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Second European Journey
1966-67
Burnley qualified for Europe in 1966/67 on the
back of their league success in the previous year. It no longer mattered that Burnley
wasn’t a city nor that it did not hold a fair. A garden fete with a hand-worked
tombola didn’t count. They were in the Inter-Cities Fairs (now UEFA) Cup "purely
and simply on merit," as Bob Lord put it. Powered by their double spearhead of Andy
Lochhead and Willie Irvine and the rapier wing play of Ralph Coates and Willie Morgan,
they achieved third position in 1965/66 with an identical points tally to their
Championship-winning season. Irvine scored 37 and Lochhead 23 of Burnley’s 99 league
and cup goals that year. Also, Burnley’s youth policy was still delivering the goods.
During the summer their Under 21 team won an international tournament in Dusseldorf, with
Coates being named as Player of the Tournament. No wonder Manager Harry Potts was
optimistic about the future. Man City boss Joe Mercer shared this. Mercer remarked,
"They call themselves a small club but they are second to none." The Burnley
Express was more cautious though, stating, "Providing Burnley can keep most of this
team together they can keep the club at the top for years to come.2
The local paper was right to be cautious. Despite the club’s
ambitions to develop a new seated stand and recreational centre at the Beehole End, the
figures were not adding up. The playing success of 1965/66 yielded a meagre profit of
£2,000 and this was only achieved when £40,000 worth of transfer revenue was included.
On the other hand, the huge success of the 1966 World Cup had introduced the game to a
wider audience and that new popularity was reflected in Burnley’s five-fold increase
in season ticket sales. Moreover, the World Cup had introduced grants for ground
improvements. Not that Chairman Bob Lord was entirely sold on the prospect of such grants.
He stated, "The day will arrive when football will be told what to do, how to do it
and when to do it. Football has accepted grants. Next time it will have to accept
conditions. That must never happen." But Bob Lord’s strong stand on
self-sufficiency carried a price. If Burnley couldn’t break even when they were
almost top of the pile, what chance was there of keeping their team together, particularly
if the club decided to invest in new capital projects?
For all that, the 1966/67 season started brightly. England’s
wingless wonders had just achieved World Cup glory and as if to celebrate their
pre-eminence, the opening games of the new campaign were all played in blazing sunshine.
Ken Higgs and John Snow contributed to the party, too. Their improbable last wicket stand
of 128 on that Saturday helped puncture the Windies’ invincibility. Many of us
watched our first games with 'Test Match Special' pressed to our ears. Meanwhile in China,
many had Mao’s Little Red Book pressed into their palms. For this was the dawn of the
Chinese Cultural Revolution. Our cultural revolution was still mop-haired, though, as the
Fab Four, now ‘more popular than Jesus’, continued to clean up in both the
singles ('Yellow Submarine' / 'Eleanor Rigby') and album ('Revolver') charts.
As for Burnley, they started as they finished; hammering the Blades
4-0 at the Turf helped by a Gordon Harris hat-trick. They didn’t stop there, either.
Fulham (3-0) and West Brom (2-1) were quickly brushed aside and a draw at Everton (1-1) on
the 6th September took Burnley into top place. It was the same day on which the
architect of apartheid Dr Hendrick Verwoed was knifed to death in South African House of
Assembly. Not that this made a jot of difference. Two weeks later a South African bill was
introduced banning all inter racial political parties. Another case of ‘Meet the new
boss, same as the old boss’. Anyway, with the first round of the Inter-Cities Fairs
Cup due to begin, Burnley’s interest in foreign affairs was for now strictly
European.
vfb Stuttgart v Burnley
20th September 1966
In 1963 the FA and the Football League entered Burnley for
the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, along with Everton, but as Burnley was neither a city nor
mounted a large industrial fair, the ICFC Committee did not accept their nomination.
Dennis Follows, secretary to the FA, appealed to the Committee but without success.
Ironically, Dunfermline, a town even smaller than Burnley, were allowed to compete,
eliminating league champions elect Everton in the First Round.
Three years later, Burnley were nominated by FA secretary Alan
Hardaker to compete in this competition along with 1965/66 League runners up Leeds and
League Cup winners West Brom This time all nominations were accepted.
Initially, it seemed as if Hanover would be Burnley’s first
opponents, but following a successful appeal, vfb Stuttgart replaced them. It was a
curious business. After all, Stuttgart had finished higher than Hanover in the Bundesliga.
