Gordon McQueen’s special place in Scottish hearts has been secure ever since the day he sailed through the Wembley sky and scored one of the most famous goals in the history of international football’s oldest rivalry.
It was pure majesty. An enormous leap and a powerful header, arrowed down from upon high into the bottom corner. England’s goalkeeper Ray Clemence had no chance. ‘I don’t know why he bothered diving,’ McQueen would joke about that day in 1977. ‘He never even got it on the way back out.’
They had worked it out in training. Asa Hartford clipped a free-kick into the penalty area and McQueen came in on the run.