Sporting Bygones: Bloodied but unbowed, the night Butcher put his life on the line to send England to Italia 90

IT DOES not need much of an excuse to dig out this iconic image once more.

In fact, as soon as it materialised that Terry Butcher might possibly be in line for the vacant Barnsley job a week ago, there was a ready-made reason to get it in the newspaper.

Regardless of whether he got the Oakwell appointment or not – as it happens he turned down the South Yorkshire club’s advances to stay at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, but is still being linked with Doncaster – a picture illustrating blood-soaked Butcher’s heroic deeds of 1989 was lined up, a beautiful reminder of how graphic football could sometimes be.

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For the uninitiated – and there can be few when it comes to this memorable, if painful-looking, episode – the robust Rangers centre half was busy striving to secure England a crucial point in Sweden to earn them a place in the Italia 90 World Cup.

Bobby Robson’s captain suffered a nasty head wound early on after an accidental clash with Johnny Ekstrom.

It necessitated some swift patch-up work from the England medical team, a few stitches and a hurriedly-applied bandage before he resumed play.

Now, as an international centre-half, the last place you ever wanted to get wounded was on your head, specifically right in the middle of your forehead; as it is a pretty important part of your anatomy and armoury.

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Inevitably Butcher, a strapping defender who had that pre-requisite hot temper usually associated with such a role, found himself planting his nut on all manner of balls piled forward by their pressing opponents.

Each time, as he defused cross after cross, the wound would reopen until it became blatantly obvious no plaster or bandage would ever stem the flow.

First his dressing turned completely crimson, then his shirt became almost entirely covered in blood before eventually even the shorts he wore were unrecognisable.

It was as if England were playing in their all-red away kit.

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Imagine the scene in the film The Shining as the hotel’s corridors are awash with surging blood and you are not far from what was coming out of Butcher’s split head but it was no surprise; he was always one of those rugged, no-nonsense characters.

Of course, in the modern game, for health and safety reasons, he would simply not have been allowed to continue in such a state.

The merest sign of blood and players are ordered to change their shirt for a fresh version and prevented from returning to the action until they do so.

But 24 years ago, Butcher was having none of that, selflessly throwing himself into the heavy action, putting his head where others would not dream and playing the archetypal English lion.

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Alongside the ever-graceful Des Walker, who would later go on to play for Sheffield Wednesday, they formed an impenetrable wall, thwarting the best Sweden had to offer in front of veteran goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

Together they ensured Robson’s team would go on to create a whole raft of more vivid memories in Italy the following summer, as Robson’s men battled their way to a World Cup semi-final, a feat that remains to this day their best in the quedrennial tournament on foreign soil.

That night in Stockholm, the rearguard action was augmented by the ever-reliable full-backs Gary Stevens and Stuart Pearce – people forget, England went through the entire qualification stages without conceding a single goal – while Liverpool hardman Steve McMahon offered his usual protection from the heart of midfield.

Paul Gascoigne came off the bench as a late replacement for Manchester United schemer Neil Webb while the attack-minded manager operated with two natural widemen in Chris Waddle and John Barnes.

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Given their obvious gifts, it was what most England fans desired to see although here, like for much of their international career, it proved difficult getting both wingers to perform to their best in unison.

Gary Linker and Peter Beardsley, the prolific double act of Mexico ‘86, were paired together up front and England, with Butcher looking like he had stepped straight off a horror movie set, did eventually manage to do the necessary.

Paul Ince memorably tried recreating the scene in Rome in 1997 when the situation was eerily similar, England needing a point to qualify for the World Cup and progressing courtesy of a hard-fought 0-0 draw following a heroic lead from their captain.

However, though the midfielder was suitably bloodied and bandaged, it never reached the epic proportions of Butcher’s forever impressive war wound.