England played before just 15,000 fans at Wembley on this day.

England played Chile in a Rous Cup match on this day in 1989. It was a balmy May evening but the crowd of 15,628 was the smallest ever to attend a full international at Wembley.

This was mainly due to a tube strike. But though Chile had finished third in one World Cup, the one they had hosted back in 1962, they would never be as big a draw as a Brazil or an Argentina.

The Chileans managed to hold England to a 0-0 draw but hardly endeared themselves to English fans.

The South Americans used spoiling tactics from the start. They looked skilful on the ball but were prone to collapsing to the ground after the slightest contact as though they had been shot with a rifle by someone on the terraces.

Chile could dish it out too, Rubir and Reyes being cautioned for wild tackles. Wimbledon’s John Fashanu, unimpressive on his England debut, joined them in the referee’s notebook after appearing to elbow his marker in the face.

Goalkeeper Rojas made acrobatic saves from Neil Webb and Nigel Clough headers, and substitute Tony Cottee saw one effort cleared off the line, but there wasn’t much for the sparse crowd to get excited about.

The lowest crowd for any England international was the estimated 200 present for the match with Wales at Kennington Oval in 1879. It was a cold afternoon, with snow covering the pitch.