Having watched Stuttgart beforehand, Harry Potts was confident
Burnley could progress. He said, "This is going to be a very hard match [whenever
will they tell us that it’s going to be pushover?], but we have the ability to do
well." Harry actually thought that this side was better equipped for European success
than his Championship-winning team. Stuttgart’s early season form had been mixed but
they had beaten title holders TSV Munchen 2-0 on the previous Saturday, while Burnley were
drawing 2-2 with Spurs at Turf Moor, thanks to Lochhead’s brace. The Stuttgart result
was particularly impressive given that TSV Munchen had thrashed Burnley 5-0 during their
1966 summer tour.
By the 20th September, The Small Faces had overtaken the
Beatles with their terrific single 'All Or Nothing'. But by then, popular music was not
just a consumer thing. Some artists were determined to use their prominence to make
political statements. Take Joan Baez, for example. While Burnley were preparing for their
big night, she was leading a group of black children into an all white Mississippi school.
James Meredith had been shot just a few months earlier when he tried to brave the colour
bar at the State University. Not that Britain could feel complacent. The recruitment of
British Army officers was still subject to a colour bar.
It was a mild, hazy September evening when Burnley took on Stuttgart
at the Neckarstadion. Certainly the weather was no deterrent and 75,000 had turned up on
the previous Saturday for the TSV Munchen game. But only 10,000 bothered to come for this
European tie. They were lost in the expanse of that stadium. Unsurprisingly, the game was
played in an eerie silence. That helped Burnley, who should have been several goals up by
half time. Morgan and Coates, especially, ran Stuttgart dizzy. However, they had to settle
for the one goal they scored after seventeen minutes. Morgan and Harris set up Brian
O’Neil, who chipped over the German defence for the alert Irvine to nip in and half
volley in off the bar. Ten minutes later the crossbar came to Stuttgart’s assistance
when O’Neil’s twenty yarder struck its underside and bounced back into play.
Morgan wasted a further opportunity after two Stuttgart defenders had collided. Instead of
passing to the unmarked Irvine he went for goal alone only to shoot wide. A little later
Lochhead’s shot penetrated a crowded goalmouth but hit the unsighted German keeper.
Finally, on the stroke of half time, Lochhead’s goal-bound effort was turned away for
a corner. Stuttgart’s only chance came from a sliced Harris clearance, which just
cleared his own crossbar.
Even then, Germans had a reputation for diving and feigning injury.
By employing these tactics, their national team had engineered a number of dismissals
during the World Cup. It was said to be a legacy of their top stars playing in Italy.
Certainly, Stuttgart seemed disinclined to challenge the stereotype. It paid them
dividends, too. In the 51st minute, Reiner dragged himself into the area before
collapsing in a heap. Bellamy’s attempted tackle was quite irrelevant, but a penalty
was awarded and Weiss proceeded to beat Blacklaw. Worse almost followed six minutes later,
but Miller, leaping desperately, just managed to clear Entemann’s header.
The game then degenerated into a petulant spat with the
whistle-happy referee losing control. Elder was brought down by a vicious foul, Koppal
floored O’Neil and Angus was booked for an off-the-ball brush with Gress. Then six
minutes from time, O’Neil dispossessed Hoffman, who reacted by collapsing in
theatrical agony. The referee ignored this until the linesman raised his flag. The home
crowd was screaming for retribution. Having briefly consulted his linesman, Swiss referee
Gilbert Droz called O’Neil across and ordered him off. Meanwhile, Hoffman was making
a swift and full recovery. Catcalls and whistles were directed at O’Neil as he made
his disconsolate way across the cinder track en route to the dressing room. Although a 1-1
draw was a good result, the game left everyone feeling sour. Jimmy Adamson summed it up
when he remarked, "How can a team give their best when they have to contend with this
kind of thing?"
Burnley v vfb Stuttgart
27th September
Burnley remained unbeaten in the League until September 24th,
albeit by drawing five games in succession. But on this day they were no match for a
rampant Man Utd, who demonstrated their Championship credentials by demolishing the
Clarets 4-1. Paddy Crerand set them on their way. Dennis Law’s showy bicycle kick in
front an exultant Stretford End confirmed their superiority. In truth, their 2-0 half-time
lead should have been greater. Admittedly, Andy Lochhead put Burnley briefly back into the
game just after the interval when he nodded in after Irvine had headed Coates’ far
post centre back across goal. But United always had far too much in reserve and Herd and
Sadler finished it off. With Jim Reeves’ 'Distant Drums' top of the charts, this was
not a good day.
