Left: British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) began the decade with exclusive rights to live coverage of all of England's home games.

The early 1990s serve as a milestone in the history of English football, not only for the creation of the Premier League and its far-reaching influence on every aspect of the game, but also for the unprecedented growth of televised football during this period, and it was the small screen that played an important part in the establishment of the new hierarchy.

ITV's exclusive contract with the Football League was coming to an end at the close of the 1991-92 season, whilst the BBC had had the FA Cup to themselves, with England home match highlights as part of the same deal. The 1990 World Cup had brought new interest in the national game, but this wasn't particularly well-reflected in the sales of satellite dishes as the two main rivals, Sky and BSB fought for viewers. BSB finally made the transition to satellite and their famous 'squarial' dishes in time to fully exploit their own exclusive contract to show England's Wembley games live at the beginning of the 1990-91 season.

The World Cup had seen an unseemly squabble between the two major terrestrial TV networks over match coverage, with ITV only ending with England's opening match exclusively live, but as the new season began, they saw an opportunity to impinge on the BBC's monopoly of qualifying games in the seasons between major tournaments. Jack Charlton's Republic of Ireland team, fresh from their own success in reaching the World Cup quarter-finals, were again drawn with England, this time in the European Championship qualfying group, and ITV swooped to secure live coverage of all of Ireland's home games for the campaign, guaranteeing a large audience on a Wednesday afternoon for the visit of England.

Twelve days before the crunch clash in Dublin came the news of an unexpected merger between BSB and Sky. The new company, British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) was able to strengthen its output, and crucially, gave access to live FA Cup ties and England home matches to those with Sky's circular satellite dishes, as well as the squarial owners. The Sports Channel became Sky Sports and retained the BSB commentators (Martin Tyler and Andy Gray), whilst ensuring that England's remaining away games would also be seen on the channel, though with Scotland's home qualifiers also contracted to BSB, Andy Gray, as a former Scottish international, was obliged to analyse those games rather than England's.

The BBC continued to show highlights, with John Motson commentating on all of the high-profile fixtures, alongside Trevor Brooking, who was the permanent co-commentator for every England match, occasionally also alongside Barry Davies, but no other commentators were used by the BBC during this period for England games. Most were highlights, but they did manage to broadcast the return fixture with the Irish at Wembley, exclusively live, due to the massive interest in the game. There must have been a good relationship between the BBC and BSkyB at this time, because the two networks simultaneously broadcast England's next qualifier, in Turkey on a Wednesday afternoon. This was the first England match to appear on the new Sky Sports channel.

After that, the arrangement reverted to the one that had been in place with BSB, where the satellite broadcaster would show the game live, and the BBC would show the highlights in Sportsnight. For the end-of-season tour, however, with the games in New Zealand taking place in the early hours UK time, the BBC had coverage to themselves for the entire tour of four games, all as highlights only, the last of which, in Malaysia, was the last England international not to be broadcast live in the UK.

Though they were mainly showing highlights, Sportsnight was still the only place to see England's games for the majority, and Des Lynam switched from Grandstand to become the regular presenter, with Jimmy Hill and Terry Venables (destined to be the next England coach) providing lively and entertaining debate, often disagreeing with each other. Alan Hansen was becoming the main pundit on Match of the Day, but as he was Scottish, he was only used for analysis of Scotland games on Sportsnight.

The arrangement also allowed the BBC to show the deciding game of a qualification campaign live, so BBC1 joined Sky Sports in relaying the second half of England's nerve-wracking draw with Poland in Poznań, as they secured their place in the following year's finals in Sweden.

Though Sky Sports had to take a step back for the finals and leave the coverage to the BBC and ITV, they were suddenly catapulted to centre stage, as their whopping bid of £304 million to the new FA Premier League for five years' exclusive live coverage dwarfed ITV's £84 million. The BBC secured the highlights at the same time, bringing a regular Saturday night Match of the Day back to the schedules. ITV were left to renew the remaining Football League contract which now had just three divisions, and did not include the top flight, though they had managed to secure the rights to live coverage of British club involvement in the European Cup, and its rebranding as the UEFA Champions League in 1992.

The FA renewed their contract with BSkyB and the BBC for a further five years on the same terms for full internationals, but with Sky now also able to show England's home games in the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifiers, usually on the eve of the full international between the two countries. A channel dedicated to sport had plenty of time to fill in its schedules that the terrestrial companies simply did not have. They could even afford to repeat the whole game once or twice in the following 24 hours.

As per usual, ITV joined the party for Euro '92, and it was noticeable that Graham Taylor's relationship with the media was beginning to deteriorate, as his irritable responses to television interview questions implied. The knives were out once England had suffered an early exit from the tournament, and it was to get worse, much worse, as Taylor was unable to convince a sceptical press that his team would come good when it mattered.

The following season saw England begin their World Cup qualifying campaign, and with Sky Sports no longer having access to Scotland's games, Andy Gray was freed up to return to the commentary box with Martin Tyler. There was, again, a scramble for live coverage of England's away games. As well as continuing with their coverage of the Republic of Ireland's afternoon home qualifiers, ITV managed to secure the England games in Poland and Holland, the two teams expected to provide the biggest challenges, with Sky signing up the remainder, but by the following summer, Norway were leading the field and alarm bells were ringing on England's chances of making it to the United States for the finals.

Unbeknownst to most, Channel 4 had been shadowing Taylor since the beginning of the campaign for a fly-on-the-wall documentary called An Impossible Job. With unprecedented access to the bench during games, some of Taylor's comments would live long in the memory, for all the wrong reasons. One unforgettable phrase, "Do I not like that!", was uttered when England went a goal down to Poland in Chorzów after Des Walker hit too strong a pass to John Barnes in the middle of the field and the ball rebounded off the winger to Dariusz Adamczuk who ran on to lift it over Chris Woods' head and into the net. ITV showed the Poland game live, as England grabbed a late equaliser, but worse was to follow, as England lost in Norway, with the BBC getting second-half coverage alongside Sky Sports' full-match broadcast.

"I will be making changes to the team. Norway are a very methodical team, with a very methodical manager. They'll be expecting us to play one way, but for this game I will be changing the formation. We will be playing with three at the back, pushing people forward to attack them, and with Ferdinand and Sheringham at front, I expect us to cause them a lot of problems." (Graham Taylor - 'An Impossible Job').

"On reflection, having made those changes, er, I didn't give myself enough time to work with the team on the training pitch before the game, and then on the night the players didn't perform." (Graham Taylor - 'An Impossible Job').

It was three months before they had an opportunity to put things right in their next qualifier, but in the meantime, they headed for the States to compete in the prestigious US Cup, and ITV had secured the rights to all three games in the tournament. The first game, against the hosts, saw Alan Parry commentate on only his second England game on live TV, following his first in the third-place play-off in 1990.

It was another nightmare for Graham Taylor's team, an unthinkable defeat that saw yet more vitriolic come his way from the tabloid press and calls for him to resign. The local TV coverage of the game in Boston had even opened with the two American presenters looking at the Daily Mirror criticisms of Taylor in almost disbelief.

Performances picked up a little after that, but all was set up for the game against the Netherlands in Rotterdam, where England's fate was almost certain to be decided, and ITV had exclusive coverage. The night was an absolute nightmare for England and can only be described as a comedy of errors, where poor refereeing decisions combined with bad luck and defensive errors led to a Dutch victory that left England on the brink of elimination (see transcripts below).

The final ignominies for Taylor were not only San Marino scoring after eight seconds in their final qualifier, but even the BBC, having secured live coverage for the deciding game, along with Sky Sports, abandoning England to switch to Wales' decider playing out at the same time on BBC1 Wales, though that coincided with a missed penalty and defeat in Cardiff.

