The 2018 World Cup Finals in Russia mark 20 years since Scotland last qualified for a major football tournament. It’s a poignant, painful reminder of the state of our footballing nation. Qualification has never been easy, of course, but the golden age of many memorable and nail-biting nights are well worth remembering - in the hope that one day they may come again. Archie Macpherson commentated on all 18 of Scotland’s World Cup matches during that purple patch from 1974 to 1998, and now in his Adventures in the Golden Age, he tells the story of the matches and the men that raised and dashed hopes in almost equal measure at the greatest tournament on earth.

Between the 1974 clash with Zaire and the 3-0 defeat against Morocco in 1998, there were adventures against Iran, Peru, Costa Rica, Brazil and many others. And throughout it all, Archie was the voice of Scottish football, bringing to life the highs of Archie Gemmell’s genius against Holland and the lows of Cubillas’ spectacular goals for Peru. He knew the players, the managers and many of the fans through this halcyon time and witnessed clashes of personality, managerial rages, nocturnal antics, BBC internal wranglings, FIFA’s ‘spivs’ and that last painful evening in France.

Archie Macpherson’s World Cup adventures take us back a golden era in Scottish football in a brilliantly entertaining read.