However, come Tuesday the Burnley lads had got this drubbing out of
their system. After all, there was a score to settle here and although Stuttgart started
brightly they were steadily pushed back by the weight of Burnley’s pressure. Again
Morgan and Coates were the scourges of the German’s defence, but they were unable to
turn their domination into goals. At half time the game was still scoreless.
However within 13 minutes of the restart, Burnley finally got the
goal they deserved. Morgan slipped the ball through to Angus. His centre fell first to
Lochhead and then to Irvine but both of their goal attempts were blocked, before Coates
finally tucked away the second rebound. But the highlight of the evening was
Burnley’s second scored in the 78th minute. Harris won the ball in his own
area. His long ball out to Coates resulted in a quick cross, which Lochhead then swept
home. As former FA Director of Coaching Charles Hughes has observed, 85% of goals are
scored from moves involving five passes or less.
Pfiefer in the Stuttgart goal experienced a hectic final thirteen
minutes, as his goal became besieged. He saved at the feet of Irvine but was helpless when
Harris’s shot struck the underside of the bar. Blacklaw, on the other hand,
didn’t have a save to make all evening. Despite needing a goal from the game,
Stuttgart packed their defence with eight or nine players. It didn’t help them and
Burnley deservedly went through to the next round. Burnley should have won by more than
the 3-1 aggregate, but that’s a mere detail.
Lausanne-Sports v
Burnley
19th October 1966
After a warm, bright and dry September, October was largely wet and
gloomy. In South Wales the gloom was intensified by the Aberfan disaster. Just days after
Burnley’s game in Lausanne, a giant NCB coal tip suddenly became an avalanche, 400
metres of oozing black sludge crashing in on a local primary school, killing 116 children
and 28 adults.
But there were no sombre thoughts as Burnley travelled to Lausanne.
After all, they were about to play in one of the world’s most beautiful locations.
Moreover Lausanne had one of the finest national stadia. The 60,000 capacity Stade
Olympique had been specially designed for the 1954 World Cup. It nestled on a wooded
hillside in the foothills of the French Alps, commanding a spectacular view over the clear
blue waters of Lake Geneva. Certainly, this was a step up from Stamford Bridge where
Burnley had won 3-1 on the previous Saturday.
Not that there was cause to be churlish about the win in London.
This had been an excellent result against the League leaders. Lochhead scored two headed
goals in the first half, Morgan (from a corner) and Bellamy providing the crosses. Morgan
then crowned a splendid display with a well struck third after a dummy from Harris had
sent him clear. Lochhead’s aerial power had caused the Chelsea defence no end of
problems, while Morgan and Coates had run their markers ragged as they constantly switched
the emphasis of attack. Harry was made up with it all.
Nevertheless, he was right to be cautious about Lausanne’s
strength as the Swiss team had just supplied six members of the national World Cup squad
and contained eight full internationals in all. Before the season started Lausanne had
been tipped to win the Swiss League, but these hopes had faded after a poor start, in
which only five points had been secured from seven games. Their defence was leaky, too,
having conceded thirteen goals thus far. Going into the tie with Burnley they were placed
in 11th position. On song Willie Irvine was rested in favour of Bellamy as
Harry decided to play with a sweeper. Nevertheless Harry promised, "Away goals are
vital in this competition and we are out to get as many as possible."
After a day of continuous rain the temperature plummeted and only
4,000 braved a bitterly cold night to witness one of Burnley’s finest displays.
Lausanne started brightly enough and went ahead after fifteen minutes through Armbruster,
but this was their high water mark. Burnley then proceeded to close the Swiss side down
with Harris and O’Neil playing superbly in defence. Not that Harris’ and
O’Neil’s duties were confined to the back. Both tested goalkeeper Schneider
before Lochhead helped to set up an equaliser for Coates fifteen minutes before half time.
Lochhead had already had what appeared to be a legitimate goal ruled out for offside. This
time he beat Schneider to Angus’ cross, flicking on to Coates who scored with a
diving header at the far post. As in Stuttgart, Coates and Morgan were outstanding,
flitting all over the greasy pitch. But in the 44th minute it was Angus who was
again the provider, setting up almost a carbon copy goal. This time Lochhead’s
deflection let in Harris for a free header.
In the second half, Burnley lost some their drive after Coates'
pulled muscle reduced him to a limp. But Lausanne’s direct approach suited
Burnley’s sweeper system. Not only were the Clarets able to contain the Swiss, they
found the better openings. Harris and, man-of-the-match Lochhead (twice) had opportunities
to seal the tie before the latter finally gained his reward in the 86th minute.
