Given that English clubs had lifted the trophy in each of the past four seasons, when the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup became a fully-fledged European competition in the summer of 1971, England had good reason to embrace the modifications about to come forth.
With onset of the 1971-72 season, the Fairs Cup moved from being a tournament sanctioned by UEFA, but not one in their official portfolio, to being the recognised third way – taking a place behind the European Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup in completing a trio of cup competitions now overseen by the governing body of Europe. This realignment was confirmed with creation of the UEFA Cup.
Entry into the Fairs Cup had been conducted on a loose, almost ad-hoc basis, that in England often bore no relation to domestic success. In other words a lofty league placing was no guarantee of entrance in the face of a qualification anomaly.
For example, 1969 winners Newcastle United finished tenth in the season prior to their triumphant campaign. They ventured into Europe by virtue of the ‘one club/one city’ directive that ruled out Everton, Spurs and Arsenal who all finished above them – each missing out on this avenue of European competition due to the higher finish of local rivals.
With the advent of the UEFA Cup, qualifying from an English perspective did, to an extent, become more streamlined, awarding a place to winners of the League Cup from 1971-72 onward an innovative move.
But alone among their overseas counterparts, the Football League inexplicably maintained the ‘one club/one city’ stance for the first four seasons of the new competition – begging the question of why The FA did not step in – until under threat of sanction from UEFA they finally dispensed with it in 1975.
With eight seasons to play before the end of the decade, SAMTIMONIOUS.com duly adopts the ‘one-blog/one viewpoint’ approach to reflect on some memorable success but also perplexing failures for English clubs in the UEFA Cup between 1971 and 1979.
1971-72: England representatives – Leeds United, Spurs, Wolves, Southampton;
For the inaugural UEFA Cup venture, England had the luxury of putting form horses in the race. The three sides who finished behind champions (and double winners) Arsenal last time out, Leeds United (2nd), Spurs (3rd) and Wolves (4th) were part of a field that also included seventh-placed Southampton – whose place was secured on Liverpool (5th) entering the Cup Winners’ Cup (on losing to The Gunners in the FA Cup Final) and Chelsea (6th) having the Cup Winners’ Cup to defend.
But only half of the English contingent were to make it through round one as the Saints and Leeds quickly fell by the wayside, Elland Road experiencing the most calamitous European night of the Don Revie era in the process.
On recording a 2-0 away leg victory over Belgian side Lierse with goals from Chris Galvin and Peter Lorimer, the West Yorkshire return looked a formality despite a lengthy injury list containing such names as Clarke, Jones, Gray and Bremner – boss Revie also deciding to rest Gary Sprake, Jack Charlton and Norman Hunter, each of whom had played in a League Cup replay victory over Derby County 48 hours before.
Facing an unfamiliar Leeds line-up that included debutants in goal (John Shaw) and in midfield (Jimmy Mann), Lierse turned the tie around by scoring three times in six first half minutes. After half-time Sprake and Hunter were sent on to steady things, but a fourth goal with ten minutes remaining put the issue beyond doubt as Leeds, last ever winners of the Fairs Cup, made an inglorious exit from the new-fangled replacement.
Southampton fell prey to more renowned opposition in Athletic Bilbao, who would contest a UEFA Cup Final before the decade was out, prevailing by the odd goal in five from two closely fought ties.
On September 15 1971 the Spaniards went ahead at The Dell only for Southampton to establish a narrow first-leg advantage when David Jenkins and Mike Channon (penalty) responded, all three goals arriving in a frantic eleven minute spell midway through the second half.
In northern Spain a fortnight later, the home side went ahead in the tie (by virtue of their away goal) and on the night in breaking the deadlock on the hour, victory and progress to round two clinched in injury time when they completed the scoring.
Elsewhere there were no such issues for either Spurs or Wolves, both of whom dispatched lightweight opposition. League Cup holders Tottenham went through by a 15-1 margin against Keflavik, the 6-1 first leg triumph in Iceland (Alan Gilzean (3), Alan Mullery (2), Ralph Coates), followed by a 9-0 leathering at the Lane where Martin Chivers (3), Gilzean (2), Coates, Steve Perryman, Cyril Knowles and Phil Holder all featured on the scoresheet.
Wolves, back in Europe for the first time since the end of their halycon days in 1961 – the ten years in between including a two year mid-60s second division sojourn – were more modest in their efforts against Portuegese small fry Academia Coimbra. Goals from central defender John McAlle and rapidly emerging strike force of Derek Dougan and John Richards ensured a comfortable first leg win, the upshot of a 4-1 second leg Molineux victory being another McAlle goal and Dougan hat-trick as the hosts racked up a 7-1 aggregate success.
Three weeks earlier the 1971-72 domestic fixture schedule had spent Spurs to Wolverhampton on the opening day where the sides played out an exciting 2-2 draw – their paths destined to cross again come the end of the season.
In round two Wolves continued their goal happy ways by handing out another 7-1 hiding, on the receiving end this time Dutch outfit ADO Den Haag. Dougan, McAlle (in a purple patch of scoring having also recently netted in a League Cup defeat against Manchester City) and midfielder Kenny Hibbitt scored in a 3-1 away triumph. The visitors then contributed significantly to their own downfall on arriving at Molineux two weeks later, where three own goals were supplemented by another Dougan strike as a 4-0 win was achieved with a minimum of fuss.
Spurs on the other hand were made to work hard in overcoming Nantes, the sides only separated by a Martin Peters goal – the England international and 1966 World Cup winner scoring decisively in the White Hart Lane second-leg, this after a goalless draw in France a fortnight earlier.
On the face of it sterner challenges awaited both in round three, Wolves and Spurs each facing early winter visits and potentially tricky fixtures against opposition from behind the Iron Curtain.
On a snow bound pitch in East Germany (four days after beating double holders Arsenal 5-1 in the wintery climes of Wolverhampton), an early goal from Richards was enough to give Wolves victory over Carl Zeiss Jena, the job then completed in impressive style as Hibbitt and a brace from Dougan secured an overall 4-0 victory.
Spurs went one better in defeating Rapid Bucharest as Peters and two from Chivers put them in a strong position after the teams met in N17 – Tottenham subsequently emphasising their superiority by winning 2-0 in Romania where Chivers and young winger Jimmy Pearce were on target.
By the time of the March quarter-finals the UEFA Cup had become the main priority for both, FA Cup interest was over for another season with qualification through league form now dependent on a late-season flourish.
