speciality flick-header. As the ball went into the net I swear the Hampden Roar could have been heard way down over Hadrian's Wall.'
  

Source Notes

"England began their preparations here for the International against Scotland with a practise game this evening against Ayr United at Somerset Park. For what the information is worth, England scored seven goals to the club's two. Mr A. Ramsey, who refereed, asked the Ayr players to play their usual game to give his team, who apart from training sessions, have not played together for five months, as thorough a chance as is possible in such get-togethers to become reacquainted. The game also gave Hunt and Byrne, who are in the side for a home International for the first time, the opportunity to fit in with the style of play Mr Ramsey has worked out for them. It at once became clear that despite the failure of the Football League team to adapt themselves to a 4-2-4 system at Sunderland Mr Ramsey is going to persist with this formation. But now he has Milne linking in mid-field with Eastham instead of Kay, with Moore for the most part staying back beside Norman.
"These players looked more effective playing to forwards who took it in turns to provide the striking head of the line. One interesting tactic, which may or may not be repeated on Saturday, was that Byrne and Hunt, alternated at centre-forward, lying upfield. Charlton, as usual, was the other chief threat as a goal scorer. England scored through Charlton (2), Hunt (2) and Byrne (3). Ayr United's goals were scored by Kilgannon and McMillan." - Thursday, 9 April 1964, The Glasgow Herald

TheFA.com
LondonHearts.com
Original newspaper reports
Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record (Breedon Books Publishing Company, Derby, U.K., 1993)
Norman Giller, Football Author
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CG