In 1958, Harold Macmillan was the British Prime Minister. The European Economic Community (EEC), fore bearer of the European Union was formed. The first transatlantic passenger service went into operation from London to New York. And Wales qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in history. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since, but for Wales it has been a long, long wait to be back on the major stage rubbing shoulders with some of the best teams in the world. The relief that the nation felt when qualification was secured was incredible. Chris Coleman and his band of merry men deserve huge credit for the achievement.

Although it is a small nation, they have produced some wonderful players down the years but have never quite been able to mould a team good enough to get over the line for either a European Championship finals or a World Cup. Along the way, there have been a few heartaches in the many years between. There are three such campaigns that stand out. There was the 1978 World Cup qualifying campaign, the 1994 Wold Cup qualifiers, and also going for the 2004 European Championships. They will all bring back unhappy memories, but Coleman's boys have now brought unbridled joy to the nation, that the hurt is almost forgotten. But not quite.

Heartbreak a regular feeling for the Welsh

In 1977, when Wales played Scotland they actually played them at Anfield, due to crowd restrictions after trouble at Ninian Park the previous year. Even allowing for restrictions the game could have been played elsewhere in Wales but Anfield was chosen for financial gain. It possibly backfired, as there were more Scots than Welsh in the crowd. In a three team qualifying group, along with Czechoslovakia - the reigning European Champions - this was in essence a decider. The Eastern Europeans could only get a maximum of four points after two losses, so a Wales win would mean a draw in Prague would suffice. A Scottish win guaranteed them qualification.

The game could have gone either way, John Toshack hit the bar, but Scotland were arguably the better side and with only 10 minutes remaining and the game poised at 0-0, Wales were dealt a cruel blow. As Joe Jordan went up for a ball in the penalty area, it appeared that his hand made contact with the ball, but the referee adjudged David Jones, the Welsh defender to be the offender. The penalty was converted and with three minutes remaining, Kenny Dalglish made the game safe and put Scotland through. It was hard to take, but although luck was not on their side, there would be a lot more agony to come a number of years later.

In 1994, the campaign came down to the last game, and with Belgium playing Czechoslovakia it meant that victory for Wales would ensure their qualification. Unfortunately, it was against a tough Romania side containing the likes of Georgi Hagi, and they would also qualify with a win or draw. Wales were not without talent in their ranks either. Neville Southall, Barry Horne, the late Gary Speed, Ryan Giggs, Dean Saunders and Ian Rush all took the field in this do or die game, with Mark Hughes suspended. The atmosphere was electric and the tension could have been cut with a knife. As expected, Wales tried to take the game to Romania, but they were extremely talented and took the lead on after 32 minutes when Southall was unable to hold Hagi's long range shot, and they went into the half time break with that one goal advantage.

Terry Yorath, the Wales manager at the time, may have geed the team up at half time, but the amount of characters in the team meant they may have sensed that this was their moment in any case. Wales came out after the break and just after the hour, got an equaliser through Saunders. It was game on and Wales' tails were up and you sensed that this was the moment. A few minutes later, Speed was felled by Dan Petrescu in the box and Wales had the chance to take the lead with the spot kick. Paul Bodin, the Swindon Town full back stepped up and smashed the ball against the bar. It was hit with such power, the ball rebounded out of the area. Ilie Dumitrescu, who was once upon a time at Tottenham Hotspur, said that had Bodin scored Romania would have folded. Such was the tension, emotion and pressure on the game, it could well have been the case, but it did also seem to knock the stuffing out of Wales. Try as they might, they got picked off late on to concede again and lost the game 2-1.

Bodin has never really lived that moment down, and with all the talent on the pitch it was questionable why he was the man to take it. He did so because he was the regular penalty taker and had never missed for Wales, and it was one of those horrible moments when it all went wrong. For the like of Hughes, Rush and Southall it was a heartbreak and the realisation that they would never grace a major finals. It would be ten years before Wales came close again, and this time Hughes was in charge of the players. After 1993, there was a slump in fortunes, but the man from Wrexham had galvanised the team and got them in a position where qualifying was a real possibility. In a real tough group including Italy, Serbia and Montenegro and Finland, Wales managed to finish second beating the Italians in Cardiff on the way. This meant they would contest a play off to try and cement a place in Portugal the following year.

They were drawn against Russia. It could well have been easier, but there was a 'feel-good factor' amongst the Welsh and they were confident. The first leg was played in Moscow, and Wales put in a spirited performance to come away with a 0-0 draw, but the game was not without controversy. Vadim Esveev had put in a number of vicious tackles on Giggs, and when Giggs threw an arm out as Esveev challenged once more, the Russian went down as if he had been pole axed. The Russians must have been worried about Giggs because they lodged a complaint in a bid to get him banned for the second leg. The late timing of the complaint meant he played, but it ramped up the drama for the second leg in Cardiff, where the Welsh were in an expectant mood.

Expectant or not, as was becoming the norm, Wales ultimately failed and the mood changed to disappointment. A 17th minute goal settled the game, where in truth Russia were the better team, but a chance for John Hartson and a great chance for Gary Speed were squandered, whilst Giggs hit a post. So near, and yet so far seemed to be the Welsh motto. The controversy would continue however beyond the final whistle. Egor Titov played in the second leg in Cardiff and was an unused substitute in the first, but despite not playing he failed a drugs test in Moscow. As it was a performance enhancing drug the player was banned for a year. Wales appealed to have the first leg in Russia declared void and awarded to Wales 3-0, but the appeals fell on deaf ears and once again Wales were left to watch the finals from afar.