The last eight draw paired Wolves with Juventus where a second half equaliser from Scottish international midfielder Jim McCalliog earned a creditable 1-1 draw. Spurs also impressed on their travels, their 2-0 victory over UTA Arad on a quick return to Romania secured through goals from winger Roger Morgan and Welsh central defender Mike England – a place in the last four then clinched by a late Gilzean effort in the White Hart Lane return.
They were duly joined in the semi-finals by Wolves who raised their game again to overcome Juventus at Molineux. On the night your genial host at SAMTIMONIOUS.com witnessed European football for the first time, Northern Ireland midfield man Danny Hegan put Wolves ahead in the 34th minute with an audacious chip, the irrepressible Dougan doubling the advantage with a glancing header six minutes after the restart.
As Wolves closed in on a memorable victory, West German international Helmut Haller (a veteran – and goal scorer – of the 1966 World Cup Final) gave Juventus hope with an 84th minute penalty, but their late pressure was withstood as Bill McGarry’s side managed to prevail.
With the semi-final draw keeping them them apart to create the prospect of a first all-England European final, in order for it to happen Spurs would have to overcome two-time European champions AC Milan while Wolves needed to beat 1965 Fairs Cup winners Ferencvaros.
Given an 18th minute lead in Hungary by Richards, the two goal response of the home side involved a strike from world renowned striker Floran Albert, 1970 winner of the Ballon d’Or – yet even then Wolves refused to leave Budapest trailing, Scottish centre-back Frank Munro levelling with ten minutes left.
In the Black Country return future million pound man Steve Daley gave Wolves a first minute lead, the advantage doubled by Munro on the stroke of half-time. After the break the Hungarians pulled one back and went to the brink of equalising only for Phil Parkes to save a penalty. The Wolves goalkeeper, sometimes maligned by a section of the Molineux crowd, was the hero of the night and tie overall as he had also saved a spot-kick in the first-leg – the home side holding out to win 2-1 and secure their place in the final.
Tottenham needed Pat Jennings at his brilliant best when they travelled to the San Siro for the second leg against the Rossoneri, taking a 2-1 lead to Italy by virtue of two Steve Perryman goals at White Hart Lane – his brace giving Spurs a slender advantage after they had fallen behind to an effort from Romeo Benetti.
After skipper Mullery opened the scoring in Italy with a precious away goal, Jennings made several top class saves and was only beaten when AC skipper Gianni Rivera levelled with a second half penalty. But with their goalkeeper in his customary fine form Tottenham would not be breached again, the outcome in Milan and at Molineux creating the first instance of two English clubs contesting a European trophy.
On Wednesday 3 May 1972, the sides convened in Wolverhampton for the first-leg, the final now a winner-take-all-affair as not only was the cup at stake, but European qualification for the following season as neither had finished high enough to qualify by league position means.
There had been little between the teams for over almost an hour when Chivers headed Spurs into the lead. With eighteen minutes left McCalliog restored level terms from a quickly taken free-kick amid protests from several Tottenham players – Russian referee Tofiq Bahramov well acquainted with remonstrating white-shirted types, having been the linesman who ruled the Geoff Hurst shot that gave England a 3-2 lead in the 1966 World Cup Final had crossed the line.
But with Chivers in prolific form the visitors continued to threaten and with three minutes left scored his 39th and final goal of the campaign with an unstoppable shot to give Spurs a 2-1 lead for the second leg.
Before the White Hart Lane finale both teams completed the domestic season with significant league victories. Wolves scored a 2-1 home win over Leeds on a night they denied the Elland Road side the Championship and FA Cup double – Derby County becoming champions as a result – while Spurs made the short trip into a nearby parish to record a 2-0 win at Highbury.
Skipper Mullery had been on target in that success on Arsenal territory and come Wednesday 17 May was soon among the goals again, his close range header putting Spurs firmly in control of UEFA Cup proceedings. Despite Wolves drawing level with a superb effort from winger Dave Wagstaffe, the hosts’ manouvered their way safely to the final whistle, whereupon they became the first British club to win two different European competitions (following on from their 1963 Cup Winners’ Cup success) and in doing so landed the seventh major trophy in the dozen years manager Bill Nicholson had been manager.
Celebrations up and down the Tottenham High Road took on added glee in the knowledge Spurs would qualify as holders for the 1972-73 competition – an eventuality that denied Arsenal a UEFA Cup place for the following season under the ‘one club/one city’ rule, even though the Highbury outfit finished higher up the table.
1972-73: England representatives – Spurs (holders), Stoke City, Liverpool, Manchester City;
After the marathon trek that eventually led to Wembley, a League Cup Final victory and first major honour in their history, the first foray of Stoke City into Europe was short and unsweet – the Potters falling heavily at the first hurdle.
Second half goals in the Victoria Ground first leg from Terry Conroy, John Ritchie and World Cup winner Geoff Hurst appeared to have put Stoke into a commanding position, a late consolation from West German outfit Kaiserslautern on the face of it no more than minor irritation.
But two weeks later their first competitive action overseas ended in a 4-0 reversal – and such were the defensive frailties that plagued them around this time, in the two league matches that followed Stoke conceded five at Wolves and four at Tottenham. By the time The Potters went down by the odd goal in seven at White Hart Lane, Spurs had romped through to round two, hitting Lyn of Oslo for six in both legs.
There were doubles each for Chivers and Gilzean with a goal apiece for Peters and John Pratt when a 6-3 triumph was recorded in Norway, Chivers (3), Coates (2) and Pearce turning the return into another rout in registering a 12-3 winning margin.
With Liverpool dipping their toe in UEFA Cup waters for the first time, the Anfield resistance of Eintracht Frankfurt was laid low by goals from Kevin Keegan and Emlyn Hughes, a goalless draw in West Germany seeing the current league leaders safely through to the second round.
Once again, however, it proved a first round situation of two through/two out for English clubs with Manchester City ousted by Valencia. Peter Mellor and Rodney Marsh were on target when the spoils were shared at Maine Road and although Marsh netted again in the second leg, it came too late to affect the outcome – Valencia advancing due on a 4-3 aggregate due to their 2-1 home win.
Those left flying the flag for England had little trouble advancing from round two, three goal salvos in each leg taking Liverpool through against AEK Athens. Phil Boersma, Peter Cormack and Tommy Smith scored in a comfortable Anfield first leg win, Boersma and a brace from Emlyn Hughes too much for the home side in the Greek capital, who at least managed a consolation goal in making a 6-1 aggregate exit.
