Wales will have no fear, insists Bradford City manager and Welsh legend Mark Hughes

Sixty-four years to be precise with those in red having had to endure a surfeit of pain along the way as Mark Hughes knows only too well.

The Bradford City manager was part of the Wales side who required a win against Scotland at Ninian Park in September 1985 to book a play-off with Australia and secure a huge opportunity to reach the 1986 showpiece in Mexico and earn a finals spot for the first time since 1958.

Then a highly-regarded young striker at Manchester United, Hughes, who netted a remarkable mid-air volley in an earlier qualifier against Spain in his hometown of Wrexham, put the Welsh in front only for Davie Cooper to grab a controversial equaliser from the spot as the hosts missed out.

Hughes also coped anguish back at the old Cardiff Arms Park in November 1993.

Needing to beat Gheorghe Hagi’s Romania in their final game to book a World Cup berth, Terry Yorath’s Wales, with the score at 1-1, were awarded a second-half penalty, only for Paul Bodin to see his effort smash against the crossbar.

The hurt was compounded with Florin Raducioiu scored a late winner as Wales again suffered despair, with Hughes - suspended for that infamous match - being a frustrated and helpless bystander.

It was a familiar tale of woe for Wales after bitter events earlier versus Scotland at Anfield in 1977 – with Cardiff not available due to earlier crowd trouble, the Football Association of Wales decided to play in Liverpool, and not Wrexham, for financial reasons.

A floodlight failure in a game against Iceland in Swansea’s Vetch Field was also cited as a big reason why they missed out on finals participation in Spain in 1982.

This time nothing has stopped Wales and after their brilliant run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016, belief is high and confidence will be further emboldened if they beat the US in their Group B opener on Monday.

There will definitely be no fear, in the view of Hughes.

Or against England in 10 days’ time either.

The City chief, who managed Wales between 1999 and 2004, told The Yorkshire Post: "It's been a long road to get to a World Cup finals, but thankfully we are there.

"A lot of good teams and players weren't able to get there. I was part of good teams with fantastic players, but we weren't the 'whole deal' whereas this team has been together for a long time now and had the success that has enabled them to be a confident team.

"I don't think Wales, as a team, really fear anybody and will back themselves against anybody. That's not always been the case, trust me.."

Hughes can count himself among a number of world-class Welsh players who missed out on playing at football's global finals, with Ian Rush, Neville Southall, Ryan Giggs and the late Gary Speed among other notable names in that regard.

There’ll be no envy, but only pride when he watches on Monday night.

Hughes added: "I was worrying at one point it might be during training. I am not saying I would have changed the training session, but I might have done!

"Everybody in Wales and with a Welsh connection is looking forward to it. The first game is really important and if we can get off to a winning start, that seems to make it a lot easier to qualify because if you are chasing your tail because you have been beaten well in the first one, then it becomes very difficult to qualify for the latter stages.

"Fingers crossed, they have a good performance."