Football is Academical

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP D

Group D sees hosts USA joined by Paraguay alongside Australia and European Playoff Winner Turkey. This could be the closet fought group of the opening phase.

USA –

USA have played a series of friendlies, as hosts recently losing 5-2 to Belgium and 2-0 to Portugal.

In the Autumn as hosts they played friendlies at home and beat Australia 2-1, Paraguay 2-1 and Uruguay 5-1.

Last summer they played in the Concacaf Gold Cup beating Trinidad & Tobago 5-0, Saudi Arabia 1-0 and Haiti 2-1 to win their group.

A penalty shootout win over Costa Rica after a 2-2 draw saw then into the semi final where they beat Guatemala 2-1 before losing the final 2-1 to Mexico.

USA are managed by former Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino.

USA goalkeeper will likely be Matt Freese who has recently taken over the gloves from Matt Turner

In defence USA are unlikely to see the return from injury of Celtic’s Cameron Carter-Vickers Johnston but the squad is likely to include his club mate Auston Trusty. Captain Tim Ream played at the 2022 World Cup and will play alongside Mark McKenzie of Toulouse , Antonee Robinson of Fulham and Chris Richards of Crystal Palace. Sergiño Dest of PSV could start at wing back.

In midfield former Rangers player Malik Tilman will be partnered with Weston McKennie of Juventus and Giovanni Reyna , son of former Rangers and USA star Claudio Reyna. Tyler Adams of Bournemouth and formerly with Leeds Utd is also a mainstay of the squad.

USA goal threat comes from Timothy Weah formerly with Celtic and son of legend George Weah. He will be partnered with former Chelsea striker Christian Pulisic now with AC Milan and Leeds Utd’s Brenden Aaronson. Monaco’s Folarin Balogun will also feature. Derby County’s Patrick Agyemang will miss the tournament after picking up a recent serious injury.

Paraguay –

Paraguay qualified from the South American group in sixth place and claimed the final automatic spot. This was however only decided on goal difference with Colombia, Uruguay , Brazil and Paraguay all finishing on 28pts , one point behind runners up Ecuador.

Since qualifying Paraguay have played a number of friendlies with mixed results most recently beating Greece 1-0 away and losing 2-1 to Morocco in France.

Paraquay are managed by Argentinian Gustavo Alfaro

In goal will be Gatito Fernández with back up Orlando Gil, Gastón Olveira from Olimpia has recently made his debut after changing allegiance from Uruguay.

The defence is led by captain Gustavo Gómez, alongside Sunderland’s Omar Alderete and Júnior Alonso.

Midfield includes former Newcastle man Miguel Almirón with former Nottingham Forest player Ramón Sosa and Brighton’s Diego Gómez. Playmaker Maurício Prado, from Palmeiras is another to recently agree to change to Paraguay and made his debut recently although born in Brazil.

Paraguay will have the experience of Gabriel Ávalos in attack alongside young exciting winger Julio Enciso of Strasbourg.

Australia –

Australia began Asian qualifying winning all of their 6 Second Round games to progress with the top 2 from 9 Groups to the Third Round.

In the Third Round they finished 2nd behind Japan in a 6 team Group as they both went through as automatic qualifier.

Australia played friendly matches during October and November 2025 beating Canada 1-0 in Montreal before losing 3 games in USA – 2-1 to USA, 1-0 to Venezuela and 3-0 to Colombia.

In March 2026 FIFA series they beat Cameroon 1-0 and Curacao 5-1, both in Australia.

Australia manager is Tony Popovic

Matt Ryan is their goalkeeper and captain.

The defence has Jordon Bos of Feyernoord and Aziz Behich with former Hearts man Kye Rowles. Harry Souttar of Leicester City has recently returned from injury and may make the squad, his brother John Souttar is likely to feature for Scotland.

The midfield includes Ajdin Hrustić and Middlesborough’s Riley McGree, and former Ross County player Jackson Irvine.

Australia’s attack should feature Hibs Martin Boyle, but the recent introduction of 20 yo Watford striker Nestory Irankunda could bring additional attacking flair. Norwich City’s Mohamed Touré could also feature.

Turkey –

Bosnia finished second behind Spain in European qualifying and went on to qualify for World Cup 2026 via the playoffs. A 1-0 home win over Romania was followed by a 1-0 away win over Kosovo in the final.

Turkey are managed by Italian Vincenzo Montella

Ugurcan Çakir of Galatasaray is the Turkish goalkeeper with back up Mert Günok of Fenerbache.

The defence is led Ozan Kabak, alongside him are Abdülkerim Bardakcı and Merih Demiral

Midfield includes captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu of Inter Milan and Orkun Kökçü

Real Madrid’s Arda Güler could be one of the young stars of the World Cup supplying Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Kenan Yıldız of Juventus.

Group D Fixtures

13/6/26 2am USA v Paraguay

14/6/26 5am Australia v Turkey

19/6/26 8pm USA v Australia

20/6/26 4am Turkey v Paraquay

26/6/26 3am USA v Turkey

26/6/26 3am Paraguay v Australia

PREDICTIONS

I can see an opening draw between USA and Paraquay in a tight match

I would expect Turkey to beat Australia in their opening game.

USA will want to put on a show as a host nation and beat Australia, while Turkey beat Paraguay in another tight match.

I can see USA getting a draw with Turkey as the Turks win the group on 7pts, and USA in second place on 5pts.

Paraquay will beat Australia to end on 4pts and await their fate as a third place team.

Australia I fear will end with three defeats.

Group D does seem the most wide open with pundits finding it hard to choose between USA and Turkey as group winners and 3rd place between Paraguay and Australia.

1st Place prediction – Turkey 7pts

2nd Place prediction – USA 5pts

3rd Place prediction – Paraquay 4pts GD 0

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP C

Group C sees 5 time World Cup winners Brazil joined by Scotland alongside Morocco and Haiti.

Brazil –

Brazil despite their unconvincing qualifying campaign will go into the tournament as clear favourites to win Group C .

Brazil qualified from the South American group in fifth place and claimed an automatic spot. This was however only decided on goal difference with Colombia, Uruguay , Brazil and Paraguay all finishing on 28pts , one point behind runners up Ecuador.

Brazil are managed by former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti

Brazil goalkeeper will likely be Liverpool’s Allison Becker with back up from former Manchester City’s Ederson.

PSG’s vastly experienced Marquinhos is captain and mainstay of the defence alongside Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães.

Casemiro of Manchester Utd is the main man in midfield alongside Barcelona’s Raphinha and Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes.

Brazil’s attack is led by Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jnr, with the central striker role options include, Raphinha of Barcelona and Man Utd’s Mattheus Cunha, as well as youngster Endrich. Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli has a habit of coming on as a late substitute and scoring. It looks likely Chelsea’s Estevao will miss out through injury.

Scotland –

Scotland qualified as winners of European C beating Denmark into second place with a dramatic 4-2 win at Hampden on the final Matchday.

Scotland are managed by Steve Clarke

In goal is likely to be Angus Gunn , although he will be pushed by Hearts Craig Gordon if he is fit by June.

The defence is led by Andy Robertson of Liverpool , while Scott McKenna’s move to Dinamo Zagreb has pushed him in as a mainstay in central defence while Kieran Tierney from Celtic can fit in across the back line where required.

Rangers John Souttar could be joined at the World Cup by his brother Harry playing for Australia, as well as Jack Hendry.

Right back could see Nathan Patterson of Everton or Brentford’s Aaron Hickey.

Midfield is Scotland’s strength with Napoli pair Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour alongside Aston Villa’s John McGinn and Lewis Ferguson of Bolonga.

Kenny McLean who’s spectacular goal sealed qualification is a mainstay of the squad and Ryan Christie of Bourenemouth.

Scotland’s attack has been a long term problem with Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams being the obvious options, however the introduction of a fit again Ben Gannon-Doak could provide the pace required to break down tight defences.

Morocco –

Morocco qualified easily for the World Cup and were recently controversially awarded the African Cup of Nations after they lost the final to Senegal on penalties.