Spurs, also drawn against opposition from Greece, had their tie against Olympiacos effectively settled after the North London first leg when Pearce (2), Chivers and Coates netted without reply, a single goal second leg defeat neither here nor there.
Despite a creeping sense of inevitability the two English clubs would draw each other in round three, for no other reason than being due to meet in the league and League Cup around the same time (Liverpool winning the league fixture, Spurs going through in the League Cup after a replay), they were in fact kept apart to continue their onward progress.
After a battling first leg stalemate on the East German side of the Berlin Wall, Liverpool scored through Boersma within sixty seconds of the Anfield return against Dynamo Berlin – but seven minutes later the visitors hit back to level, edging ahead in the tie due to their away goal.
But for them joy was short-lived. Winger Steve Heighway restored the lead on twenty five minutes before striker John Toshack wrapped up a 3-1 win ten minutes into the second half.
Red Star Belgrade were undone by the double act of Chivers and Gilzean on their visit to White Hart Lane. The 2-0 margin of defeat proved too much for them to overhaul, a 1-0 second leg victory not enough to stop Spurs advancing on a 2-1 aggregate.
When Spurs returned to UEFA Cup action in early March, their participation in the 1973-74 competition was already assured having beaten Norwich City in the League Cup Final four days before – the fixture that followed a 1-0 home win over Vitoria Setubal ensured by a late goal from defender Ray Evans.
On the same night, March 7 1973, Liverpool, scoring in each half through Brian Hall and Boersma, defeated visiting Dynamo Dresden. The growing momentum of a dual league title and UEFA Cup bid was in evidence two weeks later when they completed a 3-0 overall victory with a goal from Keegan.
Spurs meanwhile found themselves staring at a quarter-final departure when they went 2-0 down on their second leg visit to Portugal, a Chivers effort more than consolation in a 2-1 defeat, amounting to the away goal that carried them through.
Hopes of an all-English final in successive years were finally dashed when the two sides were paired in the last four – the first of their semi-final meetings coming ten days after a notable Anfield league fixture when Jennings had saved two penalties as Spurs went home with a 1-1 draw.
On April 10 he was beaten on seventeen minutes when full-back Alec Lindsay netted the only goal of the Merseyside first leg. Yet just as crucial was the Heighway reply at White Hart Lane to a Peters opener for Spurs, who then scored again through the same player. But their hold on the trophy and aim of a UEFA and League Cup double ended when they were unable to add a third – a 2-1 victory not enough to stop Liverpool going through on away goals.
By the time they came to face Borussia Monchengladbach in the final, who were now a recognised force in West German football, Liverpool had clinched their first league title in seven years. The current season had echoes of 1965-66 in manager Bill Shankly guiding his men to the championship with a European final to come – although on that occasion they had gone down to Borussia Dortmund on being thwarted in a bid for a domestic and European double.
Barring their way to a first trophy in Europe were a formidable outfit whose line-up included five members (Bonhof, Netzer, Vogts, Wimmer and Heynckes) of the West German national side who the previous summer had won the European Championships.
The initial Anfield first leg on May 9 lasted just twenty seven minutes before torrential rain caused the match to be abandoned. It was, however, sufficient time for Shankly to detect the Borussia defence were susceptible when the ball was played in the air, wily old Shanks therefore making a change when the game was rescheduled for twenty four hours later, totem striker Toshack replacing the diminutive Hall. The switch had a decisive impact as the tall Welsh international was instrumental in creating two first half goals for strike partner Keegan.
After the break Keegan turned provider in delivering a corner that was headed home by centre-back Larry Lloyd, the West Germans then denied a crumb of comfort when Ray Clemence kept out a Henyckes penalty – that brilliant one-handed save proving crucial when Liverpool were confronted by intense pressure in the return.
Such was their attacking intent, a brace from Henyckes brought Borussia to within a goal of wiping out the deficit before the break. But Liverpool regained some composure to safely see out the second half and in doing so landed their first European trophy, at the same time becoming the first English club to win the league title and a European honour in the same season.
As for Borussia Monchengladbach the UEFA Cup would be won two years later, their path destined to cross again with that of Liverpool on a 1977 May night in Rome – when the biggest prize in European club football was up for grabs.
1973-74: England representatives – Leeds United, Ipswich Town, Wolves, Spurs;
The vagaries of the UEFA Cup where England was concerned were never more apparent than in the 1973 entries.
Third placed Leeds and the two sides (Ipswich, Wolves) who finished directly below them took two of the places, but 1972-73 title runners-up Arsenal were left kicking their European heels for the second time in twelve months due to Spurs winning the League Cup. This despite the Gunners finishing six places higher than their North London rivals, the ‘one club/one city’ rule enabling Tottenham to complete this particular double for the second season running.
First-timers Ipswich made an auspicious beginning to life in the competition as they lowered the colours of six-time European Cup winners Real Madrid. Edging the Portman Road first leg through an own goal, their rock solid defensive effort in the Bernabeu resulted in a clean sheet, a hard fought goalless draw taking them through to round two.
Despite a misfiring start on the home front, Spurs quickly found their UEFA Cup touch in sweeping aside Swiss side Grasshoppers. Chivers and Gilzean each scored twice on the trip to Zurich and with Evans also on the scoresheet the visitors notched a handsome 5-1 win. The margin was not quite as great when the sides met at White Hart Lane, but a brace from Peters, an own goal and effort from centre half England saw Tottenham coast to a 9-2 success on the back of a 4-1 win.
Neither was the current league form of Wolves anything to write home about, the Molineux side heading to Portugal in order to face Belenenses with five defeats and a draw from their last six matches. Much of the trouble stemmed from the goal drought being suffered by key striker Richards – and while he finally opened his account for the season in a 2-0 first leg win was also sent off, his three match UEFA Cup ban not without consequences.
The victory on Portuguese turf had been completed with a goal from Dougan, Wolves finishing the job with a 2-1 home win when McCalliog and Peter Eastoe found the target.
If Spurs and Wolves had made an undistinguished start to the 1973-74 league campaign Leeds in contrast were quickly bedded down in top spot, the rest already trailing behind. The 1-1 draw in Norway against part-timers Stromgodset where England striker Alan Clarke was on target was a curious result in current circumstances, but a second leg romp was more in keeping with how the Elland Road side were performing, Clarke (2), Jones (2), Eddie Gray and Mick Bates also finding the net in a 6-1 win.