Lochhead flicked Elder’s free kick to Angus, whose return he then headed home.
Burnley v Lausanne-Sports
25th October 1966
Irvine duly returned for the second leg, though Coates was ruled
out because of the injury he sustained in Switzerland. "We are going for more
goals," predicted Alex Elder confidently. Burnley were better than their word, they
were ravenous. Weakened by injuries, the Swiss side were overwhelmed. Only a splendid
display by replacement keeper Kunzi prevented an unprecedented hiding. Lausanne manager
Karl Rappen spent most of the game anxiously pacing the touchline as his team were
comprehensively outplayed. Burnley scored five, hit the crossbar four times and had
innumerable chances blocked or cleared. Even the referee finally felt compelled to applaud
the heroic efforts of the overworked Kunzi. The Four Tops’ number one hit,
‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’ seemed to have a personal resonance for him.
Surprisingly, it took twenty-six minutes before the Swiss defence
was first breached. Irvine’s centre rebounded off a defender for Lochhead to score
with ease. Six minutes later, Lochhead grabbed a second from Morgan’s cross. Elder
and O’Neil then both struck the bar with Kunzi helpless. But one of the biggest
cheers of the night was reserved for Durr's lone hopeful effort, which Blacklaw gathered
without fuss. Groberty’s smart shot tested Blacklaw more just after the restart, but
his full length save averted danger. Burnley then proceeded to punish the Swiss for their
impudence, scoring twice, through O’Neil and Irvine, in the next five minutes. Twice
more the woodwork saved Lausanne before Lochhead duly completed his hat-trick with sixteen
minutes left. By the end, Burnley were taking pot-shots at the beleaguered Kunzi from all
angles. Despite their considerable experience in top European competitions, Lausanne had
been totally over-run in this tie, as their president, Louis Clopard, sportingly
acknowledged. He said, "This Burnley side are the best we have met. About this we are
unanimous."
The ‘Swinging’
Era
In 1966, Northern football teams still had a stranglehold on League
success. Some of the former giants like Preston, Blackpool, Blackburn, Bolton and
Huddersfield were in serious decline, but only the King’s Road brat pack threatened
the dominance of sides like Liverpool, Everton, Man Utd and Leeds. Man City would shortly
join this select company. But while the North and North West, in particular, had apparent
monopoly rights on footballing success, the centre of the pop scene had moved to the
capital.
Ironically, ‘Swinging London’, the so-called fashion
centre of the world, achieved its reputation on the back of Northern efforts. For the
Beatles’ international popularity had helped to make Britain, and London in
particular, the world’s cultural hub. Fashion designers like Mary Quant ("Good
taste is death, vulgarity is life") and Glaswegian John Stephen had made Carnaby
Street a fashion Mecca. Twiggy, pale, waif-like and androgynous, stared out impassively
from the covers of Vogue. Clubs like the Marquee attracted the brash and abrasive British
bands.
It is difficult to see The Stones in this guise now that they are so
establishment. But then they were considered wild and dangerous. This was how one writer
remembered Mick Jagger, "lips like bumpers, so fast and flash he flickered like a
whitewash James Brown. He was all sex." (Nik Cohn). Then there was the acerbic Pete
Townshend, hoping he’d die before he got old (hmm) and prepared to tackle all sorts
of ‘no go’ subjects from parentally enforced cross-dressing ('I’m A Boy')
to teenage masturbation ('Pictures Of Lily'). While Family Favourites like Ken Dodd (yes,
really!) and The Batchelors dominated the singles charts, it was albums like The
Stones’ ‘Aftermath’, Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd and the experimental
Soft Machine, which were better registers of young taste. LSD was no longer just an
old-fashioned expression for dosh.
But was this ‘Swinging’ era merely a marketing ploy, a
wheeze dreamed up to sell jackets and tins with union jack designs, simply a mass
illusion? That at least seemed to be the point of the obscure 1966 film 'Blow Up'. It
featured a David Bailey type left doubting what he’d snapped. The Yardbirds
contributed a combustible 'Stroll On' as two models cavorted in his studio. Of course, the
problem with this illusion theory is on what basis do we decide what is fake and what is
genuine?
My lingering memory of the year, though, is a much darker one. For
in May 1966, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were sentenced to life imprisonment for the
‘Moors Murders’. A hall porter observed to journalist, Maurice Richardson,
"If those two were sane they’d gone mad long ago." But what was also
disturbing were the trial accounts of their more humdrum moments, their walks with their
dog, Puppet, their picnics, their nights out on the town. It was just like the Eichmann
trial. James Morris described him as appearing like "a textile manufacturer of
vaguely intellectual pursuits." If monsters like Brady, Hindley and Eichmann seem to
have no connection with the rest of humanity then it becomes easier to dismiss them as
evil freaks. But when they start to exhibit characteristics in common with the rest of us
that’s when it gets scary. I suppose we have to start thinking about continuums
rather than separate categories.