Two months after Taylor's resignation, Channel 4 broadcast the documentary which included the fateful moments in Rotterdam where the camera crew had sneaked into the stadium wearing England tracksuits to film Taylor on the bench. The documentary made for uncomfortable viewing and confirmed that the role of England manager did indeed seem to be An Impossible Job.

Though England had failed to qualify for the World Cup, the BBC and ITV could, at least, follow the exploits of the Republic of Ireland in the tournament, where the biggest surprise in the broadcasting world was Barry Davies being rewarded for 25 years of being the BBC understudy by commentating on the World Cup Final. It was a well-deserved honour for a brilliant and eloquent talent. He was also given the next two FA Cup Finals, before John Motson regained control of the top job. Brian Moore, meanwhile, was at the microphone for his third World Cup Final.

With the success of a Premier League season behind them in which they had transformed the way that football was presented on television, the 1993-94 season saw Sky Sports extend further. England hosted the finals of the UEFA Under-18 Championship in July 1993, and the home youngsters went on to lift the trophy. It was a nice antedote to the troubles of the full international squad, and was covered in full by Sky. The season also saw them pick up the rights to the Victory Shield, the Schoolboys British Championship. ITV had been broadcasting the England Schools' games at Wembley continuously since 1973, but these were also handed over to Sky for the 1994-95 season. For good measure, they then added the Centenary Shield for the Under-18 Schoolboys to their roster. Sky Sports 2 was launched in August 1994 to cover the overspill of coverage at weekends.

ITV switched their attentions to boxing and the rugby union World Cup, whilst they waited for the domestic football rights to become available again. Because England were hosting the next European Championship, they didn't venture outside of these shores until the 1995-96 season, so there were no foreign qualifiers for ITV to pick up the rights to, and they even dropped their coverage of the Irish team.

Sky Sports and the BBC, thus worked in harmony for a while, with England friendlies being fairly low-key. The BBC also had the rights to the qualifiers for the other three home nations, bringing the highlights together in Sportsnight, just as they used to before the rights had been carved up and split across the channels. Alan Hansen replaced Venables in the studio, as the latter was now England's coach, and Gary Lineker made his first tentative moves into studio-based analysis.

One other milestone came with coverage of the England women's team's efforts in the 1995 World Cup in Sweden. Though the highlights did not air until just before midnight on a Tuesday night, the quarter-final with Germany was the first time that they had been the featured Match of the Day.

Contact Us - please let us know if you can fill in any of the missing Sky Sports commentators below, or have any other additions or corrections.

For more details on TV football in this era, the ITV Football 1966-98 website is well worth a visit.

Season 1990-91
665	Wednesday, 12 September 1990 - England 1 Hungary 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	The Sports Channel - 7:30pm - 12:00am commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray Sportsnight Special (BBC1) - 10:25pm - 11:55pm commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) The Sports Channel - 2:00pm - 4:00pm - Thursday, 13th September (full game recording)
Notes		Scotland's opening European Championship qualifier with Romania was shown live on BBC1 Scotland in Sportscene, with delayed coverage on The Sports Channel on BSB, following the England match. Highlights were also shown on Sportsnight Special, along with Northern Ireland's opener with Yugoslavia which probably had an extended edit in the province. Eurosport featured highlights from the day's internationals at 11:00pm.
666	Wednesday, 17 October 1990 - England 2 Poland 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	The Sports Channel - 7:30pm - 12:00am commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:05pm - 12:05am Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:05pm - 12:05am Northern Ireland Sportsnight (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:05pm - 12:05am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) The Sports Channel - 12:30am - 4:30am and 2:00pm - 4:00pm - Thursday, 18th October (full game recording)
Notes		ITV broadcast live coverage of the Republic of Ireland's opening qualifier with Turkey in the afternoon, in England's group, and highlights were shown in Midweek Sport Special at 11:45pm. Scotland's game with Switzerland was shown live on BSB's Galaxy channel, with delayed coverage after the England match on The Sports Channel, extended highlights on Sportscene and brief highlights in the two Sportsnight variations. Northern Ireland Sportsnight featured their game with Denmark, as well, presumably, as the England and Scotland games. Wales' opening qualifier with Belgium may have also appeared in the BBC's coverage for complete highlights of all of the home nations. Sportsnight ended with world snooker champion Stephen Hendry (the eventual winner) securing his place in the quarter-finals of the Rothmans Grand Prix in Reading. Meanwhile, Eurosport had international highlights at 11:45pm for an hour.
667	Wednesday, 14 November 1990 - Republic of Ireland 1 England 1 [0-0] Lansdowne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin - Kick-off 1:30pm GMT	The Match (ITV) - 1:20pm - 3:20pm Anglia, Border, Channel, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Central, Grampian and Scottish opted out) commentators Brian Moore, Jimmy Greaves and Liam Brady Central Sports Special (Central) - 8:00pm - 9:00pm Midweek Sport Special (ITV) - 10:40pm - 11:50pm Anglia, Border, Channel, HTV Wales, HTV West, Thames, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Central, Grampian and Scottish opted out) International Soccer Night (Granada) - 10:40pm - 11:50pm (recorded highlights)
Notes		Central broadcast live coverage of the Queen Mother's visit  to Coventry Cathedral for a memorial service to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of its bombing during the war. Network 2 showed the England game live in Ireland. BBC Two Wales and S4C both provided live coverage of Wales' European Championship qualifier in Luxembourg at 7:00pm, whilst BBC1 had highlights in Sportsnight, along with Scotland's visit to Bulgaria and Northern Ireland's trip to Austria, each of which were also featured in regional variations (Scotland's on Sportscene). Midweek Sport Special also previewed the eagerly-awaited WBO middleweight title fight when Chris Eubank was to beat defending champion Nigel Benn in Birmingham. Eurosport had international highlights at 10:00pm.