Four weeks later Ipswich continued their embrace of the tournament, the second round first leg resulting in a Portman Road pummeling for Lazio who were sunk by a solo four goal salvo from future one-cap England international Trevor Whymark. Despite Bobby Robson’s side then conceding four in Rome, replies through Colin Viljoen and David Johnson in a 4-2 defeat were enough to send them on by a 6-4 margin.
By a strange twist of fate round two produced a pair of England v Scotland encounters with Spurs drawn against Aberdeen and Leeds facing Hibernian.
In the Pittodrie first leg the home side scored late in cancelling out an early goal from Coates, although things were more straightforward for Tottenham when they had home advantage, Peters, Neighbour and double from Belfast-born teenager Chris McGrath doing the necessary in a 4-1 win – retention of the UEFA Cup already looking the best route back to Europe for the following season, Spurs relinquishing their hold on the League Cup a month earlier.
There was nothing to divide Leeds and Hibs at Elland Road or in Edinburgh, the second leg bringing the necessity of a penalty shoot out to determine the winners – of the ten taken, Easter Road skipper and Scottish international Pat Stanton was the only player to miss, the visitors going through 5-4 as a result.
The first English club to make an exit were Wolves, who in departing the scene just came up short against Lokomotive Leipzig.
Their fitful league displays were replicated in a 3-0 reversal behind the Iron Curtain and with Richards still serving a ban, overturning the deficit looked a tall order. But a commendable performance in the home leg return brought goals for Steve Kindon, Munro, Dougan and Hibbitt that would have done the trick had the East Germans not scored a precious away goal – the Molineux men out despite a 4-1 win.
They would, however, be making a prompt return to the competition on winning the League Cup – Richards scoring the winner as they defeated Manchester City in the final later in the season.
By the time round three came to pass in late-November 1973, England had failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup and with Liverpool and Sunderland having already made respective exits from the European and Cup Winners’ Cups, English football was in need of some cheer in Europe – but a three way assault on the UEFA Cup would be diminished again at the next stage.
On paper Leeds had nothing to fear in facing Vitoria Setubal, the Portuguese outfit hardly the standard of opposition to succeed where sides in Division One had so far failed. Yet that is what they achieved, pulling off a major shock in ousting a side currently dominating all-comers in their homeland.
Vitoria Setubal even overcame a first leg deficit when succumbing to a second half Trevor Cherry goal at Elland Road – a late strike from 19 year-old substitute Gary Liddell in the return unable to stave off a 3-1 defeat after the home side had turned the tie around. But this set-back was only a crimp in the unstoppable momentum that would eventually carry Leeds to the league title.
Extending their interest in the competition through to 1974 were Ipswich who recorded a double over Dutch side Twente.
At Portman Road Whymark continued where he left off against Lazio by scoring the only goal of the first leg. Ipswich, in the midst of another agreeable league campaign, then came through the return with efforts from Peter Morris and Northern Ireland international winger Bryan Hamilton, a 2-1 victory in Holland manifesting into a 3-1 overall triumph.
Given their underwhelming week to week form, that included early departures from the League and FA Cup, Tottenham had every reason to give the UEFA Cup absolute priority. The 5-1 White Hart Lane demolition of Dinamo Tbilisi, achieved with goals from Chivers (2), Peters (2) and McGrath showed what they were still capable of when roused – just as the 1-1 first leg draw in Russia, where Coates opened the scoring, was testament to the application that sometimes went missing on a Saturday afternoon.
While the English pair avoided each other in the quarter finals, both faced tough opponents blocking their way to the last four. After their second round success in Wolverhampton, Lokomotive Leipzig returned to England for a clash with Ipswich – a Kevin Beattie goal all that separated the sides in East Anglia.
Out in East Germany the home side levelled the tie with a 1-0 win and with no more goals forthcoming a semi-final place came to rest on a penalty shoot out. Suffice to say it would not be the last time Ipswich boss Bobby Robson would see a team in his charge lose 4-3 to German opposition by such means.
Spurs, however, fared much better in facing a challenge from West Germany, defeating Cologne with fuss kept to a bare minimum. First leg goals from McGrath and Peters shaped a 2-1 win as they once again took their European pedigree on the road, Peters netting again in North London return and with Chivers and Coates adding to the tally, a 3-0 win completed a 5-1 aggregate victory.
For Lokomotive Leipzig their reward for knocking out a second English side was a semi-final meeting with a third – but hopes of recording a significant treble receded when Spurs, through Peters and Coates, took charge of the first leg, a second half reply from the home side still leaving them a tough task for the return.
For the East Germans it proved a step too far. McGrath and Chivers put the destiny of the tie beyond doubt as Spurs advanced to a second UEFA Cup Final in three seasons, creating the distinct possibility of an English club lifting the trophy for a third year in a row, following on from producing the last four winners of the Fairs Cup before that.
After a league season when flattering to deceive had been their most evident trait, another UEFA Cup success would allow them the luxury of taking glory from the worst season they had encountered (to date) in the decade – the portents good as Spurs so far in their history had never a lost a cup final.
But to be factored in were top quality opponents in the form of 1970 European Cup winners Feyenoord, a side who contained an array of Dutch internationals about to serve notice of Holland being a major football power at the forthcoming 1974 World Cup.
When England gave Spurs a first leg lead six minutes before half-time Spurs looked to be on script, yet before the break Feyenoord responded with a vital away goal from Wim Van Hanegem. Midway through the second half Tottenham reestablished the lead when they forced an own goal, but even then the visitors would not accept a deficit and levelled when Theo De Jong netted from close range.
In Rotterdam eight days later Spurs were found wanting on the pitch as goals from Wim Rijsbergen and Peter Ressel saw the home side collect the trophy after a comfortable 2-0 win – but worse still, the White Hart Lane club were embarrassed by events off the field as a section of their support rioted in the stadium amid clashing with police and home supporters.
Indeed, there is no more dispiriting vision in mid-70s football than a venerable manager like Nicholson having to spend half-time pleading with misbehaving fans over the stadium PA system to stop their unruly conduct – this at a moment when he needed to be speaking to his players who were behind in a major cup final.
