June 26 – In the last minute of extra time!

OH the eternal and inevitable disappointment of being a football fan. Does it never end? Well, not really, or if it does, only very occasionally. Football is designed in such a way that almost all fans of almost every club end every season in disappointment – that’s what happens when you have 92 league clubs and only three domestic trophies anybody’s heard of, it means at least 89 clubs will end the season having won nothing. How typical of football.

For your international side the prospects are even worse, with only one chance every two years of winning anything. And even then the chances are tiny. No wonder we football fans are a melancholy lot.

And yet. We still love it. We still come back for more, time and again, knowing that the chances of failure far outweigh the chances of success. Why? Because just occasionally, very occasionally, something goes right, and precisely because of all the years of struggle and underachievement it feels amazing.

As a football fan you are supposed to suffer years and years of struggle and disappointment – it’s the only thing that makes winning every once in a while so good. That’s why you should never trust a Manchester United or Brazil fan. They don’t know what it’s like for the rest of us.

Today it is our pleasure here at OTFD to remind you of one of those days when it went right, for England fans at least. If you are Belgium you might want to look away now.

Today in 1990 England faced Belgium in Bologna, a place in the World Cup quarter-finals at stake. In the first half the Belgians seemed to have the edge as England looked a little off colour but as the break was looming the Three Lions got into gear and both Gary Lineker and John Barnes had goals disallowed, both marginal (wrong) calls.

The game hotted up in the second half as both sides pressed for a goal but it was Belgium who seemed to carry the greater threat as 90 minutes approached.

With no goals the game went to extra time and as so often happens, the pace slowed right down as the players on both sides tired and began to feel niggles and knocks all the more.

With the clock at 118 minutes and a penalty shoot-out just two minutes away, Paul Gascoigne went on one last run from midfield. Eric Gerets tracked him before bringing him down with the sort of tired challenge you see after such a long game.

Gazza chipped the ball into the area but it looked fairly harmless as it fell over David Platt’s shoulder but he somehow managed to turn with the ball to send a magnificent right footed volley back across goal and inside the far post.

Pandemonium. England had done it, as the commentator said, “in the last minute of extra time!” The players went mental, the fans went crazy, and even Bobby Robson did a little dance on the touchline.

It was sport at it’s dramatic best, especially if you were an England fan and more used to being on the wrong end of such results.

Of course, being England, there would be heartbreak before the tournament was out, but for a time, it was a glorious night to be an England fan, and those are all too rare.

Usually, being an England fan is more about this. More tomorrow folks, so until then, be cool and stay in school.