Burnley v Napoli
18th January 1967
In January 1967, Donald Campbell died when his Bluebird
somersaulted at 300mph on Coniston Water. A flash fire torched three US astronauts on
their launch pad. US Vietnam deaths reached an all time high. Jeremy Sandford, a writer
from a highly privileged background, exposed the plight of homeless young families in his
stark TV drama 'Cathy Come Home'. The emotional and political fall out helped to establish
the charity Shelter. An institution came to an end when the Boys’ Own magazine
folded. The unisex world had simply passed it by. Boys’ Own was more comfortably
placed in the age of Just William, when adolescent protest was registered by the
scruffiness of a school cap, when sweets, stamps and steam locomotives meant more than sex
and drugs and rock ’n’ roll. Not that all things past were irrelevant, though.
'The Forsyte Saga' began its marathon TV run in early January.
January started cold but dry. It began badly for Burnley with losses
at Leeds (1-3) and at home to Newcastle (0-2). Worse still, Alex Elder was injured in the
Newcastle game and Freddy Smith had to deputise for the Napoli tie. TV’s test tube
popsters, The Monkees, urged faith, though, at the top of the charts. 'I’m A
Believer', they chimed.
Matches between English and Italian teams seemed to guarantee
controversy. A recent Football League game with the Italian League had been marred by
violence. Also, a year earlier, Chelsea had been involved in a riot in Rome when enraged
fans attacked their players. We believed the Italians were to blame for the troubles. We
cited their Latin temperament, their passion and their sly fouls. They, in turn, held us
as culpable. ‘La brutalita Inglese’, they claimed. Whatever the truth, games
between Italian and British sides were usually highly charged affairs. This one would be
no different.
Napoli had recently re-established themselves in Serie A. They and
their hungered fans now yearned for that success, which had been for so long monopolised
by the northern giants of Milan and Turin. The club were prepared to invest heavily in
pursuit of their ambition, too. South American stars Omar Sivori and 1963 European Cup
winning goalscorer Jose Altafini were wooed from the North by big cash incentives. Now
Naples expected. Such was the extent of their craving that, when Sivori sealed victory at
arch-rivals Roma, he was rewarded with a specially engraved gold medal. By mid January,
Napoli had achieved third position in Serie A. They had gained more points than goals as
was typical of Italian sides drilled in Catenaccio – cat and mouse – tactics.
They must have looked at Burnley’s scoring record and particularly Lochhead’s in
bemused disbelief. Naples coach Enrico Zuppardi said, "Harris, Lochhead, Irvine and
Turf Moor are all new names to us, though I’m sure that they are all first rate
players." Zuppardi’s intelligence reports had obviously done him proud. Turf
Moor? What a player! Zuppardi’s remarks sounded complacent, particularly after he
decided to rest internationals Bianchi, Juliano and club captain, Pierluigi Ronson.
Sivori’s absence, though, was enforced due to a pulled muscle. Zuppardi decided to
play an ultra defensive formation. Clearly, the game plan was to secure a 0-0 draw and
then gain victory in the home leg. I wonder whether he detailed anyone to mark Turf Moor?
Napoli revealed their intentions as early as the second minute when
Lochhead was sent sprawling in the penalty area but the referee saw fit to award a goal
kick. Nevertheless, justice followed immediately when Coates scored after the Italians had
made a horlicks of the goalkick. The ball hadn’t actually left the area when Coates
took advantage of a defensive mix up but the goal still stood.
As befitted their national stereotype, Napoli ankle tapped and
kicked at will. Unsurprisingly, Burnley were incensed and tempers began to flare on both
sides. With the game threatening to become out of control, the referee called both
captains together. However, this had little effect. Shortly after Les Latcham had headed
Burnley’s second, Napoli centre-half Panzanato ran across the penalty area to kick
Lochhead, who was lying on the ground following an earlier collision. This was the
culmination of a series of niggles between the two players. The Burnley players were
outraged and a free-for-all then broke out in the area. Eventually the referee restored
order and dismissed Panzanato, who initially refused to leave protesting his innocence,
but eventually manager Zuppardi persuaded him to go. Finally, Lochhead finished off a good
night’s work by tucking away the third. By keeping their heads better than the
Italians, Burnley had given themselves an excellent chance of progression. But no one was
under any illusion of what would face them in Naples.