Morocco manager Walid Regragui resigned after the loss to Senegal and has been replaced by Mohamed Ouahbi who led Morocco to success at under 20 World Cup in 2025 which has seen Morocco move away from a more defensive approach in recent fr

Yassine Bounou is an experienced goalkeeper and was a star of the team at World Cup 2022 when they reached the semi finals.

The defence is led by captain Achraf Hakimi of PSG who plays alongside Man Utd’s Noussair Mazzraoui and Issa Diop of Fulham.

This is a defensive unit with experience and quality which led to conceding only 1 goal in 6 matches at the recent AFCON

The midfield includes Girona’s Azzedine Onuahi, PSV’s Ismael Saibari and youngster Bilal El Khannouss of Stuttgart and former Manchester Utd player Sofyan Amreabat. Roma’s Neil El Aynaoui is also an option in midfield.

Morocco’s attack is led by Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz and could feature young Ilias Akhomach who also plays in Spain for Rayo Vallencano. Soufiane Rahimi and Abde Ezzalzouli are other options.

Haiti –

Haiti progressed to Round 3 of the Concacaf qualifying finishing runners up to Curacao before they won Group C to qualify automatically after Honduras surprise loss in Nicaragua in the penultimate Matchday. Haiti’s win over Nicaragua coupled with Honduras 0-0 draw with Costa Rica took they to World Cup 2026

Haiti are managed by Frenchman Sébastien Migné

Johny Placide the Haiti goalkeeper is their captain and most experienced player.

The defence includes experienced Ricardo Ade and Carlens Arcus. Hannes Delcroix of Lugano who played at youth level for Belgium and Josué Casimir of Auxerre have recently chosen to play for Haiti.

Midfield includes Danley Jean Jacques who plays in MLS for Philladelphia Union. Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde of Wolves who played youth football for France has chosen to play for Haiti.

Haiti top scorer is Duckens Nazon, (44 goals in 76 games) who has played in England and France as well as a spell at St Mirren. Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor recently committed himself to Haiti and played in two friendlies against Tunisia and Iceland. Ruben Providence is an exciting winger. Frantzdy Pierrot has scored 33 international goals in 49 games.

Group C Fixtures

13/6/26 11pm Brazil v Morocco

14/6/26 2am Scotland v Haiti

19/6/26 11pm Scotland v Morocco

20/6/26 1.30am Brazil v Haiti

24/6/26 11pm Scotland v Brazil

24/6/26 11pm Haiti v South Morocco

PREDICTIONS

I would expect Brazil to win their opening games two games , and perhaps play a weakened team against Scotland. They will probably still win all three games to top the group on 9pts.

Scotland will struggle to break down Haiti but will in the end claim all three points.

Morocco having lost to Brazil and knowing they have to play Haiti in the final game will settle for a draw with Scotland.

Brazil will narrowly beat Scotland and Morocco will claim second place on goal difference from Scotland with an emphatic victory over Haiti.

This will be the second group completed.

Haiti will likely be a tough nut for Scotland to crack in their opening game. Once they get past the honeymoon period of their first game at the finals since 1974, and meeting tougher opposition they will lose the other two games.

1st Place prediction – Brazil 9pts

2nd Place prediction – Morocco 4pts GD +3

3rd Place prediction – Scotland 4pts GD +1

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP B

Group B sees hosts Canada joined by Switzerland alongside Qatar and European Playoff Winner Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Canada –

Canada have played a series of friendlies, as hosts recently drawing 2-2 with Iceland and 0-0 with Tunisia. Last summer they played in the Concacaf Gold Cup beating Honduras 6-0, El Salvador 2-0 and drawing 1-1 with Curacao before losing on penalties to Guatemala after a 1-1 draw.

Canada have lost all 6 games at previous World Cups and will be looking for their first victory.

Canada are managed by former Leeds Utd manager Jesse Marsch.

Canada goalkeeper will likely be Dyane St Clair of Inter Miami with back up from Orlando City’s Maxime Crepeau.

In defence Canada will be hoping to see a return to form of their star man Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich but injuries have kept him out of the national team over the past year. The defence will be boosted by return from injury of Celtic’s Alistair Johnston. Marseille’s Derek Cornelius on loan to Rangers and Karmal Miller of Portland Timbers will likely make up the defence.

Tajon Buchanan of Inter Milan on loan to Villareal is joined in midfield by Norwich City’s Ali Ahmed. Jonathan Osorio of Toronto adds experience to the midfield alongside Ismael Kone of Marseille, on loan to Sassauolo and Stephen Eustaquino.

Canada’s star man is striker Jonathon David of Juventus who will be assisted by Cyle Larin of Southampton and Daniel Jebbison of Bournemouth on loan to Preston.

Switzreland –

Switzerland qualified as European Group B winners ahead of Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden winning 4 games and only dropping points with away draws in Kosovo and Slovenia.

Switzerland are managed by former player Murat Yakin

In goal will be Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel who has taken over from the highly experienced Jann Sommer after his retirement in 2024.

The defence is led by Ricardo Rodriguez of Real Bets , alongside Manchester City;s Manuel Akanji who is currently on loan to Inter Milan. They also have the experience of Nico Alvedi and Silvan Widmer who play their club football in Germany.

Midfield sees highly experienced Granit Xhaka now at Sunderland alongside Remo Freuler of Bolonga and Denis Zakaria of Monaco.

The Swiss attack is led by the experience of Breel Embolo who now plays in France for Rennes and he is partnered in attack by Dan Ndoye of Nottingham Forest and Ruben Vargas of Sevilla. Noah Okafor of Leeds Utd has been in good form late in the season.

Qatar –

Qatar began Asian qualifying winning 5 of their 6 Second Round games to progress with the top 2 from 9 Groups to the Third Round.

In the Third Round they finished 4th in a 6 team Group behind automatic qualifiers Iran and Uzbekistan.

This led Qatar to the Fourth Round where they won a 3 team group which they hosted and after drawing 0-0 with Oman then beat UAE 2-1 to qualify for World Cup 2026.

Qatar’s friendly matches in March 2026 were postponed due to the war in Iran.

They are managed by former Spain coach Julen Lopetegui.

Meshaal Barsham is their goalkeeper, with back up from Mahmud Abunada.

The defence has the experienced Boualem Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel, with left back Homam Ahmed who plays in the Spanish Second Division.

The midfield also has experience with Karim Boudiaf and Abdulaziz Hatem both having over 100 caps each.

Qatar’s attack is led by captain Hassan Al-Haydos. They also have Akram Afif one of the best players in Africa and Almoez Ali with over 100 caps each.

Bosnia –

Bosnia finished second behind Austria in European qualifying and went on to qualify for World Cup 2026 via the playoffs. A late goal in Cardiff to secure a 1-1 draw was followed by a penalty shoot out win and repeated the 1-1 scoreline at home to Italy in the final before again prevailing on penalties.

Bosnia are managed by former player Sergej Barbarez

Nikola Vasilj the Bosnia goalkeeper.

The defence is led by Atalanta’s former Arsenal defender Sead Kolašinac and alongside him are Amar Dedić of Benfica, Sassuolo’s Tarik Muharemović and former Rangers player Nikola Katic.

Midfield includes Hull City’s Amir Hadžiahmetović, Benjamin Tahirović of Brondby and Amar Memić of Viktoria Plzeň.

Bosnia’s talismanic striker is 40yo Eden Dzeko formerly of Manchester City and now at Schalke, and Ermedin Demirović of Stuttgart.

Group B Fixtures

12/6/26 8pm Canada v Bosnia

13/6/26 8pm Switzerland v Qatar

18/6/26 8pm Switzerland v Bosnia

18/6/26 11pm Canada v Qatar

24/6/26 8pm Switzerland v Canada

24/6/26 8pm Bosnia v Qatar

PREDICTIONS

I would expect Switzerland to beat Qatar with Canada drawing their opening game with Bosnia.

In the second round of fixtures , Switzerland v Bosnia will be tight and will end up drawn

Canada should keep their hopes alive of a top two finish with a win over Qatar.

The final group games I can see Switzerland topping the group with a win over Canada.

I think Bosnia will beat Qatar and finish on 5points, and claim second place.

