What do you do when the World Cup’s on but you can’t get reception on your telly — and you live somewhere so remote that it’s been called ‘’?
You dig. For four miles. Uphill.
So it was in the run-up to the 1978 World Cup, broadcast from the other side of the world in Argentina.
Few could afford to go to World Cup β78, but one group of Highlanders dug deep to bring Argentina to them
Scotland dared to dream that it could win the World Cup!
Over the course of four gruelling weekends, 16 dedicated Scotland fans dug a trench and laid a cable all the way from their lochside village on the Knoydart peninsula up to an aerial at the top of a neighbouring mountain.
We were digging to see Scotland win the World Cup.
Local estate worker John Murdo Morrison was just 18 years old at the time.
“[Then-Scotland manager] Ally MacLeod promised us we were going to win.
“You went out at 9 in the morning and wouldn’t be finished ’til about 6 in the evening. You dug like hell. There was a great community spirit about it all.”
But it was worth it.
Despite occasionally going wrong – much like the football team – the cable held up long enough for the locals to enjoy the bittersweet pleasure of watching Scotland play in Argentina.
To what lengths would you go to watch a World Cup goal this good?
World Cup countdown: Gemmill's glorious goal - 1978
50 great World Cup moments: Archie Gemmill's sensational goal against Netherlands - 1978
Despite the team’s heartbreaking exit on goal difference at the group stage, there are only smiles in Knoydart at the memory of all that back-breaking work.
“Ally MacLeod was something special.”
Archie Gemmill
Even Archie Gemmillβs fancy footwork couldnβt save Scotland from defeat
In the run-up to the 1978 World Cup, AC/DC played at the Glasgow Apollo in Scotland strips
AC/DC, like everyone else, were swept up in World Cup Fever.
World Cup β78
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Top 10 goals from the tournament
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Sportβs favourites
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Story of the 1978 World Cup
The hosts won on a ticker-tape strewn pitch.
Scotlandβs group stage results
| Team | Score | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Peru | 3-1 | Scotland |
| Scotland | 1-1 | Iran |
| Scotland | 3-2 | Netherlands |
Scotlandβs upcoming friendlies
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Peru v Scotland
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ One Scotland, 1.45am, 30 May 2018
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Mexico v Scotland
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ One Scotland, 12.50am, 3 June 2018
2018 FIFA World Cupβ’
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ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ coverage
Latest news stories, results, fixtures, video and audio.
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Scotland 78: A Love Story
Documentary featuring rare archive footage chronicling Scotlandβs performance in the 1978 World Cup, when the team was under the aegis of mercurial manager Ally MacLeod.
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