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 5th February 1991 - B International Vetch Field, Swansea Wales 0 England 1 - Sportsnight (BBC1) 10:05pm - 12:05am - Wednesday, 6th February (presenter Steve Rider gave a brief summary over footage of the goal)
668	Wednesday, 6 February 1991 - England 2 Cameroon 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm GMT	The Sports Channel - 7:30pm - 10:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Trevor Francis Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:05pm - 12:05am Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:05pm - 12:05am commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) The Sports Channel - 12:30am - 3:00am and 2:00pm - 4:00pm - Thursday, 7th February (full game recording)
Notes		Sportsnight also included action from the games between Scotland and the USSR (featured on Sportscene, whilst also appearing as delayed coverage following the England game on Sky Sports), Wales and the Republic of Ireland, the second half of which had been live on S4C, and Northern Ireland's victory against Poland from the previous night. Wembley's Conference Centre was the venue for the Benson & Hedges Masters snooker tournament, and Sportsnight viewers saw Neal Foulds beat Steve Davis to reach the quarter-finals, whilst there was cricket action as Australia sealed a 3-0 victory against England in the final Ashes test in Perth, and Sportsnight also included a preview of the weekend's action in the first round of rugby league's Silk Cut Challenge Cup. Meanwhile, Eurosport had some international action, plus indoor soccer, and Screensport had Spanish football highlights.
Other England Internationals		Saturday, 9th March 1991 - Victory Shield Wembley Stadium, London England 2 Scotland 1 - International Schoolboy Football (ITV) 2:40pm - 4:45pm (all regions) commentators Alan Parry and Ian St John
669	Wednesday, 27 March 1991 - England 1 Republic of Ireland 1 [1-1] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm GMT	International Football (BBC1) - 7:55pm - 9:00pm (first half) (BBC Wales opted out) International Football (BBC2) - 9:00pm - 10:00pm (second half) commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (BBC Scotland opted out) Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:00pm - 10:50pm Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:00pm - 11:30pm (recorded highlights) The Sports Channel - 10:00pm - 12:00am and 1:00am - 3:30am - Thursday, 28th March commentators Martin Tyler and David Pleat (full game recording)
Notes		BBC2 Northern Ireland featured live coverage in the afternoon of their qualifier in Yugoslavia. S4C broadcast Wales' game in Belgium live, whilst BBC1 Wales joined for the second half, at the same time as the first half of England's game. The Sports Channel, meanwhile, showed Scotland's game with Bulgaria live, highlights of which were featured in Sportscene, with all four games appearing in Sportsnight. Network 2 showed the England game live in Ireland.
670	Wednesday, 1 May 1991 - Turkey 0 England 1 [0-1] Atatürk Stadyumu, Konak, İzmir - Kick-off 6.00pm (4.00pm BST)	European Championship Football (BBC2) - 3:55pm - 6:00pm (BBC Scotland opted out) commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking International Football (Sky Sports) - 4:00pm - 6:00pm commentator Martin Tyler Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 12:20am Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 11:00pm - 12:20am Sportsnight (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 11:00pm - 12:25am (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 1:00am - 3:00am - Thursday, 2nd May (full game recording)
Notes		ITV broadcast live coverage of the Republic of Ireland's qualifier with Poland in England's group, earlier in the afternoon, with highlights in Midweek Sport Special. Sky Sports showed Northern Ireland's game with the Faroe Islands live, and highlights were shown in Sportsnight. Sportscene featured Scotland's game in San Marino, whilst S4C broadcast highlights of Wales' meeting with Iceland, which may also have appeared in Midweek Sport Special. Network 2 in Ireland had live coverage of both games in England's group. The remainder of Sportsnight included the quarter-finals of the Embassy World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, with defending champion Stephen Hendry surprisingly eliminated by Steve James, plus a profile of the twenty-year-old Italian jockey, Frankie Dettori.
671	Tuesday, 21 May 1991 - England 3 USSR 1 [2-1] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:30pm - 10:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray Sportsnight (BBC1) - 11:00pm - 12:10am commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:00am - 2:00am and 2:00pm - 4:00pm - Wednesday, 22nd May (full game recording)
672	Saturday, 25 May 1991 - England 2 Argentina 2 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 3.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 2:45pm - 5:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray International Football Highlights (Sky Sports) 7:00pm - 8:00pm (recorded highlights) International Match of the Day (BBC1) - 10:40pm - 11:30pm commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights)
Notes		The coverage on both Sky Sports and BBC1 probably also included the goals from the other game played in the tournament, between Argentina and the USSR, at Old Trafford, Manchester, two nights earlier.
673	Saturday, 1 June 1991 - Australia 0 England 1 [0-1] Sydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney - Kick-off 7.30pm (10.30am BST) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Grandstand (BBC1) - 12:35pm - 1:00pm commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights)
674	Monday, 3 June 1991 - New Zealand 0 England 1 [0-0] Mount Smart Stadium, Penrose, Auckland - Kick-off 2.30pm (3.30am BST) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sportsnight Special (BBC1) - 10:10pm - 10:50pm Sportsnight Special (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 12:10am - 12:50am - Tuesday 4th June commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights)
675	Saturday, 8 June 1991 - New Zealand 0 England 2 [0-1] Athletic Park, Newtown, Wellington - Kick-off 2.30pm (3.30am BST) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Grandstand (BBC1) - 1:05pm - 1:40pm commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights)
Other England Internationals		Saturday, 8th June 1991 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 1 Germany 3 - Schoolboy Soccer (ITV) 2:45pm - 5:00pm (all regions) commentators Brian Moore and Ian St John
676	Wednesday, 12 June 1991 - Malaysia 2 England 4 [0-3] Stadium Merdeka, Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur - Kick-off 8.30pm (1.30pm BST) HIGHLIGHTS ONLY	Sportsnight Special (BBC1) - 11:55pm - 12:35am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights)