Canada will set the target of 4 points as they aim to be one of the top 8 third place teams. This is will the first group to be completed.

Qatar will finish as one of the weaker teams and losing all three games, with an underprepared and ageing squad.

I have seen some pundits rating Canada over Bosnia with home advantage and a couple of star players but Bosnia I feel will have a more balanced squad and could surprise many.

1st Place prediction – Switzerland 7pts

2nd Place prediction – Bosnia 5pts

3rd Place prediction – Canada 4pts GD 0

WORLD CUP 2026 – GROUP A

Group A sees Mexico one of the hosts joined by the European Playoff D Winner Czechia alongside South Africa and South Korea.

Mexico –

Mexico go into the tournament with home advantage and a strong defensive record in recent friendly matches although they have not played a competitive game since they won the Concacaf Gold Cup in July 2025 beating USA 2-1 in the final.

March 2026 friendlies saw draws with Belgium 1-1 and Portugal 0-0.

Mexico are managed by former player Javier Aguirre, his third stint in charge of the National team and the greatest in Mexican history.

Mexico hope to break the barrier of having been eliminated at the Round of 16 on seven consecutive World Cups from 1994 to 2018 and then failed to qualify from the Group Stage in 2022.

Mexico will include goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa who has experience of playing at the previous five World Cups and is looking to play in his sixth and has announced he will retire at the end of the tournament. He is likely as back up to first choice Raúl Rangel. Mexico will miss the injured Luis Angel Malagon.

Johan Vasquez of Genoa is a mainstay in central defence and is likely to be joined by César Montes of Lokomotiv Moscow. At full back they have highly experienced Jesús Gallardo.

The midfield is likely to be led by the experienced Edson Alvarez of Fenerbache, with highly talented 17yo Gilberto Mora also likely to feature, and would become the youngest ever Mexican World Cup player. Luis Romo also adds experience in midfield but can play in a number of positions.

In attack Mexico have star man Raul Jimenez the highly experienced striker now at Fulham , previously with Wolves and Benfica. Santiago Gimenez is also expected to feature and has moved to AC Milan just over a year ago from Dutch football. In addition Mexico have attackers Alexis Vega, Armando González and Guillermo Martinez.

Czechia –

Czechia qualified through the European playoffs where they drew 2-2 at home with Republic of Ireland then won on penalties before repeating the 2-2 scoreline and a penalty shoot out victory over Denmark in the final again in Prague. They were in the playoffs after finishing second to Croatia, who they took one point from in their two games between the nations and winning 5 of the other 6 games , suffering only a shock defeat 2-1 away to Faroes.

Czechia are managed by Miroslav Koubek, set to become the oldest manager in World Cup history at 74.

The goalkeeper is Matej Kovar of PSV Eindhoven, with the defence including former West Ham player Vladimir Coufal and captain Ladislav Krejci on loan at Wolves from Girona.

In midfield Czechia have the experienced West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek alongside playmaker Pavel Šulc of Lyon, In attack their is further experience in striker Patrik Schick, who famously netted from the halfway line against Scotland at Euro 2020.

South Korea –

South Korea qualified winning 6 and drawing 4 of their 10 qualifying matches between September 2024 and June 2025, to finish top of their group ahead of fellow qualifiers Jordan.

They then hosted the East Asia Football Federation Championship where having beaten China 3-0 and Hong Kong 2-0 they lost 1-0 to Japan to finish runners up.

Home friendly wins all with clean sheets over Paraguay , Bolivia and Canada were then followed by a 4-0 defeat in Milton Keynes by Ivory Coast and 1-0 defeat in Vienna by Austria.

South Korea coach, Hong Myung-bo is unpopular and under pressure going into the World Cup.

Hyeon-woo Jo is another experienced goalkeeper and is expected to start for South Korea, with Seung-gyu Kimas back up.

In defence South Korea have Kim Min-Jae of Bayern Munich , Toe-seok Lee of Austria Vienna and Young-woo Seol from Crvena Zvezda.

In midfield they have In-beom Hwang from Feyenoord as well as English Championship players , Ji-Sung Eom (Swansea), Jun-ho Bae (Stoke), Seung-ho Paik (Birmingham), Min-hyeok Yang (Coventry).

In attach the vastly experienced former Tottenham striker Heung-min Son is their talisman and will be joined by Hee-chan Hwang of Wolves , with Celtic’s Hyun-jun Yang and Kang-in Lee of PSG other possibilities.

South Africa –

South Africa squeezed into World Cup 2026 finishing top of their qualifying group taking 18 points from 10 games , one point ahead of Nigeria and Benin. They were nearly derailed after fielding Teboho Mokoena who should have been suspended which saw a 2-0 win over Lesotho turned to a 3-0 defeat.

In the African Cup of Nations South Africa qualified for the knockout stages beating Angola and Zimbabwe despite a 1-0 defeat to Egypt.

Cameroon knocked South Africa out 2-1 in the last 16.

South Africa are managed by Belgian Hugo Broos

Ronwen Williams the South African goalkeeper is their captain and most important player in an inexperienced squad.

The defence are mainly home based including Khuliso Mudau. Mbekezeli Mbokazi plays in MLS for Chigaco Fire and Siyabonga Ngezana of FCSB in Romania. Another who could feature is Tylon Smith of QPR.

Samukele Kabini who plays in Norway for Molde, can play left back or in midfield alongside home based players, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Bathusi Aubass and Teboho Mokoena who is vice captain with over 50 caps.

The star of the South Africa team is Lyle Foster the forward who plays for Burnley, he is normally flanked by Relebohile Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis. Shandro Campbell of Club Brugge may also feature.

Group A Fixtures

11/6/26 8pm Mexico v South Africa

12/6/26 3am Czechia v South Korea

18/6/26 5pm Czechia v South Africa

19/6/26 2am Mexico v South Korea

25/6/26 2am Mexico v Czechia

25/6/26 2am South Korea v South Africa

PREDICTIONS

Mexico with home advantage will be favourites to win the group.

I would expect Mexico to win their opening game before finding tougher opposition in their other two games , a draw with South Korea could be topped off with a win over Czechia to win the group on 7pts.

Czechia I can see winning their first two games and resting players for their final game and ending in second place on 6pts.

South Korea after losing their opening game will be happy with a point against Mexico and beat South Africa to finish third on 4 points, and await the other groups to finish to see if they qualify.

A strong win over South Africa could potentially boost their goal difference and with Groups B & C already completed , will have an idea of what is required.

South Africa will likely be weak and lose all three games.

Pundits seen split between Czechia and South Korea for second place , as I say I think it will be Czechia.

1st Place prediction – Mexico 7pts

2nd Place prediction – Czechia 6pts

3rd Place prediction – South Korea 4pts GD +1

WORLD CUP – WEST GERMANY 74 Second Round – Final

The Second Round comprised two groups of four teams each playing a further three round robin games with the two winners meeting in the final and the runners up playing in the third / fourth place playoff.

PART TWO – 26TH JUNE TO 7TH JULY 1974

Wednesday 26th June 1974

Group A – HOLLAND 4 ARGENTINA 0 – Gelsenkirchen

A superb attacking display by the Dutch and from Johan Cruyff in particular spectacularly destroyed Argentina’s hopes of further progression and firmly made this Holland team favourites to reach the final.

Group A – BRAZIL 1 EAST GERMANY 0 – Hanover

Brazil squeezed past the dark horses of East Germany when Brazilian veteran Rivellino scored a free kick, smashing it through the German wall.

Group B – WEST GERMANY 2 YUGOSLAVIA 0 – Dusseldorf

The hosts scored a goal in each half from Paul Breitner and Gerd Muller as the they ran out comfortable winners.

Group B – POLAND 1 SWEDEN 0 – Stuttgart

In a tight game Sweden conceded their first goal of the tournament as they lost 1-0 to the Poland side now showing how their advancement to the tournament ahead of England was no fluke. Grzegorz Lato scored on the only goal of the game and his fifth goal of the tournament.

Sunday 30th June 1974

GROUP A – ARGENTINA 1 BRAZIL 2 – Hanover

Brazil took a first half lead through Rivellino however Argentina drew level by half time , Jarizinho scored the winning goal in the second half.

