| A winger with terrific acceleration and a very cultured left foot, Gordon Hill was a genuinely bright prospect in the English game when he became a staple part of Tommy Docherty's grand plan for Manchester United (he is pictured above in action for United) in the mid 1970s. Pele publicly spoke of his admiration for him, and he wasn't lost on Don Revie either. The England coach selected Hill when he was just beyond his 22nd birthday as England came from 2-0 behind to win 3-2 against Italy in New York as part of the American bi-centennial celebrations, when other nations were busy preparing themselves for the European Championships. Hill hugged his touchline with aplomb and guts, and did so again in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland when he came on as a sub on the hour for the raging and never-to-return Charlie George, who, as he left the pitch, told Revie in rather colourful language exactly what he thought of playing him in a wide role. Competitive international football came Hill's way when he subbed for Dennis Tueart in England's 2-1 win in Finland in the opening qualifier for the 1978 World Cup, but Revie then began to experiment with a more narrow outlook and Gordon only appeared once more during his regime as England destroyed Luxembourg 5-0 in another qualifier. Ron Greenwood's arrival in the job in the autumn of 1977 heralded a return to natural width and Hill picked up two more caps, but then the emergence of Peter Barnes and Laurie Cunningham - both of whom had a much more instant impact on the team - did for Gordon's future aspirations, although the indignity of being substituted in two successive FA Cup finals and his move to a downward-spiralling Derby County also didn't help. One that got away. (Matthew Rudd) |