England players sang about going ‘all the way’ before they set off for Euro 88 but, sadly, they ended up going nowhere.

In 1988 you were never more than six minutes away from hearing a Stock, Aitken and Waterman record. So it was no surprise when the trio teamed up with England’s European Championship squad to produce All The Way, the title of the song indicating just how confident the nation were before the tournament. 

You would have thought that the combination of patriotism and the most successful record producers in the country would have propelled All The Way high up the charts but, just like England’s Euro 88 campaign, it sadly didn't realise it's full potential. “If we do it right, we’re gonna get there,” stated the opening line of the song. Well, England had certainly qualified for the tournament in the right way – dropping a solitary point and conceding just one goal along the way – but from this point on, their fortunes plummeted.

Thirteen England players turned up to the PWL Studios in South London – 5-3-2: Seaman; Stevens, Adams, Fenwick, Mabbutt, Sansom; Robson (c), Reid, McMahon; Lineker, Beardsley. Subs (Anderson, Cottee) - with manager Bobby Robson also lucky enough to make the cut.

The video was standard stuff for a football song of the 1980s. Obligatory action shots – clips from the matches against Paraguay and Argentina at the 1986 World Cup repeated ad nauseam – were interspersed with footballers moving about awkwardly, and huddling together for a group shout for the chorus. Messrs Lineker, Beardsley and Mabbutt were obviously the most talented men in the group, the trio given headphones, a music stand, and a big microphone and sent off to a separate part of the studio.

The song reached #64 in May 1988.

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