GROUP A – HOLLAND 2 EAST GERMANY 0 – Gelsenkirchen

A goal in each half gave Holland the win that ensured they would only require a draw against Brazil in their final group game to reach the final.

GROUP B – POLAND 2 YUGOSLAVIA 1 – Frankfurt

Poland continued to their campaign with a win over Yugoslavia , Kazi Deyna their inspirational captain scored a penalty in the first half before Yugoslavia equalised before half time. Lato once again scored the winning goal.

GROUP B – WEST GERMANY 4 SWEDEN 2 – Dusseldorf

In an entertaining game , Sweden took a shock lead through Ralf Edstrom , before West Germany scored twice in a minute early in the second half through Wolfgang Overath and Rainer Bonhof. Sweden responded immediately to make it 2-2 when Roland Sandberg put doubts in German minds about reaching the final. Germany went on to win when Jurgen Grabowski scored with 15 mins remaining and as Sweden pushed for the equaliser, Uli Hoeness netted a late penalty to give the hosts a 4-2 win. This left West Germany needing a draw against Poland to reach the final

Wednesday 3rd July 1974

GROUP A – ARGENTINA 1 EAST GERMANY 1

With both countries eliminated after losing their opening two matches this was a tame 1-1 draw.

GROUP A – HOLLAND 2 BRAZIL 0

This was played like a World Cup semi final with the winners progressing to the final , but the Dutch only requiring a draw.

A goal by Johan Neeskens early in the second half all but ended Brazilian hopes and when Johan Cruyff added a second , Holland were into their first World Cup Final.

GROUP B – WEST GERMANY 1 POLAND 0

West Germany confirmed their place in the World Cup Final although only needing a draw when Gerd Muller scored in later stages , it ensured the hosts would play in the final.

GROUP B – SWEDEN 2 YUGOSLAVIA 1

Sweden won the dead rubber 2-1, having exchanged first half goals , a late winner by Conny Torstensson gave the Swedes third place in Group B

GROUP A

1 Holland 3 3 0 0 8 0 +8 6
2 Brazil 3 2 0 1 3 3 0 4
3 East Germany 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1
4 Argentina 3 0 1 2 2 7 −5 1

GROUP B

1 West Germany 3 3 0 0 7 2 +5 6
2 Poland 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 4
3 Sweden 3 1 0 2 4 6 −2 2
4 Yugoslavia 3 0 0 3 2 6 −4 0

Saturday 6th July 1974

Third Place Playoff – BRAZIL 0 POLAND 1 – Munich

Grezegorz Lato scored his 7th goal of the tournament as he ended top scorer as Poland claimed Third Place

Sunday 7th July 1974

FINAL WEST GERMANY 2 HOLLAND 1 – Munich

The 1974 World Cup final had an incredible opening when English referee Jack Taylor awarded Holland a penalty when Johann Cruyff was brought down inside the penalty area in the first minute. John Neeskens converted to put Holland 1-0 ahead after 2 mins. Germany were then also awarded a penalty which Paul Breitner netted after 25 mins to make the score 1-1

The decisive moment came in the 43rd minute as the teams approached half time , the German striker Gerd Muller turned sharply and fired the ball into the corner of the net to give the hosts a 2-1 victory.

WORLD CUP – WEST GERMANY 74 First Round

The World Cup in West Germany was played just two years after the terrible terrorist attack when 11 Israeli athletes were killed during the Olympic Games in Munich 1972.

The Jules Rimet trophy had been awarded to Brazil after their third success in Mexico 1970 so a new trophy was designed and used for the first time in 1974.

Australia , East Germany , Haiti and Zaire competed for the first time and were joined by Scotland for the first time in 20 years as the only UK team to qualify.

There were 16 qualifiers divided into 4 groups of 4 teams with the top two qualifying for the second group stage where there were 2 groups of 4 teams with the 2 group winners qualifying for the final.

Sweden beat Austria 2-1 in a playoff to win Qualifying in Group on 27th November 1973.

The draw for the finals was made on 5th January 1974 in Frankfurt with Yugoslavia or Spain draw in Group 2 with Brazil , Scotland and Zaire.

Yugoslavia qualified on 13th February 1974 with a 1-0 playoff win over Spain in Frankfurt after the teams finished level on points and goal difference in Qualifying Group 7.

The winner of European Qualifying Group 9 , Soviet Union had to play an Inter Continental Playoff against Chile. the first leg was drawn 0-0 in Moscow but after a coup in Chile , the Soviets refused to play the second leg in Santiago and the tie was awarded to Chile by FIFA.

PART ONE – 13TH JUNE TO 23RD JUNE 1974

Thursday 13th June

Group 2 – BRAZIL 0 YUGOSLAVIA 0 – Frankfurt

The opening game saw a cautious approach by both teams as the holders Brazil much weakened by the retirement of Pele struggled to breakdown the high skilled Europeans, on a wet evening in Frankfurt.

Friday 14th June

Group 1 – WEST GERMANY 1 CHILE 0 – West Berlin

The German full back Paul Breitner scored the first goal of the 1974 World Cup with a superb long range strike into the top corner after 18mins.

The Germans struggled to add to their lead against the Chilean defence.

Group 1 – EAST GERMANY 2 AUSTRALIA 0 – Hamburg

Two nations competing for the first time which saw the hosts neighbours in the end comfortably beat the Aussies 2-0 after a dour first half

Group 2 – SCOTLAND 2 ZAIRE 0 – Dortmund

Scotland with veteran Denis Law making his only appearance at a World Cup would struggle to break down the Africans after taking an early two goal lead through Peter Lorimer and Joe Jordan.

Saturday 15th June

Group 3 – HOLLAND 2 URUGUAY 0 – Hanover

Two goals by Johnny Rep gave the Dutch a winning start to their campaign

Group 3 – SWEDEN 0 BULGARIA 0 – Dusseldorf

In an entertaining match Sweden and Bulgaria drew 0-0

Group 4 – ITALY 3 HAITI 1 – Munich

The minnows of Haiti looked to be causing a shock when they took a 1-0 lead early in the second half but Italy came back with three goals as they outclassed their Central American opposition.

Group 4 – POLAND 3 ARGENTINA 2 – Stuttgart

Poland came out of the blocks and scored two goals inside the first 10 minutes before taking a 3-0 lead through Lato for his second goal of the game early in the second half. Argentina mounted a comeback but could only score twice, as the Poles held on for victory.

Tuesday 18th June

Group 1 – WEST GERMANY 3 AUSTRALIA 0 – Hamburg

The host nation moved through the gears after their uninspiring opening 1-0 win to comfortably see off World Cup new boys Australia with two first half goals before Gerd Muller scored his first goal of the competition with their third goal in the second half. A maximum of 4pts from their fist two games saw West Germany qualify for the Second Round ahead of their meeting with local rivals East Germany.

Group 1 – EAST GERMANY 1 CHILE 1 – West Berlin

East Germany despite taking the lead early in the second half were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Chile. Chile were still to play minnows Australia with the two German nations to meet in the final group games.

Group 2 – YUGOSLAVIA 9 ZAIRE 0 – Dortmund

Zaire crumbled at the hands of Yugoslavia after a fall out between the players and their association over payments during the tournament and also the fact their coach was Yugoslav made their performance on the night suspicious after they had fared well against Scotland in the opening game.

Group 2 – BRAZIL 0 SCOTLAND 0 – Frankfurt

Scotland put on a heroic performance against the reigning World Champions and came close to winning the game when Scotland captain Billy Bremner could only push a close range effort the wrong side of the post.

This left Scotland needing to beat Yugoslavia in the final game if Brazil beat Zaire by more than the 2 goals Scotland had beaten the Africans.

Wednesday 19th June

Group 3 – BULGARIA 1 URUGUAY 1 – Hanover

Bulgaria seemed to put themselves in with a great chance of qualifying for Round 2 when they took a 75th min lead through Bonev, however Uruguay stayed in contention when Pavoni equalised in 87 mins.

