Patrick Barclay: 'It's a dream to have Gareth Bale and Wales at the Euros... almost like seeing George Best at a tournament'

The last time Wales qualified for a major tournament their manager, Jimmy Murphy, was lucky to be there. If “lucky” was the word.

But for steering his native country through a qualifying play-off against Israel — whom several others had refused to play — Murphy would have been on the Manchester United plane that crashed at Munich.

For his main job was to assist Matt Busby in the development of the famous Babes, the most exciting team in England.

The loss of so many friends and, in effect, sons affected Murphy deeply and yet his Wales did extremely well in the 1958 World Cup, drawing with hosts Sweden and knocking out the revered Hungarians before losing narrowly to Brazil, the eventual winners.

So Chris Coleman and his lads have much to live up to. Being in the same group as England must help and, if they can get three points from Slovakia tomorrow, how the fans will relish their meeting with Roy Hodgson’s team five days later.

I look forward to joining them in Bordeaux — and not just because a choice between one of football’s finest choirs and the England band is no choice at all.

For us of a certain age, the sight of Gareth Bale at an event such as this will be almost the equivalent of seeing George Best represent Northern Ireland at a major tournament. It is, in short, the proverbial dream come true and, just as you didn’t have to be Northern Irish in Best’s day, you don’t have to be Welsh to enjoy the euphoria now.

Especially as Bale is such a good egg, such a splendid team player and contributor to the cause, even if his talent dominates Coleman’s squad as that of Roy Keane did Mick McCarthy’s Republic of Ireland in 2002.

Then, you will recall, Keane rebelled and had to be ordered home on the eve of the World Cup. Bale could hardly be more different. His is not a fist-pumping leadership. Naturally the attack is built around him (just as the defence is built around Ashley Williams) but every player can breathe freely while doing his job and this is somehow reflected in the fans’ songs, which are as likely to be about Joe Ledley as Bale.

Although Slovakia have an excellent attacker themselves in Marek Hamsik, and are very well organised without the ball, a Wales win is conceivable.

Even if Bale and Hamsik cancel each other out, remember Aaron Ramsey.

If, after all, he had maintained his form of a couple of seasons back, there would be less talk of a one-man Wales. For the Arsenal man, opportunity knocks.