Season 1991-92
677	Wednesday, 11 September 1991 - England 0 Germany 1 [0-1] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:30pm - 10:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray Sportsnight (BBC1) - 9:30pm - 12:00am Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 9:30pm - 12:00am Sportsnight from Northern Ireland (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 9:30pm - 12:00am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 1:30am - 3:30am and 12:00pm - 2:00pm - Thursday, 12th September (full game recording)
Notes		BBC2 Scotland's International Sportscene broadcast live coverage of Scotland's European Championship qualifier in Switzerland, with highlights in the later Sportscene. BBC2 Wales had live second-half coverage of Wales' game with Brazil, whilst S4C showed the whole game. Both games were included in Sportsnight, along with Northern Ireland's qualifier in Sweden against the Faroe Islands which was featured in Sportsnight from Northern Ireland. Sportsnight began with live boxing from Hammersmith Odeon, as Australia's Jeff Harding took the WBC light-heavyweight title from Dennis Andries, and there was also a report on Liverpool, as they prepared to take part in the UEFA Cup's first round, the following week, after a six-year ban from European competitions.
678	Wednesday, 16 October 1991 - England 1 Turkey 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:30pm - 10:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Ron Atkinson Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:35pm - 12:35am International Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:35pm - 12:35am Sportsnight from Northern Ireland (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:35pm - 12:35am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 1:30am - 3:30am and 12:00pm - 2:00pm - Thursday, 17th October (full game recording)
Notes		An earlier edition of International Sportscene on BBC2 Scotland featured live coverage of Scotland's qualifier in Romania, whilst Sky Sports was showing the Republic of Ireland's game in Poland in England's group. BBC2 Wales broadcast their trip to Germany live, as did S4C, with a Welsh-language commentary. Highlights of all of these games were in Sportsnight, along with Northern Ireland against Austria. Network 2, once again, covered both games in England's group live for viewers in Ireland. Sky Sports also broadcast two hours of Italian league highlights in the afternoon.
679	Wednesday, 13 November 1991 - Poland 1 England 1 [1-0] Stadion Lecha, Grunwald, Poznań - Kick-off 6.30pm (5.30pm GMT)	International Football (Sky Sports) - 5:00pm - 7:20pm (approximately) commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray BBC1 - 6:15pm - 7:20pm commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (second half only) Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 12:20am International Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:20pm - 12:20am Sportsnight from Northern Ireland (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:20pm - 12:20am (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:00pm - 2:00pm - Thursday, 14th November (full game recording)
Notes		BBC2 Wales followed the England match with live coverage of Wales' game with Luxembourg which was also on S4C. Meanwhile, Sky Sports followed it by joining Scotland's qualifier with San Marino, all of which appeared as highlights in Sportsnight, alongside Northern Ireland's trip to Denmark. ITV had an International Sport Special which included highlights from the Republic of Ireland's victory in Turkey which could not prevent England from winning the group.
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 18th February 1992 - B International Loftus Road, London England 3 France 0 - Sky Sports - 12:30pm - 2:30pm - Wednesday, 19th February (full game recording) commentators Paul Dempsey and Phil Neal
680	Wednesday, 19 February 1992 - England 2 France 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm GMT	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:30pm - 10:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Ron Atkinson Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:00pm - 12:00am Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:00pm - 12:00am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00am - 9:00am - Thursday, 20th February (full game recording)
Notes		Sky Sports showed delayed coverage of the game between Scotland and Northern Ireland, immediately after the England game, and the highlights were featured in Sportscene. ITV showed highlights from the game between the Republic of Ireland and Wales in a programme that also featured boxing. Screensport showed highlights from the Spanish league in the morning, and action from the recent Olympic qualifying tournament in Paraguay at various times during the day. Sportsnight finished with action from the Winter Olympics in Albertville, with Czechoslovakia beating world champions, Sweden in the ice-hockey quarter-finals, plus the women's giant slalom and short-track speed skating.
Other England Internationals		Saturday, 7th March 1992 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 0 Netherlands 0 - Schoolboy Soccer (ITV) 2:45pm - 4:45pm Anglia, Border, Central, Channel, Granada, HTV Wales, HTV West, London Weekend, TSW, TVS, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire (Grampian and Scottish opted out) commentators Brian Moore and Ian St John
681	Wednesday, 25 March 1992 - Czechoslovakia 2 England 2 [1-1] Stadion Evzena Rošického, Strahov, Praha - Kick-off 5.30pm (4.30pm GMT)	International Football (Sky Sports) - 4:00pm - 6:30pm commentator Martin Tyler International Football (Sky Sports) - 10:00pm - 10:30pm (recorded highlights) Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:30pm - 12:30am Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:55pm - 12:30am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00am - 9:00am and 12:30pm - 2:30pm - Thursday, 26th March (full game recording)
Notes		Sky Sports also featured live coverage of Scotland's game with Finland, the highlights of which were the main feature of Sportscene. Highlights from the Republic of Ireland's game with Switzerland appeared on ITV with boxing, whilst Sportsnight also included action from the friendly between Italy and Germany, Pakistan beating England by 22 runs in Melbourne to win the cricket World Cup for the first time, and Duke McKenzie retaining his WBO bantamweight title against Wilfredo Vargas of Puerto Rico at the Royal Albert Hall. There was also more boxing action from the previous week at Caesars Palace when Iran Barkley took the WBA light-heavyweight title from fellow American, Thomas Hearns. Screensport, meanwhile, showed some Spanish football in the morning and Eurosport had European Football Goals in the afternoon.
682	Wednesday, 29 April 1992 - CIS 2 England 2 [1-1] Central V.I. Lenin Stadium, Luzhniki, Moskva - Kick-off 6.00pm (4.00pm BST)	International Football (Sky Sports) - 3:30pm - 6:00pm commentator Martin Tyler International Football (Sky Sports) - 8:00pm - 10:30pm (full game recording) Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:00pm - 12:00am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:30pm - 3:00pm - Thursday, 30th April (full game recording)
Notes		Sportsnight also included action from Northern Ireland's draw with Lithuania in a World Cup qualifier, a game that had been shown live on Sky Sports, the previous night, and repeated in the morning at 11:00. Eurosport had a programme called Eurogoals in the morning and highlights from the UEFA Cup Final first leg between Torino and Ajax at 9:30pm. Screensport showed Spanish football in the afternoon. Sportsnight's other offerings were the dramatic defeat of defending champion, John Parrott by Alan McManus in the quarter-final of the Embassy World Snooker Championship at Sheffield, and a preview of the weekend's rugby league Silk Cut Challenge Cup Final at Wembley, as Wigan attempted to win it for a record-breaking fifth successive year, against Castleford.
683	Tuesday, 12 May 1992 - Hungary 0 England 1 [0-0] Népstadion, Istvánmezõ, Budapest - Kick-off 8.30pm (7.30pm BST)	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 9:30pm commentator Martin Tyler Sportsnight Special (BBC1) - 10:55pm - 11:45pm commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 2:30am - 5:00am and 9:00am - 11:30am - Wednesday, 13th May (full game recording)
Notes		Once again, Eurosport had a Eurogoals programme in the afternoon, and Screensport featured Spanish football.
684	Sunday, 17 May 1992 - England 1 Brazil 1 [0-1] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 3.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 3:00pm - 5:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray Match of the Day Special (BBC2) - 8:50pm - 9:45pm commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 2:00am - 4:00am and 9:00am - 11:00am - Monday, 18th May (full game recording)
Notes		At 7:30am, Sky Sports showed a re-run of the Coppa Italia Final second leg, won by Parma against Juventus, three days earlier, and there was also the day's action from Serie A in the evening.
685	Wednesday, 3 June 1992 - Finland 1 England 1 [1-1] Olympiastadion, Töölö, Helsinki - Kick-off 7.00pm (5.00pm BST)	International Football (Sky Sports) - 4:30pm - 7:00pm commentator Martin Tyler International Football (Sky Sports) - 9:00pm - 11:00pm (full game recording) International Match of the Day (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 11:15pm Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:20pm - 11:15pm commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 9:30am - 11:30am - Thursday, 4th June (full game recording)
Notes		At 6:00pm, BBC2 Wales broadcast a delayed recording of Wales' game against Argentina in the Kirin Cup from earlier in the day in Japan. Sky Sports followed England's game with live coverage from Oslo, of Norway against Scotland which was featured as highlights in Sportscene, as well as appearing in Sportsnight which probably also included action from Wales' game. Eurosport's regular Eurogoals programme was shown in the morning, and Screensport, once again, featured La Liga in Spain, at 7:30am, and repeated it after midnight.
Other England Internationals		Saturday, 6th June 1992 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 1 Italy 1 - International Schoolboy Football (ITV) 3:00pm (approximately) - 5:00pm (all regions) commentators John Helm and Neil Webb (coverage was preceded by Saint & Greavsie's preview at Wembley of the upcoming European Championship finals)
European Championship Finals 1992		Sweden
686	Thursday, 11 June 1992 - Denmark 0 England 0 [0-0] Malmö Stadion, Solbacken, Malmö - Kick-off 8.15pm (7.15pm BST)	The European Football Championship (BBC1) - 7.00pm - 9.10pm commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking Eurosport - 7.00pm - 9.00pm commentators Peter Brackley and David Pleat The European Football Championship (ITV) 10:40pm - 11:30pm (all regions) commentators Alan Parry and Ron Atkinson (recorded highlights) Eurosport - 8:00am - 9:30am and 12:30pm to 2:00pm - Friday, 12th June (recorded highlights)
Notes		Eurosport had twice earlier broadcast a recording of the previous night's opening match of the tournament, between France and the hosts. Screensport had programmes dedicated to recent Spanish and Argentine football.
687	Sunday, 14 June 1992 - France 0 England 0 [0-0] Malmö Stadion, Solbacken, Malmö - Kick-off 5.15pm (4.15pm BST)	The European Football Championship (ITV) 3:45pm - 6:30pm (all regions) commentators Brian Moore and Ron Atkinson Eurosport - 4.15pm - 6.00pm commentators Peter Brackley and David Pleat The European Football Championship (BBC1) 7:00pm - 9:10pm commentator Barry Davies (recorded highlights)
Notes		The BBC1 programme featured live coverage from the other game in England's group, between Denmark and the hosts which Eurosport showed at 11:00pm.
688	Wednesday, 17 June 1992 - Sweden 2 England 1 [0-1] Råsunda Fotbollstadion, Solna kommun, Stockholms län - Kick-off 8.15pm (7.15pm BST)	The European Football Championship (BBC1) - 7.00pm - 9.30pm commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking Eurosport - 7.00pm - 9.00pm or 9:00pm - 10:30pm (recorded highlights) commentators Peter Brackley and David Pleat The European Football Championship (ITV) 11:20pm - 12:30am (all regions) commentators Brian Moore and Ron Atkinson (recorded highlights)
Notes		The BBC1 programme also included highlights from the other deciding match in England's group, between Denmark and France, as did the later ITV programme. Eurosport had the option of covering either game live, with the other to follow. Earlier in the day, they had shown repeats of the last four games played in the tournament.

