The FA confident England fans will be on best behaviour during November friendly against Scotland

Referendum on Scottish independence could see increased tension

Paul Hirst
Wednesday 10 September 2014 09:29 BST
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England supporters
England supporters

The Football Association is confident England fans will be on their best behaviour in November when they travel to Scotland for what Roy Hodgson expects to be a "very spiky" and "feisty" friendly.

The FA arranged two internationals with Scotland as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations.

England beat Scotland 3-2 in the first game, in August 2013, and they will be hoping to do the same in the reverse fixture, which takes place on 18 November in Glasgow.

Nationalist sentiment is running high in Scotland as the country prepares to go to the polls for the September 18 independence referendum, determining whether the country should break away from the United Kingdom.

Some England supporters were heard during Monday's win over Switzerland in Basle hurling abuse at Scotland, and chanting: "We're all voting yes."

Both governing bodies are taking extra steps to make sure there is no violence in and around the Celtic Park fixture.

The FA has been consulting with the Scottish authorities about security measures and only fans registered with the England Supporters Travel Club will be able to buy tickets as they will not go on general sale.

Club England managing director Adrian Bevington said: "We are working closely with our colleagues at the Scottish FA and are taking all usual security precautions.

"We were pleased that the Wembley fixture in August 2013 passed peacefully with over 20,000 Scotland fans adding to the occasion and atmosphere of respectful rivalry.

"Over the last decade we have been proud of our official travelling support and the improvement in behaviour, which has resulted in no arrests at any of the last four major tournaments."

Although billed as a friendly, there will be little bonhomie between both sides, according to Hodgson.

The former Liverpool manager is old enough to remember England and Scotland clashing on an annual basis in the Home Internationals, which were scrapped in 1984.

Hodgson also recalls the fiery experience of taking Swiss side Neuchatel Xamax to Glasgow in the 1991 UEFA Cup.

"We'd won the first leg 5-1 and the second leg should have been a dead rubber, but it wasn't," said the England manager, whose team lost the game in Glasgow 1-0.

"It wasn't a dead rubber for those Celtic fans because 60,000 of them turned up and made our lives a misery for that 90 minutes.

"So this game is going to be a very, very spiky game, it's going to be a game that's feisty; we're going to be in an atmosphere which many of these players won't have been in before.

"I'm looking forward to that game because it will be another massive test for us, so different from playing Estonia away or Slovenia at home.

"I know our Premier League arenas are sold out and that the atmospheres are very good but Celtic Park when Scotland are playing England, that's something a little bit special."

Before taking on Scotland, England face Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino, Estonia and Slovenia.

That qualifying campaign got off to the best possible start when England beat their biggest Group E rivals Switzerland 2-0 in Basle.

PA

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