Peter Shilton - 55 Years Later - the Nottingham Sport

Fifty-five years ago today a Nottingham Forest legend made his international debut, under Sir Alf Ramsey, at Wembley Stadium.

Hosting the now, long-since defunct, East Germany, in a friendly, Leicester-born shot-stopper, Peter Shilton, stepped in for World Cup winning ‘keeper, Gordon Banks, as England eased to a 3-1 success.

Although he’d only earn one other cap over the next two years, against Wales, again in a friendly, ‘Shilts’ would finally make his competitive debut for his country as England faced Switzerland in a 1972 European Championship qualifier.

Back in November 1970 though, and with he playing for then Second Division side, Leicester City, Shilts’ debut would see him line up alongside a medley of England stars of the sixties and seventies.

Leading 2-1 at half-time, England would go on to claim a 3-2 victory thanks to goals from Franny Lee, Martin Peters, and Allan Clarke, with the legendary Bobby Moore donning the captain’s armband.

Their opponents that day were a more than decent opposition, managed by Georg Buschner, who was in post for over a decade (1970-1981), and were captained by Helmut Stein, who himself appeared for his country for over a decade (1962-1973), their goalscorer that day, as the game ticked towards the half hour mark, was Eberhard Vogel.

ENGLAND (vs. East Germany, 1970) – Peter Shilton, Emlyn Hughes, Terry Cooper, Alan Mullery, David Sadler, Bobby Moore (capt), Franny Lee, Alan Ball, Geoff Hurst, Allan Clarke, Martin Peters

Upon his competitive debut, in 1972, a number of players there the day of his debut were still playing for their country – Cooper, Moore, Ball, Hurst, Lee, and Hughes, all donning the Three Lions jersey; meanwhile, the scorer in the 1-1 draw, Mike Summerbee.

For Shilts though, the early seventies were to be the start of something special, and he would eventually go on to represent his country for a still-record, 125 times, between then and the final game of Italia ’90 (1990 World Cup Finals, Italy).

Come the latter months of 1972, Shilts would be thrust into the spotlight when, in the October of that year, regular number one, Banks, was involved in a tragic car accident which, although surviving, resulted in his losing the sight in one of eyes and ending his playing career.

The art of goalkeeping back then was so much different as it is today and, in an interview for the Football Association back in 2016, Shilts said: “Goalkeepers had to train with the other players and we used to do a lot of track-running and practice matches in those days.

“And then maybe the goalkeepers would get to stay back with some of the players once a week to do some shooting and crossing and that would be it.

“I remember Gordon Banks – who was at Leicester at the time – and Gordon was probably the first keeper to go back after training and do extra sessions.

“Basically, it was shooting and crossing, but staying after training was unheard of in those days.” Read more HERE

England though, would fail to qualify for the next three international tournaments, the 1974 World Cup, 1976 European Championships, and 1978 World Cup, finishing second to Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Italy, in each of the qualifiers.

In the mid-seventies Shilton would be seen to go head-to-head with Liverpool’s Ray Clemence for the number one jersey, then England boss, Don Revie, initially preferring the Reds’ shot-stopper, before Revie’s successor, Ron Greene=wood, took to alternating the two, with Shilton the more favoured.

Overall, Shilts would play under five England managers during his spell with the national team – Sir Alf Ramsey (1963-1974), Joe Mercer (caretaker, 1974), Don Revie (1974-1977), Ron Greenwood (1977-1982), and Sir Bobby Robson (1982-1990) – and on seven different occasions he would register double figures, annually 1973 (11), 1982 (10), 1983 (10), 1984 (11), 1986 (13), 1989 (11), and 1990 (12).

Although Shilts and England failed to qualify for the 1984 Euros, and had a disastrous 1988 Euros, they did have enjoyable World Cups, bettering themselves on each outing; in 1982 they reached the Second Group Stage before finishing behind West Germany, 1986 would see them progress to quarter-finals before succumbing to a Diego Maradona-inspired Argentina, and in 1990 they made the latter stages before losing to West Germany in the semi-finals, and then to Italy in the play-off to finish fourth.