It was a night Spurs not only lost a football match. They would shortly be without Nicholson who resigned after sixteen years in charge early the following season, events of Rotterdam still playing on his mind. Tottenham thereafter also appeared to lose their bearings – spending a season in Division Two before playing in Europe again, returning as FA Cup winners to the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1981.
1974-75: England representatives – Derby County, Stoke City, Ipswich Town, Wolves;
With their hold on the trophy broken, a hangover took hold to the extent all four 1974 English entrants were eliminated before the Christmas decorations went up.
In fact, neither Wolves, Stoke or Ipswich made it to Bonfire Night, their hopes going up in smoke at the first time of asking.
League Cup holders Wolves only had a goal from skipper Mike Bailey to show for a 4-1 reversal in Porto. He netted again in the Molineux second leg, where Dougan and Daley were also on target, but revered Peruvian international Teofilo Cubillas (whose clinical finishing Scotland would come to rue at the 1978 World Cup) also scored in both ties – his goal in the West Midlands consolation on the night, but crucial in a 5-4 overall success.
While Stoke were back in the competition after a two year absence, once again they could not progress beyond the first round.
They were faced with the daunting prospect of meeting three time early ’70s European Cup winners Ajax, who for the first time in four years were not contesting the biggest club prize in Europe. In the Potteries central defenders Denis Smith and Rudi Krol exchanged goals, the one from the lauded Dutch international proving decisive when the Amsterdam second leg finished goalless.
Ipswich also succumbed on away goals as they went out to Twente who gained revenge for their third round defeat of the previous season.
With both sides having a reputation for fluent, attacking football a 2-2 Portman Road classic ensued. While Hamilton and Brian Talbot scored for the hosts, the visitors team sheet included two names noted for future reference – Frans Thijssen and Arnold Muhren both signing for Ipswich before the decade was out.
In the return Hamilton again found the net, but it was to no avail as the visitors went out after a 1-1 draw, Ipswich eliminated against a side destined to reach the final.
All of which left Derby as the only English first round survivors, Swiss outfit Servette proving no obstacle for The Rams either at home or away.
The ever-reliable Kevin Hector netted a first leg Baseball Ground brace and with Peter Daniel and Francis Lee also finding the net a 4-1 win materialised – Lee and Hector then scoring on the visit to Switzerland where Derby registered a 2-1 victory.
Flying the flag by themselves in round two, internationals David Nish (England) and Bruce Rioch (Scotland), netted in a 2-2 first leg draw against visiting Atletico Madrid – Rioch and Hector on the scoresheet when the sides finished all-square again in the Spanish capital, the 4-4 aggregate taking the tie to penalties.
It required thirteen in order for the sides to be finally separated – Derby eventually going through on a 7-6 differential.
With the club regaining stability under the stewardship of ex-player Dave Mackay following the stormy departure of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor twelve months before, a third round pairing with Velez Mostar of Yugoslavia did not appear a huge stumbling block to round four – more so when Alan Hinton and Jeff Bourne (2) scored the goals in a 3-1 home win.
But the tables were turned completely in the return, another Hector goal of little consequence as Derby crashed out on receiving a 4-1 defeat. It was a surprise, but only momentary glitch for The Rams who recovered to become league champions for the second time in three seasons on winning the most meandering title race of the ’70s.
As for the UEFA Cup Borussia Monchengladbach advanced to go one better then when finishing runners-up to Liverpool two years before. Held to a goalless draw at home by Twente in the first leg they were relentless in the second, taking the trophy with 5-1 win.
1975-76: England representatives – Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Aston Villa;
Even with the Football League finally scrapping the ‘one club/one city’ rule under threat from UEFA of having the number of qualifiers reduced if they persisted (it was rescinded in time for Liverpool and Everton to both compete), there was still a vagary in regard to English entrants.
In winning the League Cup as a second division club Aston Villa would have been debarred due to their status, but on clinching promotion to the top flight at the end of that 1974-75 season became eligible – this eventuality denying fifth-placed Stoke another sortie into Europe.
Not that Villa outstayed their welcome, their first competitive game in Europe resulting in a 4-1 defeat away at Royal Antwerp. The goal, scored by winger Ray Graydon was a token gesture, particularly in light of a 1-0 Villa Park reversal in the second leg.
Everton were not allowed to loiter for long either. Back in Europe for the first time since their 1970-71 run to European Cup quarter-finals, they were involved in a Goodison stalemate against AC Milan before falling to second half penalty in the San Siro that proved the only goal of both ties.
Perennial attendees Ipswich distinguished themselves with a 2-1 first leg win over ’74 winners Feyenoord who were sunk by strikes from Whymark and Johnson. Back at Portman Road Whymark struck again to clinch a 2-0 win after winger Clive Woods had opened the scoring.
While Everton failed to score in either of their ties, Evertonian old boy Joe Harper found the net for Hibernian – and did so in scoring the only goal against Easter Road visitors Liverpool. Back on Merseyside a Toshack hat-trick enabled Liverpool to advance, although they were given a brief scare when Alex Edwards put Hibs level on the night and ahead on aggregate.
If anything round two reflected how adept the two remaining English sides were at dealing with the challenge of European football.
Ipswich were excellent on their own patch in dealing with Club Brugge – Eric Gates, an own goal and Terry Austin establishing a 3-0 first leg win. But out in Belgium the home side wiped out the arrears before half-time, completing victory and a remarkable fight-back with an 87th minute winner. It was a hard lesson to learn but heeded nevertheless, the European road eventually leading to a UEFA Cup triumph for Ipswich in 1981.
Liverpool meanwhile showed no sign of faltering in either meeting with Real Sociedad. Away in the first leg, Heighway, Phil Thompson and long-serving evergreen Ian Callaghan scored in a 3-1 win. An Anfield annihilation transpired in the return as Ray Kennedy (2), Heighway, Toshack, Phil Neal and David Fairclough served up goals in a 6-0 success.
Reaching the end of 1975 making a concerted title challenge, there would also be a UEFA Cup quarter-final to anticipate after Slask Wrocklaw were swotted aside in round three as the year drew to a close. An own goal and effort from Toshack secured a 2-1 win in Poland, a Jimmy Case hat-trick meeting with no reply in the return.
When the last eight ties came up on the fixture agenda, Liverpool put the largely two-horse championship chase they were embroiled in with QPR to one side for another trip behind the Iron Curtain – the first leg visit to Dynamo Dresden in early March ending in a goalless draw.