'The Battle of Naples'
Napoli v Burnley
8th February 1967
February 1967 saw the birth of the new hippie underground
magazine OZ. The first edition headlined with "Theological striptease. Turn on, tune
in, drop dead." It was a reworking of Timothy Leary’s mantra, but strangely
swimming against the contemporary tide of psychedelia. For even some pop songs had begun
to carry the narcotic message. Remember 'Strawberry Fields', 'Day In The Life' and 'Lucy
In The Sky With Diamonds'? Remember 'Eight Miles High'? Remember 'See Emily Play'? Even
heads down, mindless boogie merchants Status Quo would start off as a trippy outfit (but I
won’t ask you to remember 'Pictures of Matchstick Men'; it’s far too painful).
However, don’t let us run away with the idea that anything went in 1967.
Burnley’s Embassy Club (in Holmes Street) might have promised ‘exotic
shows’. Hendrix might have wowed us with his incendiary 'Hey Joe', but just three
days before Burnley’s away leg, the Musician’s Union banned The Stones from
playing 'Let’s Spend The Night Together' on the Eamonn Andrews TV show. Don’t
believe all the hype. The sixties were not that laid back.
Neither was the Italian press. Especially when it came down to
matters of national pride. For several weeks Il Gazetto del Sport and other sports rags
had vented their spleen at Turf Moor. They threatened, "I angeli venioni" –
"the angels are coming." They mocked Burnley, "From Lancashire, where studs
are made out of rose petals.". They welcomed them "to Naples where visiting
players are put through a mincing machine at the end of a game and their remains roasted
on a spit." Not that the locals needed much rousing for Naples, a city in which the
highly privileged and the desperately poor were as fiercely partisan as it gets. On ten
occasions the crowd had made it onto the San Paolo pitch despite a six-foot perimeter
moat. Firework displays were commonplace. Napoli had already incurred heavy fines for
crowd disturbances and in the past their ground had been closed, forcing the club to play
their home games away. Under the shadow of Vesuvius, things were cooking nicely.
From the kick off, Napoli piled forward. Many of the 60,000 crowd
were still filing in when the Burnley bar was struck, forcing deputy keeper Harry Thomson
to make the first of his heroic thirteen saves. But Burnley, packing their defence,
proceeded to cover well, forcing Napoli to play wide. Despite that Thomson, had to save
well from Altafini, Orlando, Juliano and Sivori. Napoli were quicker and sharper on the
ball often leaving the Burnley boys chasing shadows. But they hung on. Then in the
fortieth minute, the Italians had their best chance of pulling the game round. Miller was
harshly penalised for an alleged handling offence. Altafini strode forward confidently
having scored a hat-trick of penalties four days previously. But Thomson guessed
correctly, pushing the ball against the post before clutching the rebound. At half time it
was still 0-0.
The second half was a repeat of the first, with Burnley unable to
make any headway up front and calling everyone back in the cause of desperate defence.
Very often the ball was just hacked forward, allowing Napoli to pick it up and mount yet
another attack. Bianchi sprayed passes around brightly and Sivori, with socks rolled down,
tried strenuously to drive Napoli forward. But it was Micelli whom came closest to
reducing the deficit. His shot seemed to have eluded Thomson, but somehow the Burnley
keeper managed to claw it out of the air. By this time the home crowd’s frustrations
were spilling over. Fires had already been started on the terraces and when Altafini was
forced to leave the field shortly after a 70th minute clash of heads with
Latcham, cushions and coins rained down on him. However, the crowd’s fury turned on
Burnley after Sivori had viciously elbowed Merrington in the stomach and then had a go at
the bandaged Latcham, minutes before the final whistle.
But the real battle came after the game had ended. Thomson went to
shake Alberto Orlando’s hand, but the Italian responded by spitting in his face and
punching him. This was too much for Adam Blacklaw, who leapt to his colleague’s aid.
Blacklaw was then flattened by about a dozen Italians, some of whom appeared to be stadium
staff. Struggling to his feet, Blacklaw threw one of his assailants over his shoulder and
down some stone steps. He then made a hasty retreat to the dressing room where the rest of
the team had run for refuge. Blacklaw had every reason to hate Naples. Not only for this
carry on, but also for the humiliating defeat he and his fellow Scots suffered in a 1965
World Cup qualifier. That was to be his last cap.