Group 3 – HOLLAND 0 SWEDEN 0 – Dortmund

Sweden manged to stop the Dutch scoring and kept their chances of qualification alive, although the match provided the first Cruyff turn.

Group 4 – ARGENTINA 1 ITALY 1 – Stuttgart

Argentina took the lead after 20 mins through Rene Houseman before an own goal brought the sides level before half time as both teams kept their hopes of qualification alive.

Group 4 – POLAND 7 HAITI 0 – Munich

Poland stormed into Round 2 with a blitz of new boys Haiti with Szarmach scoring a hat trick and Lato scoring his second brace of the tournament

Saturday 22nd June

Group 1 – AUSTRALIA 0 CHILE 0 – West Berlin

Chile’s draw with Australia put both nations out of the 1974 World Cup.

Group 1 – EAST GERMANY 1 WEST GERMANY 0 – Hamburg

The only senior professional game between the two German nations with the surprise scoreline of the lesser fancied East Germany winning with a 77th min goal from Sparwasser.

Group 2 – BRAZIL 3 ZAIRE 0 – Gelsenkirchen

Brazil’s 3-0 win put them into round two as they scored more against Zaire.

Group 2 – SCOTLAND 1 YUGOSLAVIA 1 – Frankfurt

Scotland went into their final game knowing a win would take them into the second round, and needed Brazil not to win by 3 goals or more if they drew.

In a cagey game Yugoslavia knew a draw would be enough and gave Scotland few chances. Karasi scored after 81mins for Yugoslavia and virtually ended Scotland’s World Cup dreams.

Joe Jordan scored after 88 mins to give Scotland brief hope , but the game ended 1-1 and Scotland ended the tournament undefeated but eliminated.

Sunday 23rd June

Group 3 – HOLLAND 4 BULGARIA 1 – Dortmund

The Dutch produced an excellent performance although it took two first half penalties by Johan Neeskens to put them in front, before Johhny Rep put the result beyond doubt in the second half.

Group 3 – SWEDEN 3 URUGUAY 0 – Dusseldorf

Sweden progressed to Round Two with star man Ralf Edstrom scoring twice as they maintained their great defence with their third clean sheet.

Group 4 – ARGENTINA 4 HAITI 1 – Munich

Argentina comfortably qualified for Round Two

Group 4 – POLAND 2 ITALY 1 – Stuttgart

A major shock as Italy were knocked out despite a late Fabio Capello goal by Poland.

TABLES

GROUP 1

1 East Germany 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 5
2 West Germany 3 2 0 1 4 1 +3 4
3 Chile 3 0 2 1 1 2 -1 2
4 Australia 3 0 1 2 0 5 -5 1

GROUP 2

1 Yugoslavia 3 1 2 0 10 1 +9 4
2 Brazil 3 1 2 0 3 0 +3 4
3 Scotland 3 1 2 0 3 1 +2 4
4 Zaire 3 0 0 3 0 14 -14 0

GROUP 3

1 Netherlands 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 5
2 Sweden 3 1 2 0 3 0 +3 4
3 Bulgaria 3 0 2 1 2 5 -3 2
4 Uruguay 3 0 1 2 1 6 -5 1

GROUP 4

1 Poland 3 3 0 0 12 3 +9 6
2 Argentina 3 1 1 1 7 5 +2 3
3 Italy 3 1 1 1 5 4 +1 3
4 Haiti 3 0 0 3 2 14 -12 0

WORLD CUP – WEST GERMANY 74 First Round

The World Cup in West Germany was played just two years after the terrible terrorist attack when 11 Israeli athletes were killed during the Olympic Games in Munich 1972.

The Jules Rimet trophy had been awarded to Brazil after their third success in Mexico 1970 so a new trophy was designed and used for the first time in 1974.

Australia , East Germany , Haiti and Zaire competed for the first time and were joined by Scotland for the first time in 20 years as the only UK team to qualify.

Sweden beat Austria 2-1 in a playoff to win Qualifying in Group on 27th November 1973.

The draw for the finals was made on 5th January 1974 in Frankfurt with Yugoslavia or Spain draw in Group 2 with Brazil , Scotland and Zaire.

Yugoslavia qualified on 13th February 1974 with a 1-0 playoff win over Spain in Frankfurt after the teams finished level on points and goal difference in Qualifying Group 7.

PART ONE – 13TH JUNE TO 23RD JUNE 1974

Thursday 13th June

Group 2 – BRAZIL 0 YUGOSLAVIA 0 – Frankfurt

The opening game saw a cautious approach by both teams as the holders Brazil much weakened by the retirement of Pele struggled to breakdown the high skilled Europeans, on a wet evening in Frankfurt.

Friday 14th June

Group 1 – WEST GERMANY 1 CHILE 0 – West Berlin

The German full back Paul Breitner scored the first goal of the 1974 World Cup with a superb long range strike into the top corner after 18mins.

The Germans struggled to add to their lead against the Chilean defence.

Group 1 – EAST GERMANY 2 AUSTRALIA 0 – Hamburg

Two nations competing for the first time which saw the hosts neighbours in the end comfortably beat the Aussies 2-0 after a dour first half

Group 2 – SCOTLAND 2 ZAIRE 0 – Dortmund

Scotland with veteran Denis Law making his only appearance at a World Cup would struggle to break down the Africans after taking an early two goal lead through Peter Lorimer and Joe Jordan.

Saturday 15th June

Group 3 – HOLLAND 2 URUGUAY 0 – Hanover

Two goals by Johnny Rep gave the Dutch a winning start to their campaign

Group 3 – SWEDEN 0 BULGARIA 0 – Dusseldorf

In an entertaining match Sweden and Bulgaria drew 0-0

Group 4 – ITALY 3 HAITI 1 – Munich

The minnows of Haiti looked to be causing a shock when they took a 1-0 lead early in the second half but Italy came back with three goals as they outclassed their Central American opposition.

Group 4 – POLAND 3 ARGENTINA 2 – Stuttgart

Tuesday 18th June

Group 1 – WEST GERMANY 3 AUSTRALIA 0 – Hamburg

Group 1 – EAST GERMANY 1 CHILE 1 – West Berlin

Group 2 – YUGOSLAVIA 9 ZAIRE 0 – Dortmund

Group 2 – BRAZIL 0 SCOTLAND 0 – Frankfurt

This left Scotland needing to beat Yugoslavia in the final game if Brazil beat Zaire by more than the 2 goals Scotland had beaten the Africans.

Wednesday 19th June

Group 3 – BULGARIA 1 URUGUAY 1 – Hanover

Bulgaria seemed to put themselves in with a great chance of qualifying for Round 2 when they took a 75th min lead through Bonev, however Uruguay stayed in contention when Pavoni equalised in 87 mins.

Group 3 – HOLLAND 0 SWEDEN 0 – Dortmund

Sweden manged to stop the Dutch scoring and kept their chances of qualification alive, although the match provided the first Cruyff turn.

Group 4 – ARGENTINA 1 ITALY 1 – Stuttgart

Argentina took the lead after 20 mins through Rene Houseman before an own goal brought the sides level before half time as both teams kept their hopes of qualification alive.

Group 4 – POLAND 7 HAITI 0 – Munich

Poland stormed into Round 2 with a blitz of new boys Haiti with Szarmach scoring a hat trick and Lato scoring his second brace of the tournament

Saturday 22nd June

Group 1 – AUSTRALIA 0 CHILE 0 – West Berlin

Chile’s draw with Australia put both nations out of the 1974 World Cup.

Group 1 – EAST GERMANY 1 WEST GERMANY 0 – Hamburg

The only senior professional game between the two German nations with the surprise scoreline of the lesser fancied East Germany winning with a 77th min goal from Sparwasser.

Group 2 – BRAZIL 3 ZAIRE 0 – Gelsenkirchen

Brazil’s 3-0 win put them into round two as they scored more against Zaire.

Group 2 – SCOTLAND 1 YUGOSLAVIA 1 – Frankfurt

Scotland went into their final game knowing a win would take them into the second round, and needed Brazil not to win by 3 goals or more if they drew.