The Anfield meeting, however, was not all plain sailing for Bob Paisley’s side, but goals from Case and Keegan were enough to see them through, surviving the scare of the East Germans managing a second half reply.
While nobody at the semi-final stage would have welcomed a double header against Liverpool, Spanish giants Barcelona (now with Dutch master Johan Cruyff in their ranks), were themselves formidable last four opposition – a goal from Toshack deciding the Camp Nou first leg as the visitors produced a redoubtable display.
The second leg proved no less challenging. The home side, on a rousing Anfield night, indebted to a Thompson goal in securing the 1-1 draw that carried them to a second UEFA Cup Final in three seasons, Liverpool playing in both other European competitions during that time.
The title race had reached its last lap by the time Club Brugge – second round conquerors of Ipswich – arrived at Anfield for the first leg of the final on Wednesday 28 April (QPR were a point clear on finishing their fixtures, Liverpool needing a win at Wolves in their final game the following week to be crowned champions).
During the opening quarter hour it appeared Mersey minds were elsewhere as the Belgians raced into a two goal lead. But in a stunning five minute second half spell the home side went from down and out to in with a shout – Kennedy (60), Case (62) and Keegan with a penalty (65) making sure there was a slender lead to protect on travelling to Belgium.
That advantage was nullified after just eleven minutes of the second leg, but by the quarter hour Keegan had struck back. Despite chances falling to both sides in the subsequent 75 minutes neither were able to score again, Liverpool holding out to once more parade the cup.
They would, however, not be available to defend the trophy – a 3-1 victory at Molineux on May 3 had landed the championship and another crack at the European Cup, but victory over Brugge saw them emulate the achievement of 1972-73 in recording a double of league title and UEFA Cup – a trophy that would not be won again by an English club for another five years.
1976-77: England representatives – QPR, Manchester United, Manchester City, Derby County;
By a strange twist of fate, on their return to Europe after a seven season absence Manchester United were accompanied by neighbours City just as they had been in 1968-69 when both contested the European Cup – United as holders, the Maine Road side league champions.
On becoming champions of Europe in 1968, Old Trafford had seen no major silverware since, a period that involved a state of inertia followed by one season tenure in Division Two. But on returning to the top flight in 1975 had produced a brand of exciting, often inspired football that resulted in them reaching the 1976 FA Cup Final (when they had surprisingly lost to second division Southampton) while a third placed league finish clinched UEFA Cup qualification in putting European football back before the Stretford End.
With a stylish City side joining them in the fray as League Cup winners (their first trophy since 1970), Manchester appeared to have strong representation, the early signals shown by United offering no shortage of optimism. Going down to a goal in Amsterdam from Krol (who made a habit of scoring against English sides), Ajax, in front of almost 60,000 at Old Trafford were removed with goals from Lou Macari and Sammy McIlroy as the home side notched a memorable victory.
Going through with much less difficulty but no shortage of entertainment were QPR. Pipped at the post by Liverpool for the league title a few months earlier, their first ever European campaign began with a 4-0 Shepherd’s Bush bulldozing of Norwegian side Brann, Scottish midfielder Don Masson adding to a Stan Bowles hat-trick in a 4-0 win. Just to prove it was no fluke ‘Stan the Man‘ helped himself to another in the second leg, Dave Webb, Dave Thomas and Don Givens (2) also joining the fun as Rangers amassed an 11-0 margin.
On their return to UEFA Cup duty after a two round European Cup jaunt the season before, Derby eclipsed QPR in just one game – putting a first leg dozen past visiting Finn Harps. In this mismatch Hector went nap, Charlie George and Welsh winger Leighton James contributed hat-tricks, with Rioch also scoring in a 12-0 win.
They were more restrained on their visit to County Donegal where Hector and George each scored twice in a 4-1 win – the home side troubling the scorers through an own goal from England international defender Roy McFarland.
It was, however, not a clean sweep for the English contingent – Manchester City falling at the first in going out to Juventus.
City won the Maine Road first leg with a goal from former United European Cup winner Brian Kidd, but in Turin conceded in each half as their first excursion into Europe since the 1970-71 season came to a swift end.
After accounting for their local adversaries in round one, Juventus then did for United in the second. England winger Gordon Hill scored the goal that divided the teams when Old Trafford was again packed to the rafters, but like City they failed to score in the Stadio Comunale and were breached three times as the home side, already looking ominously good, eased on to the next stage.
They were joined in the third round by free-scoring QPR who shared six first leg goals with Slovan Bratislava, Bowles (2) and Givens weighing in with the visitors quota in a 3-3 draw. Any hopes of an away win in W12 then went west in the face of a Givens hat-trick and efforts from England internationals Bowles and full-back Dave Clements, Rangers winning 5-2 at a canter.
In the final second round analysis QPR were the only English contenders left standing as Derby came to the end of their road against AEK Athens. After going down 2-0 in Greece, The Rams suffered a 3-2 defeat on home soil, (their first Baseball Ground loss in European competition), George and Rioch on target in a tie where all the goals were scored in the second half, the Greeks outscoring their hosts to a go through on a 5-2 aggregate.
The reversal, which to date stands as their last major fixture in Europe, was enough for the board to dispense with Mackay soon afterward, who just eighteen months before had guided Derby to the league title. For their part AEK Athens were not yet done with English clubs through the duration.
Unable to rediscover the consistently sparkling form that had taken them to within a whisker being league champions last time out, QPR were found at their finest and most flakey in the third round meetings with Cologne.
One account described their play as ‘breathtaking‘ as goals from Givens, Bowles and Webb secured a 3-0 lead for the second leg in West Germany – where Rangers hardly paused for breath in taking a fourth minute lead through Masson. Yet by half-time they were 4-1 down, the fourth minute away goal by the Scottish international proving vital when the second half brought no further scoring.
By the time time AEK Athens landed at Loftus Road in early March, QPR had reached (and lost) a League Cup semi-final – going out to eventual winners Aston Villa – their league displays riven with inconsistency as they bumped along in mid-table. There would be no greater proof of how erratic they could be than the contrast between each leg of the quarter-finals.
Former England captain Gerry Francis converted two penalties while Bowles scored his eleventh goal of the competition, (he would finish as top UEFA Cup scorer of the season), as QPR built up a 3-0 lead – but in Athens they could not prevent the home side erasing the first leg advantage, an 82nd minute strike levelling the tie and necessitating a penalty shoot out after extra-time failed to produce a goal.