The trouble didn’t end there, either. For an armed plainclothes
Italian Policemen came into the Burnley dressing room and demanded that Blacklaw leave
with him. Several Burnley players tried to intervene and a glass door was shattered in the
scuffle. Eventually Blacklaw was taken into an adjoining room where, accompanied by
manager Harry Potts, he was held for nearly an hour. Meanwhile a hostile crowd was
gathering at the stadium’s exit. Only the threat of Police gunfire managed to
disperse them. Even then, the Burnley coach required an armoured lorry and nine military
jeeps as escorts when it finally left the stadium. Also a group of six English reporters
needed to be taken into police custody for their own protection. The game became known as
‘The Battle of Naples’. It seemed entirely apt.
As for Burnley’s hero Harry Thomson, the Daily Express
described him as "a god in a green jersey. Burnley survived the most one-sided game I
have ever seen. And throughout it Thomson was brave, brilliant, lucky and, as 60,000
Neopolitan fans will confirm, sometimes fantastico!" Another admiring journalist
asked Harry whether this was his proudest day. "Not at all," replied the
supercool Harry, "this is how I always play."
Eintracht Frankfurt v Burnley
4th April 1967
The FA Cup defeat at Everton proved very costly. For just after
equalising Alex Young’s opening goal, Willie Irvine had to be stretchered off
following a collision with Johnny Morrisey. It was bad. Irvine had broken his leg. He
wouldn’t play again that season. In fact, he would never really recover his form at
Turf Moor. After a series of fitful performances in the first part of 1967/68 he was sold
to Preston for £45,000. Irvine had a terrific strike rate (78 goals in 123 league games
played for Burnley). No one could quite fill his place. Colin Blant was tried and did pick
up a brace at Blackpool in mid February (2-0). He also scored Burnley’s lone goal in
the home defeat by Chelsea (1-2) two weeks later. But he wasn’t really experienced
enough to play up front in Europe. Worse still, Lochhead became injured in the 2-0 defeat
of Sheffield Wednesday on April 1st. This meant that Burnley had to travel to
Frankfurt without any recognised central strikers.
Central Travel Service offered a five-day coach tour to Frankfurt at
£19 10 shillings (i.e. £19.50). Not that there seemed to be any competition. God knows
what the tour entailed. We weren’t told. But I’m sure there were some punters.
After all, this was a quarter final and a British team had yet to win this competition.
Eintracht Frankfurt were experienced European campaigners. Having
said that, they will probably be best remembered for their role as Real Madrid’s
stooges in the European Cup Final of 1960. Although Eintracht were good enough to blast
twelve goals past Glasgow Rangers in that same competition, they could not prevent Real
trouncing them 7-3 in one of the finest footballing displays ever seen.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s home was the huge Waldstadion, a modern
sports arena in a leafy part of the city. In 1974 it would be used as a World Cup venue.
In 1966, it was used as a boxing venue where Cassius Clay, shortly to become Mohammad Ali,
successfully defended his World Heavyweight title against the nimble local favourite, Karl
Mildenberger. Ali would shortly cause an international sensation when he became imprisoned
for refusing the Vietnam draft. He explained, "No Vietcong ever called me
nigger."
Eintracht had scored fifteen goals in their three home games in this
competition. As might be expected from such prolific scorers, they approached this game
confidently. Harry Potts decided to play Coates in a roving attacking role with Morgan as
his main source of support. Bellamy was utilised as a sweeper with a back line of Angus,
Merrington, Miller and Smith (Elder was still injured). Harris and Latcham played with
O’Neil and Morgan in midfield.
Thomson was now a permanent fixture in goal, after his magic night
in Naples. He’d even managed to save three penalties in a row. Alert as ever, he was
quickly off his line in the opening minute to smother a shot from Huberts. But that was
the sole threat to the Burnley goal during the next thirty five minutes as their well
organised defence successfully nullified Eintracht’s strike force. It was clear that
the Germans would have to produce something special to breach this solid back line.
However, in the 37th minute Eintracht managed to do just that. Future World Cup
right winger Grabowski crossed and Jurgen Friedrich scored with a spectacular overhead
kick. Suitably encouraged, the Germans swept forward and Thomson again did well to block
Grabowski’s shot in the 44th minute. The ball ran loose, but fortunately
Harris was on hand to clear.
At halftime, Harry pulled off a tactical masterstroke. Instead of
attempting to defend a 1-0 deficit Harry decided to push Coates and Morgan further up,
supported closely by Latcham and O’Neil. The Germans weren’t expecting this.