Season 1992-93
689	Wednesday, 9 September 1992 - Spain 1 England 0 [1-0] Estádio El Sardinero, El Sardinero, Santander - Kick-off 9.00pm (8.00pm BST)	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Ron Atkinson Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 12:20am Sportsnight from Northern Ireland (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:20pm - 12:20am Sportsnight Wales (BBC1 Wales) - 10:20pm - 12:20am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:00pm - 2:00pm - Thursday, 10th September (full game recording)
Notes		Scotland's opening World Cup qualifier in Switzerland was shown live in Sportscene on BBC2 Scotland, whilst S4C broadcast Wales' game with the Faroe Islands live. Sportsnight featured highlights of these games, plus Northern Ireland's qualifier with Albania and Premier League goals from the previous weekend. Sky Sports' coverage also included action from Norway's 10-0 thrashing of San Marino in England's group. Eurosport showed Eurogoals in the morning and a World Cup qualifier in the afternoon. Screensport had highlights of the qualifier between Luxembourg and Hungary.
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 13th October 1992 - UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifying London Road, Peterborough England 0 Norway 2 - Sky Sports - 7:00pm - 9:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and David Pleat Sky Sports - 9:30am - 11:30am - Wednesday, 14th October (full game recording)
690	Wednesday, 14 October 1992 - England 1 Norway 1 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 12:20am Sportsnight from Northern Ireland (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:20pm - 12:20am Sportsnight Wales (BBC1 Wales) - 10:20pm - 12:20am World Cup Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:20pm - 12:20am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:00pm - 2:00pm - Thursday, 15th October (full game recording)
Notes		S4C had live coverage of Wales' World Cup qualifier in Cyprus, the highlights of which appeared in Sportsnight with each of the other home nations' qualifiers, including Scotland against Portugal, and Northern Ireland hosting Spain. Sportsnight also had highlights from the rugby league match between Sheffield Eagles and the Australian tourists, who were due at Wembley to face Great Britain in ten days' time in the World Cup Final. Eurosport broadcast the qualifier between France and Austria live, with Eurogoals in the afternoon.
691	Wednesday, 18 November 1992 - England 4 Turkey 0 [2-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm GMT	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 12:20am Sportsnight from Northern Ireland (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:20pm - 12:20am commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 2:30am - 4:30am and 9:30am - 11:30am - Thursday, 19th November (full game recording)
Notes		Wales' qualifier in Belgium was broadcast live on both BBC2 Wales and S4C, whilst Scotland's game with Italy was live in World Cup Sportscene on BBC2 Scotland. Both games were included as highlights in Sportsnight, along with Northern Ireland's game against Denmark. Eurosport had the usual Eurogoals in the morning and probably World Cup qualifying highlights in the evening.
692	Wednesday, 17 February 1993 - England 6 San Marino 0 [2-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm GMT	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:03pm commentators Martin Tyler and John Salako Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 12:10am World Cup Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:20pm - 12:10am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:00am - 2:00am and 3:00pm - 5:00pm - Thursday, 18th February (full game recording)
Notes		Sportsnight also included highlights from the games between Scotland and Malta, and Albania and Northern Ireland. Eurosport featured Eurogoals and World Cup qualifying highlights.
Other England Internationals		Saturday, 13th March 1993 - Victory Shield Wembley Stadium, London England 1 Scotland 2 - International Schoolboy Football (ITV) 2:40pm - 4:40pm (all regions) commentators Brian Moore and Ian St John
		Wednesday, 17th March 1993 - FIFA World Youth Championship Semi-Final Sydney Football Stadium England 1 Ghana 2 - (Sky Sports) - 10:30am - 12:30pm commentator Sky Sports - 6:03pm - 7:00pm (recorded highlights)
		Saturday, 20th March 1993 - FIFA World Youth Championship Third-Place Play-Off Sydney Football Stadium Australia 1 England 2 - Sky Sports 8:00pm - 9:00pm commentator (recorded highlights)
693	Wednesday, 31 March 1993 - Turkey 0 England 2 [0-2] Atatürk Stadyumu, Konak, İzmir - Kick-off 6.00pm (4.00pm BST)	International Football (Sky Sports) - 3:00pm - 6:00pm commentator Martin Tyler and John Salako Sky Sports - 8:00pm - 10:00pm (full game recording) Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:10pm - 12:10am commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:00am - 2:00am and 2:30pm - 4:30pm - Thursday, 1st April (full game recording)
Notes		Wales' qualifier with Belgium was broadcast live by both BBC2 Wales and S4C, with highlights in Sportsnight. ITV had live coverage of the afternoon meeting between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in Dublin, with highlights at 10:45pm. Sportsnight also featured a preview of the weekend's FA Cup semi-finals, both being held at Wembley for the first time, and both comprising of local derbies (Sheffield and north London). There was also a preview of the upcoming Grand National steeplechase which was to be declared void after a false start failed to bring the horses back. Eurosport provided the usual Eurogoals in the morning and World Cup qualifying highlights at 10:00pm.
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 27th April 1993 - UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifying Fratton Park, Portsmouth England 3 Netherlands 0 - Sky Sports - 7:00pm - 9:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and David Pleat Sky Sports - 1:00pm - 3:00pm - Wednesday, 28th April (full game recording)
694	Wednesday, 28 April 1993 - England 2 Netherlands 2 [2-1] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:55pm (approximately) - 10:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:00pm - 12:00am Sportsnight from Northern Ireland (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:00pm - 12:00am World Cup Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:00pm - 12:00am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:30am - 2:30am and 12:00pm - 2:00pm - Thursday, 29th April (full game recording)
Notes		ITV broadcast live coverage of the Republic of Ireland's qualifier with Denmark in the afternoon, with highlights at 10:40pm. Wales' game in the former Czechoslovakia was shown live on both BBC2 Wales and S4C, whilst BBC2 Scotland brought live coverage from Scotland's qualifier in Portugal in an earlier World Cup Sportscene which ran until the BBC1 programme at 10:00. Northern Ireland's trip to Spain was also featured in Sportsnight, as were Stephen Hendry's defence of his Embassy World Snooker Championship, and a preview of the weekend's rugby league Silk Cut Challenge Cup Final at Wembley, as Wigan were attempting to record an unprecedented sixth consecutive triumph, against Widnes. Immediately prior to England's game, Sky Sports had live coverage of the game between Norway and Turkey in England's group. Once again, there was Eurogoals and World Cup qualifying highlights on Eurosport.
695	Saturday, 29 May 1993 - Poland 1 England 1 [1-0] Stadion Śląski, Katowicka, Chorzów - Kick-off 8.30pm (7.30pm BST)	The Match (ITV - all regions) - 7:15pm - 9:30pm commentators Brian Moore and Ron Atkinson
Notes		Channel 4 (and S4C) showed Gazetta Football Italia at 11:00am, their weekly Serie A magazine show. The Border and Granada regions of ITV had Spanish Goals Extra in the afternoon, whilst Scottish Cup Final Grandstand saw Rangers beat Aberdeen at Celtic Park to complete the 'treble' live on BBC1 Scotland, with highlights following on Grandstand for the rest of the UK. The Tyne Tees and Yorkshire regions of ITV had later highlights of the Third Division Promotion Play-Off Final between Crewe Alexandra and York City at Wembley in Your Match.
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 1st June 1993 - UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifying Viking Stadion, Stavanger Norway 1 England 1 - Sky Sports - 5:55pm - 8:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray Sky Sports - 12:00am - 2:00am and 10:00am - 12:00pm - Wednesday, 2nd June (full game recording)
696	Wednesday, 2 June 1993 - Norway 2 England 0 [1-0] Ullevål Stadion, Ullevål, Oslo - Kick-off 8.00pm (7.00pm BST)	International Football (Sky Sports) - 6:00pm - 9:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and Andy Gray World Cup Football (BBC1) - 7:45pm - 9:00pm commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (second half only) International Football (Sky Sports) - 1:30am - 3:30am and 10:00am - 12:00pm - Thursday, 3rd June (full game recording)
Notes		World Cup Sportscene on BBC1 Scotland broadcast highlights of their qualifier against Estonia. Eurosport had a Eurogoals programme at 9:00am.
697	Wednesday, 9 June 1993 - United States 2 England 0 [1-0] Foxboro Stadium, Boston, Massachusetts - Kick-off 6.00pm (11.00pm BST)	US Cup '93 (ITV - all regions) - 10:40pm - 1:10am commentators Alan Parry and Rodney Marsh
Notes		The programme also included action from the Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualifier in Latvia, and from the goalless draw between the Netherlands and Norway, in England's group. Eurosport had the usual Eurogoals in the morning and World Cup qualifying highlights at 10:00pm.
Other England Internationals		Saturday, 12th June 1993 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 0 Germany 0 - International Schoolboy Football (ITV) 2:30pm - 4:45pm (all regions) commentators John Helm and Ian St John
698	Sunday, 13 June 1993 - England 1 Brazil 1 [0-0] Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, Washington, D.C. - Kick-off 1.00pm (6.00pm BST)	US Cup '93 (ITV - all regions) - 6:00pm - 8:00pm commentators Brian Moore and Ron Atkinson US Cup '93 (ITV - all regions) - 12:35am - 1:35am (recorded highlights)
Notes		The highlights programme also included action from the game in Chicago between Germany and the hosts.
699	Saturday, 19 June 1993 - Germany 2 England 1 [1-1] Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan - Kick-off 2.00pm (7.00pm BST)	US Cup '93 (ITV - all regions) - 7:00pm - 9:00pm commentators Brian Moore and Ron Atkinson
Notes		The Border and Granada regions of ITV showed their regular Spanish Goals Extra at 3:00pm, whilst Eurosport broadcast three games from the Copa América in Ecuador; Brazil against Peru from the previous night at 12:00pm, and then live coverage of the games between Uruguay and Venezuela, followed by the hosts beating the United States.