After that defeat, Wales who had been resurgent under Mark Hughes' leadership, fell into the doldrums once more. Hughes left his post to go into club management and it wasn't until Speed took over in 2011 that Wales once again showed signs of improvement. Speed would not complete the job he started as in November that year he tragically took his own life. In the short time he was in charge, Wales were the highest movers in the FIFA rankings, up to 45th from 117th but ultimately it would be Chris Coleman to finish the job Speed started. The Welsh motto now is 'Together Stronger' and it is quite apt. The current team is probably not the greatest in their history, but as a collective they are resolute. They have a sprinkling of genius in the forms of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, and they are so important to Wales but they don't make the team. Coleman has brought a group of players together that do not give in.

Wales did their country proud in 1958

To put their achievements into context, it is worth looking back. The man Coleman has joined in leading Wales to a major finals is also a legend, a man by the name of Jimmy Murphy. Murphy was not only a Welsh legend but a Manchester United legend, as he combined managing his country with the assistant manager position at Old Trafford. Wales had finished second in their qualifying group and as a result played Israel in a play off to see who would go through to Sweden. In a twist of fate, the second leg was on 5th February in Cardiff, and on the same day United were playing Red Star Belgrade in a European Cup quarter final tie. Murphy, of course, did not make the trip to Yugoslavia and stayed home to manage Wales. That the dates clashed probably save Murphy's life. His Welsh responsibilities meant he would not be on the plane with the United team the following day when the 'Busby Babes' perished in the Munich Air Disaster.

While Sir Matt Busby was recovering in hospital in Germany, Murphy took over United in his absence. It would be his toughest moments as a manager, filling in in such circumstances, but as far as Wales were concerned he had already made history. The game at Ninian Park finished 2-0, and Wales had already beaten Israel by the same scoreline in the first leg. He had secured qualification to Sweden. He must have been emotionally drained by the time the finals came around in June, but one of his biggest qualities was his mental toughness. He was firm, and had served in the second world war the previous decade. Indeed, the suffering and loss that came with the war may well have hardened people be able to carry on more easily during that period. Even so, the Munich Air Disaster was a tragedy that affected the world of football deeply, so it must have been difficult.

When the finals did come around, Wales were handed a tough group. They had to compete against the host nation, Sweden, Hungary and Mexico. Wales were unable to win any of their games, drawing 1-1 with both Hungary and Mexico and 0-0 with Sweden. The three points they gained though meant that they finished on the same points as Hungary, and the rules back then meant that there would be a play off, something Wales were getting used to. This time, they would overcome Hungary 2-1 and progress to the quarter finals. The Hungarians were not quite the 'Mighty Magyars' that reached the final four years previously, but they were still a fantastic team and Wales' victory was an incredible achievement. It also set up a clash with the eventual winners, Brazil, in the quarter final.

As you can imagine, Wales were up against it. Brazil, containing a 17 year old Pele, Garrincha and Mario Zagallo amongst others were a formidable opponent so when they succumbed 1-0 to a Pele goal, they exited the tournament, but did so with their heads held high. The team were similar in complexion to the one today in the sense they had a couple of superstars in John Charles and Ivor Allchurch, but were made up of a group of decent players. Almost all of the starting eleven against Brazil played in the top flight of English football, so were no mugs. Jack Kelsey, the goalkeeper, and David Bowen, the Captain were the first Arsenal players to play in a World Cup finals. Mel Hopkins and Cliff Jones both played for Spurs. The headliners though were Allchurch, who scored two goals in the finals and Charles, the 'Gentle Giant', who was at Juventus at the time, where he remains a legend to this day.

So how will Coleman's boys fare? In '58 the team did Wales proud having played both finalists and only losing once to the eventual winners. In France, they will line up against the arch enemy, England along with Slovakia and Russia. No easy games there. Slovakia, will probably be the easiest fixture. Similar in size to Wales, they are also a collective with only Martin Skrtel of Liverpool and Marek Hamsik of Napoli really recognised as top players. Even they cannot be underestimated, as they beat Spain during qualification and finished above Ukraine to qualify. If Wales are to progress, it's a fixture they must win. Next up come England. Since the British Championship was abolished, the fixture is a rarity. Historically, England have the upper hand by a long way having won 66 times to Wales' 14. So the task ahead of Wales is pretty obvious.

They have met in two campaigns in the 21st century, in the World Cup 2006 qualifiers and the 2012 Euro qualifiers. In both campaigns England won the home fixture 2-0, and the away games 1-0. England will be heavy favourites, but in tournament football on neutral territory then anything can happen. There is no doubt that any success for Wales depends on Bale and Ramsey, but so long as they are available and play then Wales will have a punchers chance. Bale scares teams to death, and he has already put Belgium to the sword in qualifiers. Of course, the resources England have at their disposal should be enough to win the game, but with British pride at stake then Wales will give it their best shot.

Russia, as with England, have an embarrassment of riches compared to Wales. They qualified in second place in their group behind Austria, but despite a smaller nation finishing above them, they did finish ahead of Sweden and have a number of talented players playing at the highest level. Artyom Dzyuba scored eight goals in qualification and will be the main threat, but Alan Dzagoev is a superstar and will be the creative mastermind. This will be every bit as tough as the England fixture, but this will also be a chance to avenge the 2003 play off result and continue the upward curve for Welsh football. This year Wales entered the Top 10 in FIFA's rankings for the first time in history, and whilst there is a lot of skepticism about how the rankings are calculated, it shows that Wales themselves are now a team to be feared.

The Welsh fans have waited what seems like an eternity for this moment, and they will travel to Bordeaux, Lens and Toulouse in their thousands. Whatever the results, the team will receive the best support possible and the hope is that the party will continue for more than three games. If not, then history has already been made, and the South of France in June (for two matches) is hardly the worst place in the world to be together. Stronger.

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