“what league are tranmere in? division two, you d**khead!” john aldridge isn’t the only player to go to a world cup after a season outside england’s top tier, but most were less mad when they got there

1950 ALF RAMSEY

Sir Alf did pretty well at the World Cup as a manager, but slightly less well as a player. England’s maiden tournament appearance included six players who’d played the previous campaign outside the top flight, with Preston’s Tom Finney, plus Ramsey and Bill Nicholson – who’d both just helped Tottenham win the Second Division – among them. Full-back Ramsey started in England’s shock 1-0 defeat to the USA, as the Three Lions exited at the group stage.

1958 IVOR ALLCHURCH

A whopping 12 members of Wales’ 1958 squad came from outside England’s top flight. George Baker represented Plymouth in Third Division South, but eight played for either Cardiff or Swansea. The Swans’ Allchurch netted against both Mexico and Hungary, then went on to become Wales’ record appearance maker (overtaken by Joey Jones in 1986) and Wales’ record goalscorer (bested by Ian Rush in 1993).

1962 ROGER HUNT

Three of Hunt’s 11 seasons at Liverpool came in the Second Division. Before the 1962 World Cup, his 41 goals won the Reds promotion and were enough for a place in the England squad, albeit not enough to get on the pitch in Chile as the Three Lions reached the last eight. Huddersfield full-back Ray Wilson, also of the second tier, did play and both started the World Cup final four years later, as top-flight players.

1966 TERRY PAINE

Hunt and Wilson may have flown the second-tier nest, but two ’66 squad-mates came from outside the top flight. Unused midfielder Ron Flowers had just come sixth with Wolves, while Terry Paine, fresh from guiding Southampton to promotion, started the second group game against Mexico. Paine formed a three-man attack with Hunt and Jimmy Greaves, but was replaced in the line-up by four-cap Martin Peters from then on. That turned out OK, to be fair.

1982 GERRY ARMSTRONG

A month after lifting Graham Taylor’s Watford into the top tier, Armstrong (right) scored Northern Ireland’s most iconic World Cup goal, versus Spain in Valencia. Sensationally, Billy Bingham’s side topped the group ahead of the hosts, despite only six of the squad playing the previous campaign in the First Division. Four played domestically, others in Scotland, Canada and the USA, while Norwich’s Martin O’Neill was among six in the Second Division. Billy Hamilton and Tommy Cassidy were with Burnley in the third tier, Bobby Campbell with Fourth Division Bradford.

1986 RACHID HARKOUK

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