Season 1993-94
Other England Internationals		Sunday, 18th July 1993 - UEFA Under-18 Championship Finals Victoria Ground, Stoke-on-Trent England 2 France 0 - Sky Sports - 2:00pm - 5:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and John Salako Sky Sports - 11:00pm - 1:00am and 11:30am - 1:30pm - Monday 19th July (full game recording)
		Tuesday, 20th July 1993 - UEFA Under-18 Championship Finals Bescot Stadium, Walsall Netherlands 1 England 4 - Sky Sports - 7:00pm - 9:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and John Salako Sky Sports - 12:30am - 2:30am and 12:30pm - 2:30pm - Wednesday 21st July (full game recording)
		Thursday, 22nd July 1993 - UEFA Under-18 Championship Finals Bescot Stadium, Walsall Spain 1 England 5 - Sky Sports - 7:00pm - 9:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and John Salako Sky Sports - 12:30am - 2:30am and 12:30pm - 2:30pm - Friday 23rd July (full game recording)
		Sunday, 25th July 1993 - UEFA Under-18 Championship Final City Ground, Nottingham Turkey 0 England 1 - Sky Sports - 3:00pm (approximately) - 6:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and John Salako Sky Sports - 9:00pm - 11:00pm (full game recording) 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Monday 26th July (recorded highlights)
		Tuesday, 7th September 1993 - UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifying The New Den, London England 1 Poland 2 - Sky Sports - 7:00pm - 9:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and Phil Thompson Sky Sports - 10:30pm - 12:30pm - Wednesday, 8th September (full game recording)
700	Wednesday, 8 September 1993 - England 3 Poland 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Phil Thompson Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 12:20am Sportsnight from Northern Ireland (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:20pm - 12:20am World Cup Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:20pm - 12:20am commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 10:30am - 12:30pm - Thursday, 9th September (full game recording)
Notes		ITV broadcast live coverage of the Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualifier with Lithuania in the afternoon. Wales' game with the former Czechoslovakia was live on both BBC2 Wales and S4C, whilst Scotland's game with Switzerland, and Northern Ireland against Latvia were only available as highlights in Sportsnight, and in their home countries. Eurosport showed Eurogoals in the morning, followed by some under-17 football, and then World Cup qualifying highlights at 10:00pm.
701	Wednesday, 13 October 1993 - Netherlands 2 England 0 [0-0] Stadion Feijenoord, De Veranda, Rotterdam - Kick-off 8.15pm (7.15pm BST)	The Match (ITV - all regions) - 8:00pm - 10:15pm commentators Brian Moore and Ron Atkinson - see transcripts below
Notes		Earlier in the day, ITV had also covered the Republic of Ireland's qualifier with Spain live, highlights of which also appeared in Eurosport, as well as their usual Eurogoals programme in the afternoon. Whilst England were playing, BBC1 Northern Ireland was providing live coverage of their game in Denmark, whilst BBC2 Wales and S4C were showing Wales against Cyprus live. Sportsnight on BBC1 provided highlights of both, plus Scotland's game in Italy which also featured in Sportscene on BBC1 Scotland.
702	Wednesday, 17 November 1993 - San Marino 1 England 7 [1-3] Stadio Renato Dall' Ara, Barca, Bologna - Kick-off 8.00pm (7.00pm GMT)	International Football (Sky Sports) - 6:15pm - 10:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Phil Thompson Sportsnight Special (BBC1) - 6:50pm - 8:35pm (approximately - except last 18 minutes) World Cup Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) 8:00pm (approximately) - 9:15pm (second half only) commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (BBC Wales opted out) Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:40pm - 11:50pm (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 1:30pm - 3:30pm - Thursday, 18th November (full game recording)
Notes		World Cup Sportscene featured highlights from Scotland's victory in Malta, from earlier in the evening, before joining England's match for the second half. BBC1 Wales and S4C showed Wales' crucial qualifier with Romania live, and they were joined by Sportsnight Special for the rest of the game when Wales were awarded a 63rd-minute penalty, with around 18 minutes left of England's game. BBC2 Northern Ireland broadcast their game live as the Republic of Ireland secured the point that took them to the World Cup finals in the United States. Sportsnight then provided highlights from all of the home nations' qualifiers, with a round-up that included Spain beating Denmark to qualify, Switzerland beating Estonia to qualify, and Bulgaria securing their qualification with a shock last-minute winner in Paris to knock out France. Eurosport had the usual Eurogoals in the morning and World Cup qualifying action at 10:00pm. Sky Sports then had live coverage as Argentina beat Australia in a play-off to secure their qualification.
Other England Internationals		Friday, 11th February 1994 - Soccer Pal Victory Shield Highfield Road, Coventry England 2 Wales 0 - Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 9:00pm commentators Ian Darke and Ray Clemence Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:30am - 2:30am and 7:00am - 9:00am - Saturday, 12th February (full game recording)
		Friday, 25th February 1994 - Soccer Pal Victory Shield Roker Park, Sunderland England 5 Northern Ireland 1 - Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 9:30pm commentators Ian Darke and Ray Clemence Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:30am - 2:30am and 7:00am - 9:00am - Saturday, 26th February (full game recording)
703	Wednesday, 9 March 1994 -  England 1 Denmark 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm GMT	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:00pm commentators Martin Tyler and Phil Thompson Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 11:50pm Sportsnight Wales (BBC1 Wales) - 10:20pm - 11:45pm commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 1:00pm - 3:00pm - Thursday, 10th March (full game recording)
Notes		S4C provided live coverage of Wales' game with Norway, highlights of which were shown in Sportsnight. Eurosport just had the Eurogoals programme in the morning.
Other England Internationals
		Saturday, 12th March 1994 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 3 Switzerland 0 - The Match (ITV) 2:40pm - 4:40pm (all regions) commentators Brian Moore and Ian St John
		Thursday, 5th May 1994 - Soccer Pal Victory Shield Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld Scotland 0 England 1 - Sky Sports - 9:45pm - 11:30pm commentators Jock Brown and Ray Clemence (recorded highlights)
		Tuesday, 10th May 1994 - B International Hillsborough, Sheffield England 4 Northern Ireland 2 - Sky Sports - 7:00pm - 9:45pm commentators Martin Tyler and David Pleat
704	Tuesday, 17 May 1994 - England 5 Greece 0 [3-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and Gerry Francis Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:50pm - 12:20am commentators Jock Brown and Billy McNeill (recorded highlights) Sportsnight Special (BBC1) - 10:50pm - 11:40pm Sportsnight Special (BBC1 Wales) - 11:20pm - 12:10am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:30am - 2:30am and - 9:00am - 11:00am - Wednesday, 18th May (full game recording)
Notes		Sportscene provided their own commentators as Greece were in Scotland's group for the following season's European Championship qualifiers. The programme also included sporting action from two days earlier, with shinty from the Marine Harvest National League Final, and golf, with Andrew Coltart winning the Tartan Special Scottish Professional Championship at Dalmahoy.
705	Sunday, 22 May 1994 - England 0 Norway 0 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 4.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 3:15pm - 6:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and Phil Thompson International Match of the Day (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 11:10pm (BBC Scotland opted out) commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 1:30am - 3:30am and 1:00pm - 3:00pm - Monday, 23rd May (full game recording)