In the event Webb and Peter Eastoe missed from the spot as the drama ran to thirteen kicks, QPR going out on a 7-6 deficit.
The ensuing hangover took Rangers a long time to shake off. They failed to win any of their next six league games and drifted on to finish fourteenth, summer bringing the departure of Dave Sexton who left for Old Trafford when Manchester United parted company with Tommy Docherty. Following a poor showing in 1978-79 QPR slipped out of Division One, Loftus Road playing host to second division football barely two years after it staged a UEFA Cup quarter-final – their subsequent slide after producing some exhilarating mid-decade football, a curious chapter in the story of late-70s English football.
After eliminating two clubs from England, AEK proved no match for Juventus (who had done the same) in the semi-finals – the Turin outfit winning both legs before going forward to defeat Athletic Bilbao in the final.
1977-78: England representatives – Manchester City, Ipswich Town, Aston Villa, Newcastle United;
After Liverpool had recently ended the nine year European Cup hoodoo of English clubs, hopes were high a five year UEFA Cup barren spell might also come to an end – particularly as three of the latest contingent had recent experience of the competition, while the fourth, Newcastle, had a 1969 Fairs Cup triumph to their name.
With a fifth placed finish ensuring a first European venture of the decade, Newcastle marked their return by drawing 0-0 in Ireland against Bohemians. Two goals each in the Tyneside second leg from Alan Gowling and Tommy Craig brought onward progress, this 4-0 victory a rare ninety minutes of pleasure in what was already shaping up to be a troubling season at St James’ Park.
There were no difficulties for Ipswich to contend with as they also breezed into round two. On their visit to Swedish side Landskrona Boll the fixture was decided by a Whymark goal – who then repeated his 1973 feat against Lazio by scoring four times in a Portman Road UEFA Cup tie, future England centre-forward Paul Mariner adding to the tally as the home side won 5-0 in making six the overall difference.
Aston Villa, who had qualified on two counts being League Cup winners and by finishing fourth, avoided the first round slip-up of two years before by safely negotiating their way past Fenerbahce. At Villa Park, Andy Gray, John Deehan (2) and Brian Little found the net in a 4-0 win, Villa then keeping a clean sheet in Turkey where goals from Deehan and Little saw them safely through.
Of the English quartet it would be, for the second season in a row, Manchester City who failed to make the second round cut, the Maine Road outfit crashing out on away goals to Widzew Lodz.
England forwards Peter Barnes and Mike Channon each scored to put the home side in a strong position with twenty minutes of the first leg to go, but this match, like others in his distinguished career, would be turned around by accomplished midfielder Zbigniew Boniek. Prior to him joining Juventus, where he would win numerous honours – including the European Cup – the Polish international enhanced his growing reputation by scoring twice (one a penalty) as Lodz fought back to claim the 2-2 draw that saw them through when the second leg finished scoreless.
In round two it would be Aston Villa who faced Polish opposition, but they were thorough in dealing with Gornik Zabrze. Central defender Ken McNaught scored both goals in a 2-0 first leg success, a second half effort from Scottish international Gray in the return clinching a 1-1 that saw Villa through with something to spare.
Any notion UEFA Cup advancement might provide Newcastle respite from a torrid league campaign ended when they fell prey to French side Bastia.
Young striker Paul Cannell scored for the visitors when they went down by the odd goal in three, but at St James’ Park the Corsica-based side had too much for the misbegotten Magpies for whom Gowling replied in a 3-1 defeat. The two teams were already on different courses – one of whom was heading for relegation, the other to a UEFA Cup Final.
Ipswich were made to sweat before booking their third round place at the expense of Las Palmas. The Spanish side went down to an Eric Gates goal in East Anglia, but then shared six goals with their visitors to Gran Canaria, Mariner (2) and Les Tibbott accounting for those of the away side.
The third round draw brought a pair of England v Spain ties as Aston Villa were paired with Athletic Bilbao with Ipswich facing the might of Barcelona.
The reputation of a star-studded visiting line-up counted for nothing as they were pulled apart at Portman Road, Gates, Whymark and Talbot doing the damage as Ipswich scored a resounding win. Yet once more more a 3-0 first leg advantage was not sufficient to see them through, Barcelona, with Cruyff scoring twice, responding with a 3-0 win of their own.
When the additional half hour not producing a goal, the tie went to penalties – and not for the first time Ipswich succumbed in such circumstances, Talbot, Viljoen and Woods all failing to convert as they lost the shoot out 3-1.
While exiting the UEFA Cup was another misstep during a campaign unfolding into their worst league season of the decade, for Ipswich salvation would arrive the following May when they lifted the FA Cup.
Aston Villa meanwhile came out on top in their Anglo-Spanish encounter – the tendency for home wins and away draws duly maintained. In front of the Holte End an own goal and strike from Deehan put a 2-0 lead up for protection from the first leg. On the visit to Bilbao, a first half effort from Dennis Mortimer enabled Ron Saunders side to earn a 1-1 draw and safe passage to the last eight.
Eleven weeks later on March 1 1978 Villa took up the English challenge of attempting to knock out Barcelona, a semi-final place reward for the victors.
At one stage of the first up Villa Park encounter it looked the visitors were almost there as aided by another Cruyff goal they worked up a 2-0 lead – but in the closing stages McNaught (87) and Deehan (89) ensured Villa travelled with hope to Catalonia.
Those hopes increased when Little fired them into a 57th minute lead, but were then dashed in a ten minute spell when Barcelona scored twice, Villa remaining gallant but unable to reduce the 4-3 arrears. In the semi-final Barcelona went out to PSV Eindhoven, who thereafter lifted the trophy by defeating Bastia in the final.
Five years later Aston Villa met their 1977-78 UEFA Cup conquerors again, only this time with a trophy on the line. The two sides contested the 1982-83 European Super Cup, Villa as champions of Europe and Barcelona holders of the Cup Winners’ Cup. Revenge was gained as The Villans added another honour to their roster, the European Cup paraded at Villa Park ten years before the Camp Nou could acclaimed their first triumph, Cruyff by this time coach, in 1992.
1978-79: England representatives – Everton, Manchester City, Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion;
With Liverpool having retained the European Cup and now joined by surprise league champions Nottingham Forest for a two-pronged assault on the trophy as the ’70s came to an end, so the English UEFA Cup contingent were intent on ending the decade with crowning glory in Europe.
