" CAN YOU REMEMBER THE NIGHT & THE HEARTACHE? "

The remarkable story of how Welsh football's most heartbreaking night still blights Paul Bodin's life 22 years on


9 OCT 2015


BY ANDREW GWILYM

In a fascinating interview, Paul Bodin reveals his missed penalty against Romania in 1993 still haunts him and has defined his life ever since

Paul Bodin penalty miss - 17th November 1993Paul Bodin penalty misses THAT penalty on November 17, 1993

Wales have had to endure several moments of gut-wrenching heartbreak across the 57 years since they last played at a major finals. There was Joe Jordan’s handball, Davie Cooper’s penalty, Yegor Titov’s failed drugs test and, perhaps most famously of all, Paul Bodin smacking the crossbar against Romania.

Nearly 22 years have passed since the Swindon full-back stepped up at the old Arms Park tasked with converting from the spot and putting Wales 2-1 up against Romania in their final qualifier for USA 1994.




A nation held its breath
A win would be enough to send Terry Yorath’s men to the finals and even the Romanian players feared the worst. Captain Ilie Dumitrescu admitted his side would have been “finished” had the Dragons taken the lead following Dan Petrescu’s foul on Gary Speed.

A nation held its breath, while the BBC cut from their coverage of England’s dead rubber against San Marino so those across the border could witness the moment.

Bodin steps up to take the penaltyBodin steps up to take the penalty
He strikes the ball towards goalHe strikes the ball towards goal
The penalty hit the crossbar

Bodin had not missed a penalty for his country, he felt confident. He ran up and put his foot through the ball, it beat the keeper but could not defy the woodwork as it flew to safety off the bar. Welsh momentum was sapped and Romania went on to win 2-1.

Now, here we stand on the brink of history and the denouement of the qualification jinx. Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and company can soothe the suffering of a football nation by securing the point needed to guarantee a place at Euro 2016, either against Bosnia tomorrow or when Andorra visit Cardiff on Tuesday.

Qualification 'will not provide closure'

Bodin, now 51, will be travelling back from Denmark with the Wales Under-21 squad on Saturday, hoping to get to Southend in time to be in the dug-out for Port Vale, where he is assistant manager to another former Wales defender in Robert Page, and then listen to the Wales game on the drive home.

While he will gladly raise a glass to celebrate Welsh qualification, he is honest enough to admit current success will never ease the pain of November 17, 1993.

Read more: Wales fans get excited about the biggest weekend of their lives as epic Bosnia journey begins

“Believe me, I will be as proud as any Welshman if Chris Coleman and the boys qualify, but it will not provide closure or anything like that,” said Bodin.

“It has become something that has almost defined the last 22 years of my life with people coming up to me to ask about it.


“I don’t mind and I understand it and it may be that it is spoken of less when the lads qualify.

“But I have had to live with that hurt and it never quite goes away.”

But Bodin’s hurt has nothing to do with regret, he does not wish someone else had taken the penalty, or that he had altered his approach. It is more the knowledge that in one instant his dreams of appearing on the game’s biggest stage were extinguished for good.

Penalty confidence
“It’s not as though I feel like I want that time over again. I am not sure I would have done anything differently,” he said.

“I was confident going up to take it, I had scored my previous three penalties for Wales. I struck it well and it wasn’t to be. If it had hit the bar a little lower it might have bounced down and in.

“It was more the sense of loss, it was such a big opportunity and that crop of players never went that close again. Deep down I knew that was my chance to go to a World Cup gone.”


The likes of Neville Southall, Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes, Ian Rush, Gary Speed and Dean Saunders would never grace a major tournament, but that team is fondly remembered as one of the finest ever to pull on the red jersey.

But Bodin believes the tag of greatest Welsh side will have to be bestowed on the current ‘golden generation’ should they complete the task at hand.

'Football is about achievements'
He said: “I was fortunate enough to play in a great squad. That was the best Welsh side I played in, and I reckon it ranks among the best ever, and would even compare favourably with the current squad.

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“But we never managed to get it done, and football is about achievements as much as anything else and if this group with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey qualify then you have to say they would be the greatest because they will have managed to do something no other Welsh side has managed in a very long time.

Will Wales win in Bosnia?
YES
NO

“They have been tremendous and I am full of admiration for Chris Coleman, who was a team-mate of mine with Wales.

“He took the job in the most awful circumstances imaginable. He had some difficult times but he has toughed it out, shown what a bit of faith can do, and he is on the verge of something very special.”


Despite the painful memories, Bodin remains heavily involved in the game, and is relishing his role alongside Page, who was part of the squad who narrowly missed out on Euro 2004, at Vale Park.

“I just thought it was a great opportunity to join up in the summer,” he said.

“I had kept tabs on Rob’s career, he is someone I have always had a lot of respect for and he is a good young manager who has taken the role in his stride since being thrust into it last September.

Clint Hughes/Getty ImagesRob Page, manager of Port Vale
“It’s a great club, we have a good mix of youth and experience and we should probably be higher up the table than we are right now.

“In addition I work with the age-group sides with Wales and I find that tremendously rewarding.

“You could see under John Toshack and Brian Flynn that young guys can get a chance and I feel I am putting something back in by helping develop the next generation of Wales internationals so the success we have now is not a one-off.”

My overriding memory of that night was seeing that flare crossing the pitch after the game and hitting that poor gentleman in the stand who died as a result.

Puts missing a penalty in a football match into perspective I'm afraid.