Season 1994-95
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 6th September 1994 - UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifying Filbert Street, Leicester England 0 Portugal 0 - Sky Sports - 7:00pm - 10:00pm commentator Martin Tyler Sky Sports - 8:30am - 9:30am - Wednesday, 7th September (recorded highlights)
706	Wednesday, 7 September 1994 - England 2 United States 0 [2-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:15pm commentators Martin Tyler and Trevor Francis Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:25pm - 12:05am Sportscene Euro '96 (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:25pm - 12:05am Sportsnight from Northern Ireland (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:25pm - 12:05am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 1:00pm - 2:30pm - Thursday, 8th September (recorded highlights)
Notes		An earlier edition of Sportscene Euro '96 on BBC2 Scotland provided live coverage of Scotland's opening European Championship qualifier in Finland, whilst BBC2 Wales and S4C each broadcast Wales' opener against Albania live. Northern Ireland's game against Portugal completed the set of home nations' highlights in Sportsnight. Eurosport also had a programme of highlights at 10:00pm.
707	Wednesday, 12 October 1994 - England 1 Romania 1 [1-1] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:15pm commentator Martin Tyler Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:25pm - 12:05am Sportscene Euro '96 (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:25pm - 12:05am commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:30pm - 2:30pm - Thursday, 13th October (full game recording)
Notes		BBC2 Wales had exclusive live Euro '96 coverage of their qualifier in Moldova, whilst Northern Ireland's trip to Austria was live on BBC2 Northern Ireland in International Soccer Special. Highlights of both, plus Scotland entertaining the Faroe Islands featured in Sportsnight, and Eurosport also provided a selection of European Championship qualifying highlights.
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 14th November 1994 - UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifying St James' Park, Newcastle England 1 Republic of Ireland 0 - Sky Sports - 7:00pm - 10:00pm commentator Martin Tyler Sky Sports - 12:30pm - 2:30pm - Wednesday, 15th November (full game recording)
708	Wednesday, 16 November 1994 - England 1 Nigeria 0 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm GMT	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:15pm commentators Martin Tyler and Glenn Hoddle Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 12:00am Sportscene Euro '96 (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:20pm - 12:00am Sportsnight Wales (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 12:00am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:30am - 2:30am and 12:30pm - 2:30pm - Thursday, 17th November (full game recording)
Notes		S4C broadcast Wales' heavy defeat live from Georgia at noon, and in the evening, an earlier edition of Sportscene Euro '96 saw Scotland take on Russia live on BBC2 Scotland. Meanwhile, there was a live Sportsnight Special on BBC2 Northern Ireland featuring the home team's clash with the Republic of Ireland. All three games were featured as highlights in Sportsnight. Eurosport had their usual late slot of qualifying action.
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 13th December 1994 - B International Anfield, Liverpool England 2 Republic of Ireland 0 - Sky Sports - 7:00pm - 10:00pm commentator Martin Tyler Sky Sports - 12:15am - 2:15am and 12:30pm - 2:30pm - Wednesday, 14th December (full game recording) Friday, 10th February 1995 - Victory Shield Newport Stadium, Newport Wales 2 England 2 - Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 9:00pm commentators Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:00am - 2:00am and 11:00am - 1:00pm - Saturday, 11th February (full game recording)
709	Wednesday, 15 February 1995 - Republic of Ireland 1 England 0 [n/a] Lansdowne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin - Kick-off 6.15pm GMT Abandoned after 27 minutes because of crowd violence	International Football (Sky Sports) - 6:00pm - 8:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and Kevin Moran Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 11:40pm Sportscene (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:20pm - 11:40pm commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:15am - 2:00am (full game recording)
Notes		The Match on ITV broadcast live coverage of the Coca-Cola Cup semi-final first leg between Liverpool and Crystal Palace. Sportsnight only showed footage of the goal, and following reflections on the violence, the remainder of the programme included rugby league action from the Silk Cut Challenge Cup fourth round replay between St Helens and Wigan, and a preview of the weekend's games in the rugby union Five Nations Championship, with Wales meeting England in Cardiff. In addition to the Sportsnight features, Sportscene also included a look ahead to the weekend's Scottish Cup fourth round ties, and curling action from the women's Scottish Junior Championships at Kilmarnock. Due to the violence in Dublin, Sky Sports may not have repeated the coverage as scheduled.
Other England Internationals		Friday, 3rd March 1995 - Schoolboys Home Park, Plymouth England 7 Belgium 0 - Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports 2) - 7:00pm - 9:00pm commentators Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports 2) - 11:00am - 1:00pm - Saturday, 4th March (full game recording)
		Saturday, 11th March 1995 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 1 Brazil 0 - Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 9:00pm and 11:30pm - 1:30am commentators (full game recording)
		Friday, 24th March 1995 - Victory Shield Castlereagh Park, Newtownards Northern Ireland 0 England 1 - Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports 2) - 7:00pm - 9:00pm commentators Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports 2) - 11:00am - 1:00pm - Saturday, 25th March (full game recording)
		Monday, 27th March 1995 - UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifying Dalymount Park, Dublin Republic of Ireland 0 England 2 - Sky Sports - 2:30pm - 5:15pm commentators Sky Sports - 9:00pm - 10:30pm (recorded highlights)
		Monday, 27th March 1995 - Centenary Shield Field Mill, Mansfield England 4 Wales 4 - Schoolboys Under-18 International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 9:00pm commentator Schoolboys Under-18 International Football (Sky Sports) - 11:30pm - 12:15am (recorded highlights) Schoolboys Under-18 International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:30pm - 2:30pm - Tuesday, 28th March (full game recording)
710	Wednesday, 29 March 1995 - England 0 Uruguay 0 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:15pm commentator Martin Tyler and Andy Gray Sportsnight (BBC1) - 10:20pm - 12:00am Sportscene Euro '96 (BBC1 Scotland) - 10:20pm - 12:00am Sportsnight from Northern Ireland (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 10:20pm - 12:00am Sportsnight Wales (BBC1 Wales) - 10:20pm - 12:00am commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:30pm - 2:30pm - Thursday, 30th March (full game recording)
Notes		Northern Ireland's short trip to Dublin to face the Republic of Ireland was shown live on BBC2 Northern Ireland in the afternoon. Then, the earlier edition of Sportscene Euro '96 brought live coverage of Scotland's qualifier in Russia on BBC2 Scotland, whilst Wales were playing in Bulgaria and featuring live on both BBC2 Wales and S4C. Highlights of all were then broadcast in Sportsnight, whilst Eurosport had their usual highlights programme.
Other England Internationals		Friday, 31st March 1995 - Centenary Shield City Ground, Nottingham England 0 Switzerland 0 - Schoolboys Under-18 International Football Special (Sky Sports 2) - 7:00pm - 9:00pm commentators
		Friday, 28th April 1995 - Victory Shield St James' Park, Newcastle England 2 Scotland 1 - Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 9:00pm commentators Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports) - 12:30am - 2:30am (full game recording)
711	Saturday, 3 June 1995 - England 2 Japan 1 [0-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 2.00pm BST	International Football Challenge (Sky Sports) - 1:00pm - 4:30pm commentator Martin Tyler International Football Challenge (Sky Sports 2) - 6:00pm - 7:00pm (recorded highlights) International Match of the Day (BBC1) - 10:40pm - 11:30pm commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football Challenge (Sky Sports) - 11:30pm - 12:30am (recorded highlights)
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 6th June 1995 - Women's World Cup Olympia, Helsingborg England 3 Canada 2 - International Match of the Day (BBC1) - 10:55pm - 11:45pm International Match of the Day (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 11:25pm - 12:15am commentator (recorded highlights)
		Wednesday, 7th June 1995 - UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifying Turf Moor, Burnley England 4 Latvia 0 - Sky Sports - 7:00pm - 9:45pm commentator Martin Tyler Sky Sports - 12:30am - 2:00am and 12:30pm - 2:00pm - Thursday, 8th June (recorded highlights)
712	Thursday, 8 June 1995 - England 3 Sweden 3 [1-2] Elland Road, Beeston, Leeds - Kick-off 8.00pm BST	International Football Challenge (Sky Sports) - 7:00pm - 10:15pm commentator Martin Tyler International Match of the Day (BBC1) - 10:50pm - 11:40pm International Match of the Day (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 11:20pm - 12:10am commentators John Motson and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football Challenge (Sky Sports) - 12:45am - 2:45am and 11:30am - 1:30pm - Friday 9th June (full game recording)
Notes		International Match of the Day included action from the previous night's European Championship qualifiers between Northern Ireland and Latvia, and Wales and Georgia. Eurosport also had a round-up of the previous night's action.
Other England Internationals		Thursday, 8th June 1995 - Women's World Cup Tingvalla Idrottsplats, Karlstad Norway 2 England 0 - International Match of the Day (BBC1) - 10:50pm - 11:40pm International Match of the Day (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 11:20pm - 12:10am commentator (recorded highlights)
		Saturday, 10th June 1995 - Schoolboys Wembley Stadium, London England 2 Germany 4 - Schoolboys International Football (Sky Sports) - 4:00pm - 6:00pm commentators (full game recording) International Football Special (Sky Sports) - 11:00am - 2:00pm - Sunday, 11th June (recorded highlights)
		Saturday, 10th June 1995 - Women's World Cup Tingvalla Idrottsplats, Karlstad Nigeria 2 England 3 - International Match of the Day (BBC1) - 11:05pm - 12:05pm Sunday, 11th June commentator (recorded highlights)
713	Sunday, 11 June 1995 - England 1 Brazil 3 [1-0] Wembley Stadium, Wembley - Kick-off 4.00pm BST	International Football Challenge (Sky Sports) - 3:00pm - 6:30pm commentators Martin Tyler and Gerry Francis International Football Challenge (Sky Sports) - 10:00pm - 12:00am (recorded highlights) International Match of the Day (BBC1) - 11:05pm - 12:05am commentators Barry Davies and Trevor Brooking (recorded highlights) International Football Challenge (Sky Sports) - 7:30am - 9:30am - Monday, 12th June (full game recording)
Notes		International Match of the Day also included action from the previous day's game in the Umbro Cup, between Japan and Sweden, at the City Ground, Nottingham.
Other England Internationals		Tuesday, 13th June 1995 - Women's World Cup Quarter-Final Arosvallen, Västerås Germany 3 England 0 - Match of the Day (BBC1) - 11:55pm - 12:25am Match of the Day (BBC1 Northern Ireland) - 12:30am - 1:00am commentator (recorded highlights)

