As Luther Blissett grabbed headlines with England's first goal from a black player,
Stoke City's exciting winger Mark Chamberlain earned his own glory by scoring
the second in the same game. Luxembourg's 9-0 mauling in October 1982 marked
the conclusion of a phenomenal rise from the ashes for Chamberlain, who had only
joined Stoke City from Fourth Division rivals Port Vale the previous summer and had
been given his chance by Bobby Robson on the basis of four months of top-flight
football. The Luxembourg game - a qualifier for the 1984 European Championships -
was Chamberlain's debut, on as a sub for Steve Coppell, and despite his goal and
an impressive cameo, the opposition's weaknesses were taken into account and
Robson narrowed his midfield for the Home International games which followed.
When England found themselves a goal down against Denmark in a winner-takes-all
qualifier, the Danes easily subdued England's cautious engine room and Robson threw
Chamberlain on in an attempt at a second half salvage job, but England still lost 1-0.
Chamberlain was dropped for the meaningless remainder games but with Coppell
retiring prematurely through a knee injury, an opening seemed to be created in the
summer of 1984 for Mark. He started a Home International tie against Scotland
(see photo above) and then went on the highly eventful South American tour
which brought fame and immortality for his fellow winger John Barnes, who took
on the whole Brazilian defence to score a brilliant but millstone goal while Chamberlain
watched in awe from the other flank.
Mark started the two other games of the tour before stoutly and defiantly walking
with Barnes through infamous racist chanting from far-right campaigners as England's
party came through the arrivals lounge back home. Injury worries, Chamberlain's
unglamorous club career and the emergence of both Chris Waddle and Trevor Steven,
brought a brief but intriguing England career to a conclusion after an eighth and final
cap was earned in a cakewalk 5-0 win over Finland in the opening qualifier for the
1986 World Cup. (Matthew Rudd) |