Scottish fact of the week: Scotland v England

SCOTLAND v England is the world’s oldest international fixture, first played in 1872 at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow.

A ticket from the England v Scotland game at Wembley, March 1928. Picture: TSPL

It is also the most frequently contested match in football history, having been played a record 110 times.

England have won 45 encounters, shading Scotland’s tally of 41 wins, the last of which came thanks to a Don Hutchison goal in 1999.

Scotland won the game 1-0, but lost 2-1 on aggregate as they failed to overturn a 2-0 deficit for the Euro 2000 play-offs.

Scotland players meet Prince Philip in 1977. Picture: SNS

Scotland’s most successful spell against England came in the late 19th century, clocking up 11 wins out of 16 games (and drawing three times) between 1874 and 1889.

Notable victories against England of more recent vintage came in 1967 against Alf Ramsay’s triumphant World Cup-winning side. Goals from Denis Law, Bobby Lennox and Jim McCalliog sealed a 3-2 win that, while fondly remembered, did not do enough to secure Bobby Brown’s side progress to the European Championships.

Scotland’s next game against the Auld Enemy is scheduled for August 14, though the form book points to a loss for Gordon Strachan’s men; before Don Hutchison’s intervention, Scotland had lost the previous four games, the most high-profile of which came at Euro 96, courtesy of Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne and, a minority believe, Uri Geller.