May 27 – Owen off the mark | On This Football Day

May 27 – Owen off the mark

WE are constantly being told the massive influx of foreign players to English football is having a negative effect on the national side, as the overseas players are restricting the opportunities for young homegrown players.

Without wishing to jump on any bandwagons, here at OTFD we are inclined to think there may just be something in that. Quite apart from the fact that England have not qualified for Euro 2008 we now find ourselves in a position where Peter Crouch is an England regular. We’ve got nothing against the lad and he certainly knows how to score, but England? Really?! Not so long ago he was kicking his heels in the Villa reserves while David O’Leary plotted to get rid of him.

Crouchie finds himself in the national setup because there really aren’t that many English strikers at the top of their game anymore. Centre-forward is not a position England have traditionally had trouble filling – indeed on the day of their greatest triumph at Wembley in 1966 Sir Alf made the very braze decision to leave Jimmy Greaves out of the team.

It was on this day in 1998 that one of England’s finest servants still to be playing forced his way into the reckoning for the England squad for the World Cup in France that year.

Michael Owen, then just 18, had already made his England debut in February 1998, and he was named as a sub for a friendly match against Morocco, part of Glenn Hoddle’s pre-World Cup preparations. The match got off to a bizarre start when a technical glitch meant there was no music for the national anthem. Not to be defeated, Captain Paul Ince stepped up to the plate and led his players in a rousing rendition of God Save the Queen without musical accompaniment. Good job Barnes wasn’t there or he might have tried rapping in the background.

Playing up front for England were Ian Wright and Dion Dublin but the former had to come off with a knee injury halfway through the first half. History beckoned for young Michael Owen who came on in his place and, in the 59th minute became the youngest player to score for England when he met a McManaman ball and scored past the Moroccan ‘keeper.

The goal cemented Owen’s place in the World Cup squad and we all know what would follow in the tournament itself. We could show you a clip of Owen’s first England goal, but we know that a look at his most famous is probably want you really want so have a look below at his strike against Argentina described by one of our favourite commentators, Barry Davies.