Shilts, who played for Nottingham Forest between 1977 and 1982, winning the European Super Cup, two European Cups, the First Division championship, a League Cup, and a Charity Shield, would make his fiftieth appearance for his country the year after leaving the City Ground, a 2-0 win over Scotland on 1 June 1983, his national team career flourishing under the management of Bobby Robson, even captaining the side in the absence of Bryan Robson and Ray Wilkins.

His century was pulled up in the 1988 Euros, and the group game against that classic Netherlands side of Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Marco Van Basten et al; Van Basten bagged a hat-trick that day (15 June 1988), and in goal for the eventual winners, another now former Forest ‘keeper, Hans Van Breukelen.

England finished bottom of their group in the 1988 Euros, losing 1-0 to the Republic of Ireland, before back-to-back 3-1 defeats to the Netherlands, and the Soviet Union, for whom Sergei Alenikov, Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko, and Viktor Paulko all netted for the eventual runners-up, they losing to ‘that’ Van Basten goal in the final.

Italia ’90 is perhaps everybody’s favourite World Cup tournament, and with Shilts now pretty much an ever-present in the England goal, seeing off the likes of Ray Clemence, Chris Woods, Gary Bailey etc, qualification was achieved as runners-up to Sweden in Group Two, with Shilton conceding zero goals in England’s six games (won three, drawn three).

England then topped World Cup Group F as they made a push for the latter stages, qualifying for the knock-out stage along with the Irish, and the Dutch; they then saw off Belgium in Bologna, and Cameroon in Naples, as a semi-final date was set-up with West Germany, their rivalled opponents winning on penalties as England went on to lose the Third Place match to the hosts, Italy.

At Italia ’90, Shilts was one of the oldest players to participate, and the last to have been born in the 1940s, he being months shy of his 41st birthday come tournament time, with his final appearance arriving months after the twentieth anniversary of his debut.

In a 2017 interview with FIFA, Shilton opened up about his retirement from the national team set-up, saying: “I finished after 20 years with England after Italia 90 because I thought that was the right time to go.

“I think you want to go out on a high at international level and I think that’s important.

“Once you’ve finished at international level and you’ve been playing at that level for many years it’s hard to motivate yourself to go back into club football.” Read more HERE

ENGLAND (vs. Italy, 1990) – Peter Shilton, Des Walker, Mark Wright (Chris Waddle), Paul Parker, Gary Stevens, Trevor Steven, Steve McMahon (Neil Webb), David Paltt, Tony Dorigo, Peter Beardsley, Gary Lineker

It sparked the end of an era for England, one which saw Robson step down as manager, and Shilton retire from the international scene, with 125 appearances to his name; having captained his country on fifteen of those caps, the first coming on 25 May 1982, his record for appearances, although still held 35 years on, could be broken in the next few years by a certain Harry Kane (112).

In November 2019 England were preparing to play their 1,000th match, against Montenegro, at Wembley Stadium, with Shilts among those being honoured at half-time of the game. Having played for his country for two decades, and 125 games of those thousand, Shilts said in an interview with the Daily Mirror that: “I had 20 years with England, that’s a long time and obviously there was a period where Ray Clemence was looked upon under Don Revie as No 1 so I had a lot of trips as well as a lot of caps.

“It’s always been an honour to me; it was always my main ambition to play for England at whatever level I was at.

“When I was a schoolboy, it was for England Schoolboys, that was my main aim and I managed to play at Wembley in front of 90,000 when I was 15.

“I was fortunate enough to have some luck with injuries but also to make my dreams come true and it’s always been a massive honour for me to play for England.” Read more HERE

For now, an England Hall of Fame inductee back in 2002, Peter Shilton is still England’s record appearance holder.