In a cagey game Yugoslavia knew a draw would be enough and gave Scotland few chances. Karasi scored after 81mins for Yugoslavia and virtually ended Scotland’s World Cup dreams.

Joe Jordan scored after 88 mins to give Scotland brief hope , but the game ended 1-1 and Scotland ended the tournament undefeated but eliminated.

Sunday 23rd June

Group 3 – HOLLAND 4 BULGARIA 1 – Dortmund

The Dutch produced an excellent performance although it took two first half penalties by Johan Neeskens to put them in front, before Johhny Rep put the result beyond doubt in the second half.

Group 3 – SWEDEN 3 URUGUAY 0 – Dusseldorf

Sweden progressed to Round Two with star man Ralf Edstrom scoring twice as they maintained their great defence with their third clean sheet.

Group 4 – ARGENTINA 4 HAITI 1 – Munich

Argentina comfortably qualified for Round Two

Group 4 – POLAND 2 ITALY 1 – Stuttgart

A major shock as Italy were knocked out despite a late Fabio Capello goal by Poland.

TABLES

GROUP 1

1 East Germany 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 5
2 West Germany 3 2 0 1 4 1 +3 4
3 Chile 3 0 2 1 1 2 -1 2
4 Australia 3 0 1 2 0 5 -5 1

GROUP 2

1 Yugoslavia 3 1 2 0 10 1 +9 4
2 Brazil 3 1 2 0 3 0 +3 4
3 Scotland 3 1 2 0 3 1 +2 4
4 Zaire 3 0 0 3 0 14 -14 0

GROUP 3

1 Netherlands 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 5
2 Sweden 3 1 2 0 3 0 +3 4
3 Bulgaria 3 0 2 1 2 5 -3 2
4 Uruguay 3 0 1 2 1 6 -5 1

GROUP 4

1 Poland 3 3 0 0 12 3 +9 6
2 Argentina 3 1 1 1 7 5 +2 3
3 Italy 3 1 1 1 5 4 +1 3
4 Haiti 3 0 0 3 2 14 -12 0

Spring Cup 1976

Following League Reconstruction in the summer of 1975 , the Premier Division of 10 clubs played each other four times giving 36 league games , however the First and Second Divisions of 14 clubs only played each other twice , a total of 26 games. The clubs from these two Divisions then played an end of season competition – The Spring Cup to fill the fixture gap.

This competition proved unpopular and was only played in this one season before clubs agreed to play three times and a 39 game league seaosn.

This is a look back at this one off Cup competition.

The 28 teams were divided into 7 groups of four teams each playing 6 games before the top 2 in each group with the 2 best third place teams moving to two legged knock outs last 16 and Quarter Finals before one off semi finals and final at neutral venues.

Dumbarton , Queen of the South and Montrose had to move games due to their continued involvement in the Scottish Cup.

ROUND ONE

Group 1 saw Airdrie open with 2-1 home win over Brechin and despite losing their first away game 3-0 at East Fife won the group with 4 wins and a draw, ending with a 6-2 home win over Stranraer.

Stranraer beat East Fife 1-0 in their opening game at home but it was their only win and East Fife qualified in second place wining all three home games and a final day 1-1 draw at Brechin

Group 2 Falkirk opened with a 3-1 defeat at Second Division Alloa, but three home wins and a draw at Berwick saw them win the group.

Alloa and Kilmarnock drew home and away with each but it was Alloa who surprisingly qualified as runners up , as Kilmarnock lost twice to Falkirk. Alloa and Faklirk both taking three points from their two games with Berwick.

Group 3 St Mirren and Partick both opened with 2 wins from 2 games against Forfar and Meadowbank to virtually ensure their progression to the last 16.

Partick went ahaed with a 2-1 win at Love Street , but lost in a major shock 2-1 at Meadowbank as St Mirren came back to join them on 6pts with a 1-0 win at Forfar.

Partick beat Forfar 4-2 at home and St Mirren beat Meadowbank 4-0 to set up a group decider at Firhill on the final day.

St Mirren won 3-1 as the League Champions ended in second place behind St Mirren but still made it to the last 16.

Group 4 Dumbarton opened with 2 wins , a 4-1 home win over Albion Rovers and 2-0 at Arbroath.

Arbroath had 2-0 at Stenhousemuir. It was however Albion Rovers who blew the group wide open after their opening defeat beat Stenhousemuir and Arbroath 1-0 at home before a 3-2 win at Stenhousemuir out them top on 6pts after 4 games. Dumbarton had lost 2-1 at Stenhousemuir before another shock when they lost 2-1 at home to Arbroath, who joined them on 4pts from 4 games.

Dumbarton moved to the top of the table with Albion Rovers on 6pts after beating them 2-1 at Cliftonhill.

Arbroath surprisingly lost 1-0 at home to Stenhousemuir as both teams were now on 4pts with one game remaining.

Dumbarton took top spot beating Stenhousemuir 3-1 at home and Arbroath’s 3-2 win over Albion Rovers secured their second place on goal difference.

Albion Rovers subsequently qualified as one of the two best third place teams.

Group 5 was the craziest group of all with Hamilton Accies losing 3-0 at Cowdenbeath as Queens Park drew 1-1 with Dunfermline.

Dunfermline got their first win 1-0 at home to Cowdenbeath as Accies and Queens drew 1-1 at Douglas Park.

Queens Park beat Cowdenbeath as Accies moved back in the hunt for qualification with a 2-1 win at Dunfermline.

Queens Park and Accies drew 1-1 however an incredible 4-0 win by Cowdenbeath over Dunfermline left all four clubs within 2pts with 2 games remaining.

Dunfermline moved level on 5pts with Queens Park after beating them 2-1 but it was Hamilton Accies who went top after 5 games beating Cowdenbeath 1-0 at home.

Queens Park won 3-1 at Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline won 2-1 at Hamilton as Queens and the Pars leapfrogged Accies into the top two positions and into the last 16. Accies were fortunate to find themselves as one of the two best third place teams when the dust settled on the final afternoon.

Group 6 saw Raith Rovers began with wins over Queen of the South 4-2 at home and 2-1 at Clydebank before a 2-2 draw at Clyde.

Clydebank beat Clyde 3-1 away and despite the defeat to Raith then won their next three games 4-0 at home to Queen of the South before 3-1 in the return at Palmerston and 3-0 home win over Clyde secured their place in the last 16.

Raith topped the group in the end beating Clyde 2-1 at home before losing 2-0 at Dumfries against Queen of the South.

Raith beat 2-1 Clydebank at Kirkcaldy to complete the double over the Bankies and win the group on the final day.

Group 7

Morton opened with a 2-1 win at East Stirling with Montrose playing in the Scottish Cup.

Montrose then won 4-2 at Morton before beating East Stirling 3-0.

Morton would progress to round two with away wins 1-0 at Stirling and 4-1 at Montrose.

Montrose would join them with back to back 3-2 wins over Stirling Albion.

LAST 16

Arbroath 2 Falkirk 1, Falkirk 2 Arbroath 0

Agg Arbroath 2 Falkirk 3

Clydebank 4 Albion Rovers 0 , Albion Rovers 2 Clydebank 0

Agg Clydebank 4 Albion Rovers 3

Dunfermline 4 Airdrie 2, Airdrie 3 Dunfermline 0

Agg Dunfermline 4 Airdrie 5

Montrose 3 Hamilton 1 , Hamilton 6 Montrose 3

Agg Montrose 6, Hamilton 7

Morton 1 Queens Park 1 , Queens Park 2 Morton 3

Agg Morton 4 Queens Park 3

Partick 1 East Fife 0, East Fife 2 Partick 0

Agg Partick 1 East Fife 2

St Mirren 3 Alloa 0 , Alloa 1 St Mirren 3

Agg St Mirren 7 Alloa 1

Raith 2 Dunbarton 2 , Dumbarton 4 Raith 0

Agg Raith 2 Dumbarton 6

QUARTER FINALS

Clydebank 1 East Fife 0, East Fife 1 Clydebank 1

Agg East Fife 1 Clydebank 1 – Clydebank won 4-2 on pens

Dumbarton 4 Falkirk 2, Falkirk 1 Dumbarton 2

Agg Dumbarton 6 Falkirk 3

Hamilton 0 Airdrie 4, Airdrie 5 Hamilton 0

Agg Hamilton 0 Airdrie 9

Morton 1 St Mirren 0 , St Mirren 0 Morton 1

Agg Morton 2 St Mirren 0

SEMI FINALS

Airdrie 3 Morton 1 – Love Street , Paisley

Clydebank 3 Dumbarton 1 – Firhill Glasgow

FINAL

AIRDRIE 4 CLYDEBANK 2 After Extra Time – Firhill, Glasgow

Mick Larnach put the Bankies 1-0 up after 2mins but Airdrie took the game to extra time when Willie McCullough equalised after 74 mins.