Yes behind goals at same end as rocket can still see it now! Ive attended all do or die games since yougaslavia even at anfield!! (Still got wales scarf with blood on) Be happy bunny on Tues eve !

My overriding memory of that night was seeing that flare crossing the pitch after the game and hitting that poor gentleman in the stand who died as a result.

Puts missing a penalty in a football match into perspective I'm afraid.

correct mate.
Russia play off was worse I reckon anyway, Earnie on bench for that game well done the most over rated manager in football Mark Hughes c**k

I have been present for all the above listed "near-misses" as well as the night the lights went out at the Vetch and I also been lucky enough to witness some great moments in Welsh Football from seeing Brian head that goal against real Madrid, to the night Rushie scored and we beat the World Champions (Germany) to the great Italian win at the Millennium stadium but I am so looking forward to seeing what will be the Crowning Glory of a Welsh Team, MY TEAM finally get to the finals. and I have already booked accommodation in France for next June

ROLL ON TUESDAY

I think that ball is still travelling.

Let's just hope that there are no slip-ups this time. Remember the others only too well!

Been on some epic journeys myself with wales and some bitter disappointments scotland at anfield being the worst

Yes, I can remember that night, I was there,,, also the Anfield night of 1977, & the Ninian Night v Scotland (again) 1985, & the two Yugoslavia games 1976 & 1983 ??? If I remember correctly, Wasn't there a game we had to win at the Vetch field when the Lights went out,,,a game that we had to win,, about 1982???

I was at the bodin miss, almost expected it with Wales. Russia we thought we had done the hard work out there, but Hughes got it wrong playing earnie out wide and we failed again. This lot won't fail, more talent and the other ingredients needed are there in abundance. If not it's ten days In a camper van with the family not the lads

A little bit of me died that night.

But my Dad prepared me for it when i was about seven years old listetening to the radio when the cheating jocks knocked us out.
'Get used to this boy, the price of being Welsh'
He werent fkin wrong!

Let's just hope that there are no slip-ups this time. Remember the others only too well!

So True

He should not have been in the team, Mark Bowen of Norwich a far superior player was on the bench. Yorath did not like him hence a second tier footballer was preferred to a premiership player !!!! Just remember Romania passed us off the pitch that night I told a little boy next to me watch how they pass and move.Hagi what a player !!!

He should not have been in the team, Mark Bowen of Norwich a far superior player was on the bench. Yorath did not like him hence a second tier footballer was preferred to a premiership player !!!! Just remember Romania passed us off the pitch that night I told a little boy next to me watch how they pass and move.Hagi what a player !!!

Interesting one about Mark Bowen, but I seem to recall that it was a Neville Southall howler that allowed Hagi to score first?

He should not have been in the team, Mark Bowen of Norwich a far superior player was on the bench. Yorath did not like him hence a second tier footballer was preferred to a premiership player !!!! Just remember Romania passed us off the pitch that night I told a little boy next to me watch how they pass and move.Hagi what a player !!!

Interesting one about Mark Bowen, but I seem to recall that it was a Neville Southall howler that allowed Hagi to score first?

Yes he did and game was even until we equalized! Then was only one winner us!! Until bodens miss.

He should not have been in the team, Mark Bowen of Norwich a far superior player was on the bench. Yorath did not like him hence a second tier footballer was preferred to a premiership player !!!! Just remember Romania passed us off the pitch that night I told a little boy next to me watch how they pass and move.Hagi what a player !!!

Interesting one about Mark Bowen, but I seem to recall that it was a Neville Southall howler that allowed Hagi to score first?

Yes he did and game was even until we equalized! Then was only one winner us!! Until bodens miss.

"Life is a game of inches",,,so wrote Christian Roberts, & never was this more true than in Paul Bodin's case, on that cold November night!

He should not have been in the team, Mark Bowen of Norwich a far superior player was on the bench. Yorath did not like him hence a second tier footballer was preferred to a premiership player !!!! Just remember Romania passed us off the pitch that night I told a little boy next to me watch how they pass and move.Hagi what a player !!!

Interesting one about Mark Bowen, but I seem to recall that it was a Neville Southall howler that allowed Hagi to score first?

Yes he did and game was even until we equalized! Then was only one winner us!! Until bodens miss.

"Life is a game of inches",,,so wrote Christian Roberts, & never was this more true than in Paul Bodin's case, on that cold November night!

Good post, Rick

It's always too easy to 'blame' the individual 'howler' but Bodin was no more culpable than the other 10 players that effectively failed for the rest of the tie!

It was a 'team' effort and the 'team failed. Coleman should be pasting that all over the walls and telling them "We're in this TOGETHER!"

Not a particular international football fan myself, but I wish them all the very best and I have a feeling they'll do more than 'OK' when they get to France in 2016

My overriding memory of that night was seeing that flare crossing the pitch after the game and hitting that poor gentleman in the stand who died as a result.

Puts missing a penalty in a football match into perspective I'm afraid.

Have to agree with this however disappointed with the result nothing compares with the tragedy of of what happened after the game.

My overriding memory of that night was seeing that flare crossing the pitch after the game and hitting that poor gentleman in the stand who died as a result.

Puts missing a penalty in a football match into perspective I'm afraid.

Have to agree with this however disappointed with the result nothing compares with the tragedy of of what happened after the game.

Tragedy indeed. That rocket shot straight over my head. I was horrified. It cam over the radio in the bus on the way home that it was fatal. Awful awful night.