Wednesday, 13 October 1993

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING

Netherlands 2 England 0

 

(ITV commentary transcript - Brian Moore)

As Frank Rijkaard had a Dutch goal disallowed in the 41st minute...

Last five minutes of the first half, still nil-nil. Remember, England want, at least, a draw from this game, the Dutch need a victory. Oh, there's Rijkaard coming in, but the flag is up! The flag is up! It won't count! It won't count! The Dutch will be disappointed. A great run from the midfield by Frank Rijkaard. Oof, my goodness!

RON ATKINSON: He wasn't offside.

He wasn't offside.

RON ATKINSON: I must confess, Brian, my gut feeling, and sometimes you go by that, was, as he timed his run, I thought, "We're in trouble, here", and we've had the lu...we've had the lu...we've had the luck of a flag, there, that's for sure, there.

As Ronald Koeman fouled David Platt in the 57th minute...

Can Platt get there first?! Platt can get there first for England! That's gotta be a penalty! Penalty given, for England! The Dutch are claiming 'outside', the referee looked hard at the linesman, the linesman said, "Inside". No, has he given a penalty? A yellow card has gone to, er, Ronald Koeman. I think, he's changed his mind. He's changed his mind and given a free kick outside.

RON ATKINSON: Brian, is that not a sending-off offence under the rules of the game?

Absolutely. Let's just determine first, though...that's got to be, hasn't it?

RON ATKINSON: That's...that's a penalty.

I mean, he's through with a clear goalscoring opportunity, red card! He's given a yellow.

RON ATKINSON: More important, has he not gi...?

No, he's given a free kick, I think, Ron. I think, he's given a free kick. Graham Taylor can't believe it, he's being shepherded back.

As the Netherlands were awarded a free kick on the edge of England's penalty area, three minutes later...

(ITV commentary transcript - Brian Moore)

Make no mistake about it, we're not yet outta the wood, because Ronald Koeman is up behind this one, and what an irony it would be if he scored with this when he really should have been off the field. Koeman with the free kick for Holland, a vital moment as two sides look for a place in the World Cup Finals. The first goal could be so vital. Is that wall lined up, can Seaman get a sight of it? Koeman with the shot, charged down by Ince! Bergkamp tries to get it in. I don't think...I think Ince, possibly, Ince will get a yellow card, because he was not within the...not within ten yards, so Koeman gets a reprieve for the second time, and gets another free kick. Ron?

RON ATKINSON: As a manager, you think that's brilliant defending from Ince. Ince is the charger, Ince has come out and blocked the shot out, full of bravery. Now, he's been punished for it.

So, come on England, let's see if we can hold it out, again. Again, it's Ronald Koeman. Again, the problem is there. Again, it's a critical moment. He's gonna flick one now. He's gonna flick one! He's gonna flick one, and it's in! An excellent free kick.

RON ATKINSON: Brilliant execution. I do feel David Seaman's left him an awful lot, here. We were nominating that from here, weren't we, Brian, before he'd even taken the kick, but he'd left him acres to go for. Changed his technique, he's had the blaster which has been charged down...

...and a full, full, full injustice for England. Ronald Koeman should have been off the field, and David Platt, in fact, I know this after that goal was scored, went straight up to the referee and pointed to the Dutch penalty area, saying exactly that. What an irony, and what a problem now for England.

(Channel 4 transcript - Graham Taylor)

After Dennis Bergkamp had scored the second in the 68th minute, and with the game drawing to a close, Graham Taylor complained to the fourth official and then approached the linesman...

I was just saying to your colleague, referee's just got me the sack. Thank him, ever so much for that, won't you?

(ITV transcript - Graham Taylor)

Immediately after the final whistle, Taylor was interviewed in the tunnel by ITV's Jim Rosenthal...

Now, even if they decide it's a free kick or a penalty, that blond man should not be on the pitch. That is a FIFA rule, it's an amendment to the rule, and the referee today has not applied the laws of the game as we apply them openly and honestly in our country!

GI