Mick Larnach gave Clydebank the advantage with a goal 10mins into extra time but midway through extra time Airdrie scored twice in a minute to turn the tide in their favour with John McVeigh and Willie McCullough netting. Airdrie sealed the victory with a late Tommy Walker goal.

Hamilton Accies 1985-86 Part 2

Accies won the First Division Championship in 1985-86 , this is a look back at an amazing season

PART TWO – JANUARY TO MAY 1986

January 1986

The bad weather at the start of 1986 saw Accies first two matches at Airdrie and Brechin postponed before a return to action on 11th January at home to Falkirk. A tough afternoon saw second half goals from Tommy O’Neill and a first in Accies colours by Adrian Sprott.

Accies run of 6 consecutive wins was brought to a halt at Somerset Park where again Adrian Sprott scored in a 1-1 draw , the fifth consecutive match between the teams in Ayr with the same 1-1 result.

Accies Scottish Cup tie with Forfar Athletic at Douglas Park was postponed as the weather continued to bite.

February 1986

Accies played Clyde on 1st February at Douglas Park and really clicked into gear scoring two tremendous volleys by John McNaught and John Brogan in a 3-0 win.

Two days later Forfar Athletic visited Douglas Park in the Scottish Cup tie previously postponed with two John Brogan goals securing a 2-1 win.

The freezing conditions meant Accies didn’t play another game in February. Home games against Alloa and then the Fourth Round Scottish Cup tie at home to Premier Division leaders Hearts were postponed. The cup tie was postponed on multiple occasions as well as league games at East Fife and Forfar.

March 1986

A capacity crowd packed Douglas Park on the evening of Monday 3rd March 1986 and witnessed the most extraordinary start , as John McNaught galloped down the right wing and crossed for John Brogan to put Accies 1-0 ahead after 21 seconds.

The lead was sadly short lived as Hearts John Robertson soon equalised.

Hearts goalkeeper Henry Smith produced numerous saves to keep Accies at bay and won the match of the match on the night , but it was Hearts Gary Mackay who scored the only goal of the second half to win the game 2-1 for the Edinburgh side.

Henry Smith superb save to deny John Brogan

Accies retuned to Douglas Park the following Saturday on a blustery day against Kilmarnock. Three Accies first half goals threatened to sweep the Ayrshire side away, but the change of ends with the wind advantage saw a Kilmarnock comeback , however Accies held out to win 3-2. Accies were four points ahead at the top of the league with two games in hand.

This was followed by two games in seven days against Brechin City , the re-arranged midweek visit to Angus where Accies won 3-1 was followed by the teams meeting at Douglas Park. Joe Reid scored after 35 seconds and despite John Pelosi missing a penalty shortly afterwards , the goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win.

A tough week with three away fixtures began with a 1-0 win at Ayr and then a trip on the Monday evening to Airdrie saw Accies race into a 3-0 lead before a late Joe Reid goal won the game 4-0.

Firhill was the next stop for the Accies bandwagon. A John McNaught first half goal gave Accies a platform to build a 2-0 victory where captain Graeme Mitchell netted in the second half.

Accies despite the cup defeat to Hearts followed this up with six consecutive wins in March which opened a substantial gap at the top of the league with Dumbarton who had played two games more were 8 points behind with 7 games left.

Accies ended March having won 13 leagues games from 14 since the end of November victory at Cappielow.

Accies announced the arrival of Brazilian trialist Jorge Fernandez but his time in Lanarkshire was short lived with TV pictures showing him missing the whole goal as they tried to stage him scoring for the cameras.

April – May 1986

On 2nd April 1986 Accies drew 1-1 at home to Alloa , a game in which goalkeeper Rikki Ferguson made his 500th appearance for the club , a true Accies legend.

Accies were on the verge of promotion and Champions elect however the second promotion spot was wide open going into the final month of the season. although Dumbarton looked favourites.

Hamilton 31 +38 48
Dumbarton 32 +14 39
Falkirk 33 +13 36
Kilmarnock 33 +8 36
Forfar 31 +5 34
East Fife 32 +1 33

A John Brogan goal at home to Montrose coupled with their penalty miss meant Accies won 1-0 and secure promotion to the Premier League.

The following midweek there were some shock results with Dumbarton losing at home to Forfar 2-0 in an early kick off , which put Accies on the verge of the title.

Accies with promotion secured played a Falkirk team with the motivation of chasing promotion and the Bairns ran out surprise 3-0 winners.

Hamilton 33 +36 50
Dumbarton 34 +12 40
Falkirk 35 +17 40
Kilmarnock 35 +12 40
Forfar 33 +6 36
East Fife 34 -1 34

The Hamilton fans travelled in numbers to Shawfield as Accies faced Clyde in the hope of the securing the league title. It was something of an anti-climax with Clyde winning 4-2. Alex Hamill’s late red card was Accies only sending off of the season. Robin Rae was given his debut in goal, as was young Gerry McGuigan.

However news filtered through from Broomfield that a late goal by former Accies player Jamie Fairlie had given Airdrie a 2-1 win over Dumbarton which meant Accies were Champions.

Shawfield saw the Accies fans invade the pitch in celebration.

A day of shocks also saw Falkirk lose 3-2 at home to Morton while Forfar beat Kilmarnock 1-0 at Station Park.

Hamilton 34 +34 50
Falkirk 36 +16 40
Dumbarton 35 +12 40
Kilmarnock 36 +11 40
Forfar 34 +7 38
East Fife 35 0 36

Accies travelled to Methil for a midweek 6.30pm kick off and Robin Rae again played and conceded another four goals in a 4-0 defeat.

Dumbarton once again seized second place winning 3-1 at Alloa

Hamilton 35 +30 50
Dumbarton 36 +14 42
Falkirk 36 +16 40
Kilmarnock 36 +11 40
Forfar 35 +7 39
East Fife 36 +4 38

With captain Graham Mitchell in hospital , vice captain Willie Jamieson was presented with the First Division Championship trophy, the players took the trophy on a lap of honour prior to the 2-1 win over Morton at Douglas Park.

Kilmarnock’s 3-0 home win over Dumbarton put them firmly in the promotion hunt as Falkirk beat Brechin 2-1 at Brockville

Hamilton 36 +31 52
Falkirk 37 +17 42
Dumbarton 37 +11 42
Kilmarnock 37 +14 42
Forfar 36 +8 41
East Fife 37 +6 40

Accies ended the season with three away games , a midweek 2-0 defeat at Forfar, moved the Angus side into second place with two games remaining.

Hamilton 37 +29 52
Forfar 37 +10 43
Falkirk 37 +17 42
Dumbarton 37 +11 42
Kilmarnock 37 +14 42
East Fife 37 +6 40

Accies then followed up with a 4-1 win at Dumbarton where Gerry Phillips was given a rare start and scored twice as John McNaught played his final game for Accies before his £92,000 transfer to Chelsea. This was a game Dumbarton had to win , and Accies ended their promotion hopes.

Forfar lost 2-0 at Morton and Kilmarnock lost 2-0 at Partick , so it was Falkirk with a 2-1 win at Ayr who moved into pole position for the second automatic promotion place going into the final day.

A Falkirk defeat at home to East Fife on the final day could open the door to Forfar or even Dumbarton , Kilmarnock or East Fife.