It would have been an opportune way for Everton to end an era that began by them winning the 1970 league championship in admirable fashion. With it had come the prospect of many a glory day to follow, but in the intervening time the land of Evertonia had been bereft of bounty, near league and cup misses of no consolation as the red side of Stanley Park became laden with laurels.
Finishing third the previous season as centre-forward Bob Latchford became only the second top flight marksman of the decade (Francis Lee for Manchester City in 1971-72 the other), to reach the thirty goal mark, Everton set out by amassing double figures against Finn Harps.
On their journey across the Irish Sea, Andy King (2), Dave Thomas (who had they signed from QPR), Latchford and Mick Walsh netted in a 5-0 win, the hosts doing the same at Goodison where King, Latchford, Walsh, Trevor Ross and Martin Dobson chipped in with goals.
With Gordon Lee overseeing the best Everton side since Harry Catterick’s champions of 1970, they were fancied to outgun Dulka Prague in round two, but the 2-1 home leg triumph determined by goals from Latchford and King was insufficient – a 1-0 defeat in the Czech capital sending the visitors out on away goals, the good times still six years away from finding their way back to the Gladwys Street.
Manchester City avoided the indignity of three successive first round departures when they proved too good for Twente. England defender Dave Watson scored the goal that earned a 1-1 draw in Holland, City winning through with a 3-2 Maine Road triumph where Kidd, an own goal and last of the 153 all-time great Colin Bell would score in sky blue enabled the home side to finally participate in the second round draw.
Back in Europe after a seven season hiatus were Arsenal, who aside from finishing fifth had lost in the FA Cup Final to Ipswich. Now under the stewardship of former player Terry Neill, they made light work of one-time English bogey side Lokomotive Leipzig, Irish striker Frank Stapleton scoring a brace in each tie as straightforward victories were attained. At Highbury his two goals were added to by one from Alan Sunderland in a 3-0 win, while in East Germany Sunderland and Liam Brady also made goalscoring contributions to a 4-1 success.
With Nottingham Forest not only winning the championship against the odds but also lifting the League Cup, due to Clough and Taylor taking their City Ground charges into the European Cup the final UEFA Cup spot went to sixth placed West Bromwich Albion – who under Johnny Giles and now Ron Atkinson had developed into side who could dazzle at the drop of a hat.
On their first leg visit to Turkish side Galatasaray, future England skipper Bryan Robson and supremely gifted winger Laurie Cunningham (2) found the net in a 3-1 win, the same two players, along with John Trewick, on target for the same outcome at The Hawthorns.
In round two Arsenal, destined to win the FA Cup later in the season, made further headway in advancing on away goals at the expense of Hajduk Split.
Irish midfield ace Brady scored for The Gunners on their visit to Yugoslavia where a 2-1 defeat was far from insurmountable, that said it took a late Highbury goal from centre-half Willie Young to send Arsenal through.
For much of their first leg meeting against visiting Standard Liege it appeared an early Manchester City goal from Asa Hartford would be the difference between the sides when matters were resumed in Belgium – but Kidd twice (85,86) and Roger Palmer (88) added the gloss as the hosts finished up winning 4-0. It was fortunate they did as Liege scored twice without reply in the return, City not without one or two alarms, surviving to win 4-2 on aggregate.
In Cyrille Regis West Brom had a centre-forward of exceptional all-round ability, his two goals enough to settle the first leg against Braga, the Portuguese side then sunk by an Alistair Brown effort on visiting the Black Country.
By the time round three came calling in late November 1978, the Winter of Discontent had begun to take hold, although for the moment it by-passed Maine Road and The Hawthorns where the UEFA Cup was concerned, the teams they housed both advancing into round four.
Not so Arsenal who went down 1-0 on their visit to eventual finalists Red Star Belgrade. At Highbury level terms were restored with a Sunderland goal only for the visitors to score in the closing stages, going through 2-1 on aggregate after the 1-1 draw in N5.
Manchester City meanwhile scored through Kidd and Paul Power in the San Siro as they held AC Milan to a 2-2 draw – Hartford, Kidd and long-serving defender Tommy Booth all wearing their scoring boots as the visitors were eclipsed in front of the Kippax, City coasting through with a 3-0 win.
On travelling to Valencia, Cunningham scored for The Baggies when they came away with a 1-1 draw, Albion settling the issue back on home turf through goals without reply from full-back Derek Statham and veteran striker Tony ‘Bomber’ Brown.
By March 1979 the two English clubs left standing had begun to travel different paths. City plodded through the winter months, a late-January fourth round FA Cup defeat at third division Shrewsbury Town indicative of how fitfully they were performing, Albion on the other hand producing consistently impressive performances – none more so than a 5-3 December victory at Old Trafford – in emerging as the only viable challengers to a Liverpool side intent on regaining the title.
But as things transpired neither were able to prolong their UEFA Cup involvement beyond the last eight.
At Maine Road against eventual competition winners Borussia Monchengladbach, a Channon goal ensured they had parity for the return, yet defeat was already inevitable when Polish midfielder Kazimierz Deyna netted late in a 3-1 second leg reversal – Manchester City having just played their last significant European fixture for 24 years.
By a strange twist of fate West Brom, like Arsenal, would be knocked out by Red Star Belgrade, the Yugoslavs going on to lose against the West Germans in the final.
Losing to a solitary goal in the first leg was not the worst outcome for Atkinson and his team, who then became favourites to go through when Regis levelled matters before half-time at The Hawthorns. With neither side able to find a breakthrough another half hour was looming, only for Red Star to strike with ninety seconds left – Albion left with no time to score the two goals needed to keep their UEFA Cup bid alive, although they would return for another crack the following season.
On the same night, Wednesday 21 March 1979, Nottingham Forest – having already eliminated Liverpool – made further European Cup progress. Their scarcely-believable rise from winning the title at the first time of asking to already retaining the League Cup, now extending to the distinct possibility of becoming champions of Europe.
Indeed, with the successive triumphs that followed Forest extended the European Cup dominance of English clubs that continued on with Liverpool (1981) and Aston Villa (1982) – the six in a row a mirror of the Fairs/UEFA Cup successes as the 60s gave way to the 70s.
In the early 70s few would have foreseen such a transfer of power in regard to English clubs from one competition to the other, yet it would take many years and numerous failed attempts for the illusive double to be captured – Liverpool (European Cup) and Ipswich Town (UEFA Cup) the (first) triumphant twosome in 1981.