Hamilton 38 +32 54
Falkirk 38 +18 44
Forfar 38 +13 43
Dumbarton 38 +8 42
Kilmarnock 38 +12 42
East Fife 38 +7 42

The final day of the season saw John McNaught join the fans on the terracing at Broomfield as Accies beat Airdrie 2-1.

Falkirk secured promotion behind Accies with as 2-2 draw against East Fife at Brockville . while Forfar also drew 2-2 . at Alloa

FINAL TABLE 1986/86

Team                Pld  W    D   L   GF  GA  GD  Pts

1 Hamilton Academical 39 24 8 7 77 44 +33 56
2 Falkirk 39 17 11 11 57 39 +18 45
3 Kilmarnock 39 18 8 13 62 49 +13 44
4 Forfar Athletic 39 17 10 12 51 43 +8 44
5 East Fife 39 14 15 10 54 46 +8 43
6 Dumbarton 39 16 11 12 59 52 +7 43
7 Morton 39 14 11 14 57 63 −6 39
8 Partick Thistle 39 10 16 13 53 64 −11 36
9 Airdrieonians 39 12 11 16 51 50 +1 35
10 Brechin City 39 13 9 17 58 64 −6 35
11 Clyde 39 9 17 13 49 59 −10 35
12 Montrose 39 10 14 15 43 54 −11 34
13 Ayr United 39 10 11 18 41 60 −19 31
14 Alloa Athletic 39 6 14 19 49 74 −25 26

Accies were First Division Champions and top scorer John Brogan won the First Division Player of Year

**HAMILTON ACCIES – LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 1985/86**

Hamilton Accies 1985-86 Part 1

PART ONE – AUGUST TO DECEMBER 1985

Accies won the First Division Championship in 1985-86 , this is a look back at an amazing season.

(For context the league was made up of 14 teams playing each other 3 times meaning a total of 39 games and two points for a win)

August 1985

Accies began the 1985/86 season hosting the Lanarkshire Cup , playing Airdrie in the semi final. An early Airdrie goal was soon cancelled out and with new signings Jimmy Sinclair and striker Willie Jamieson making their debuts. Accies ran out 6-1 winners with Willie Jamieson netting a hat trick.

Accies fans were excited for the season ahead as they won the Lanarkshire Cup for the first time since 1934 as they beat Motherwell 1-0 in the final courtesy of a Gerry Phillips goal.

The league season began with a tough away trip to Falkirk which ended 0-0, although both teams played some quality football which suggested they would both be involved at the top end of the table.

Brechin City then visited Douglas Park and again the result was 0-0 despite Accies having 27 shots at goal.

A routine 2-0 win the League Cup second round over East Fife was followed by a 1-0 away defeat to Kilmarnock.

Incredibly Accies started what would become a high scoring season , with no league goals scored after 3 games.

Accies hosted Premier Division Dundee in the League Cup 3rd round with Albert Kidd’s early goal being wiped out before half time when Accies were awarded a penalty with John Pelosi netting. Into Extra Time and Accies created the cup shock to win 2-1 with John Brogan scoring the winner in front of 2237 fans. The real hero was goalkeeper Rikki Ferguson who saved a penalty late in extra time.

Accies scored their first league goals of the season the following Saturday as they beat Lanarkshire rivals Airdrie 3-1 again at Douglas Park. Brian Wright scored his final goal in Accies colours before his transfer to Motherwell.

September 1985

Accies opened September with a League Quarter Final which had to be played at Fir Park for safety reasons against Rangers. An early John Brogan goal was a shock and Accies almost doubled their lead with Tommy O’Neill’s shot hitting the underside of the bar , bouncing on the line before being cleared.

Rangers however won 2-1 with Bobby Williamson scoring twice close to half time.

Accies returned to league action with a hard fought 2-2 at Dumbarton in a match which was played in monsoon conditions with Rikki Ferguson again saving a penalty from Albert Craig. Accies then beat East Fife 2-1 at home.

Firhill was the next destination and with John McGachie scoring to level the game 1-1 before John Brogan netted a late winner as Accies won 2-1.

Accies in September with a swashbuckling display where they led Morton 4-0 at half time before John Brogan completed his hat trick in the second half as Accies ran out 5-0 winners.

Accies fans were becoming excited about a promotion push now the goals were being scod on a regular basis with John Brogan beginning to justify his signing the previous year.

October 1985

Accies began October moving into second place in the table behind early pace setters Dumbarton when they won 2-1 at Montrose with Brogan and John McNaught (below) scoring. McNaught was a fans favourite and nicknamed “Worzel” after TV character Worzel Gummidge due to his unkept hairstyle. He had begun his Accies career as a full back but manager John Lambie moved him into midfield and he benefited greatly from this move.

Accies then hit a bump in the road with a 2-1 home defeat to Alloa.

A tough trip to high flying Forfar Athletic ended in a 2-2 draw, with Brogan and McNaught again scoring.

Manager John Lambie was always looking to improve his squad and signed Ayr Utd’s Gerry Collins who immediately made his debut against his former club. John Brogan’s early goal was added to by captain Graeme Mitchell as Accies won 2-0.

John Lambie was on look out for a strike partner for John Brogan with Willie Jamieson now playing as a centre half.

November 1985

John McGachie was disappointing in the role at Shawfiled where Accies lost 1-0 to Clyde, this was his last game for Accies. McGachie soon departed for Meadowbank in a swap deal which saw Adrian Sprott arrive at Douglas Park.

Adrian Sprott would go on to score the most famous goal in Accies history when his goal secured a shock 1-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox in the 1987 Scottish Cup Third Round. Sadly Adrian passed away 2023 at age 61.

A new partnership was tried as league leaders Dumbarton visited Douglas Park , with young Willie Waters given his chance , which he grabbed with both hands, scoring a hat trick on his debut as Accies ran out 6-1 winners, with Rikki Ferguson again saving an Albert Craig penalty.

Willie Waters hat trick on his debut v Dumbarton

Accies again struggled to score and it took an own goal on the brink of half time to secure a 1-1 away to East Fife.

John Lambie then on the advice of John Brogan went back to Brogan’s former club St Johnstone and signed their top scorer Joe Reid.

Partick Thistle then visited Douglas Park and raced into a 2-0 half time lead , before John Pelosi brought Accies back into the game midway through the second half when he netted a penalty. Joe Reid came off the bench and made an immediate impact snatching a point with a last minute goal as the teams finished level at 2-2.

Accies ended November with a trip to Cappielow to face Morton, on what many described as a dangerous ice covered pitch. A Gerry Collins goal , his first for the club gave Accies a precious 1-0 win.

December 1985

Kilmarnock started December top of the league , a point ahead of Accies , but following a 1-0 won at Falkirk they hit a remarkable slump losing three consecutive games 4-1.

Accies opened December with a 4-2 win at home to Montrose with new strike force John Brogan and Joe Reid both netting twice.

Kilmarnock stayed top winning 1-0 at Falkirk, but the following week they would suffer a shock 4-1 defeat at Montrose opening the possibility for Accies to snatch top spot.

Accies game at Alloa was one of the most amazing in Accies history with Alloa racing into a 2-0 lead before Tommy O’Neill and Joe Reid brought Accies level. Alloa would go in at halftime 3-2 ahead. A superb second half display by Accies saw them equalise before two goals by substitute John McNaught seemed to have sealed victory. Frankie Cole completed his hat trick for the home side but Accies held on to win 5-4 and go top of the league.

Accies then faced two home games against third placed Forfar and second placed Kilmarnock at Douglas Park before 1985 would end.

John Brogan scored the only goal of the game as Accies defeated a tenacious Forfar Athletic 1-0 at Douglas Park.

This set up a massive game at Douglas Park as Kilmarnock again stumbled 4-1 at home to Dumbarton.

Accies led Kilmarnock by 1 point as the clubs met on a sunny winters day in their match of 1985, on the Saturday between Christmas and New Year 1985.

It was a game with 3,271 in attendance for Accies fans to savour as John Brogan’s early goal was added to by Tommy O’Neill’s wonderful free kick as they went 2-0 ahead inside the first half hour. Accies would go on to inflict Kilmarnock’s third consecutive 4-1 defeat and ensure Accies topped the table as 1985 ended.