Encouraged by Eintracht’s evident lack of composure at the back, Burnley applied
continuous pressure. Finally, on the hour, justice was done. Keeper Kunter misjudged
Morgan’s corner and Miller thumped a header past two statuesque defenders. Although
Eintracht tested Thomson further, it was Burnley who should have won the game having
almost total control in the final fifteen minutes.
Eintracht manager Elek Schwartz said afterwards, "Burnley are
so good we were glad to finish level. Their desire to keep going was the telling
factor." A beaming Bob Lord claimed he’d never felt so proud. This was the best
we have ever played in Europe," he reckoned.
On the back of this highly impressive performance, Burnley were
rated joint favourites with Leeds to win the competition. The Fairs Cup Committee seemed
to go along with this assessment and were prepared to offer a Wembley final in the event
of Leeds and Burnley both getting through the semis. With Sandie Shaw’s 'Puppet On A
String' seizing The Eurovision crown a few days later, we seemed to be unstoppable on the
continent.
Burnley v Eintracht Frankfurt
18th April 1967
The odds were clearly in Burnley’s favour. They were level
going into the home leg and had the big advantage of having scored an away goal. Northern
Ireland international Alex Elder was fit again, too. On the other hand, they lost yet
another experienced and influential player to injury. This time it was John Angus. Even
more seriously, they had no proven goalscorer up front. This was a big cause for concern.
Surprisingly, Harry chose O’Neil and Latcham as his strike pairing.
On a fine night, Burnley began by attacking vigorously. Coates and
Morgan had the better of their markers but without two recognised strikers to contend
with, Eintracht centre backs Lindner and Blusch were generally untroubled. Although the
Germans needed an away goal, they seemed content to sit back for most of the first half.
Then twelve minutes from half-time disaster struck for Burnley. In a moment of aberration,
Merrington played a loose ball at the back, which Lotz intercepted. Having a clear run at
goal the German advanced quickly and clipped the ball past the helpless Thomson. Now the
Germans began to show what they could do going forward. Half time came with Burnley very
much second best.
In the second half the Germans kept up the attacking tempo. And
while Friedrich and Huberts began to exercise greater control in midfield, Burnley
disappeared as an attacking force. The main pressure was occurring at the wrong end. So,
it was of little surprise when Huberts increased Eintracht’s lead after 72 minutes.
Desperate measures were now needed. Moving Miller up front was one. Actually this did give
Burnley more of a cutting edge and the conscripted centre back managed to pull a goal back
late in the game. Burnley huffed and puffed but there was little chance that they would
turn the game around, especially with German keeper Kunter in such good form. Over 25,000
turned up in the hope of further European glory, more than 11,000 higher than their home
gate on the previous Saturday. Just about all of them left bitterly disappointed. Brian
Miller had played in all of Burnley’s European games. So it was fitting that he
should sum up the sorry Cup exit. Candid as ever, he said, "They played well. We
didn’t. If we played them again next Tuesday we would win. But it’s not much of
a consolation." With that, Burnley’s second and possibly last European journey
came to an end.
As for the rest of the season, it was fairly depressing stuff. Elder
was suspended for disciplinary reasons. He lost the captaincy and was soon on his way.
Although relegated Villa were beaten away (1-0), thanks to an own goal, this rather
meaningless win proved to be very costly. For during the game Brian Miller suffered a
serious knee injury. It was bad enough to end his playing career. The Burnley crowd seemed
to be losing interest, too. Less than 11,000 turned up at the Turf on the following
Saturday to see Arsenal romp home (1-4). However, the worst was still to come. Despite yet
another penalty save by the heroic Thomson, Sheffield Wednesday took the Clarets to the
cleaners a week later (0-7). The final game was at home to Everton. In January, the Third
Round tie between the two clubs had attracted over 42,000 to Turf Moor. This dismal
spectacle (1-1) drew around a quarter of that number. The only bright note was the debut
of David Thomas, aged 16 years 220 days, the youngest player to appear for Burnley in the
First Division.
Despite the precarious financial position, the club bought some
adjoining land from the local cricket club, with a view to developing this section of the
ground rather than the Bee Hole end. But inward investment opportunities were seemingly
lost. For example, Ken Bates (yes, that Ken Bates) was prevented from taking over the
shares of a major holder. Mind you, there was probably little prospect of Ken and Bob
hitting it off.
The European journey had been fun. But it also helped conceal some
of the cracks. For after the bright hopes at the end of 1965/66, a league position of
fourteenth was very disappointing. Nevertheless, this was to be the new benchmark for the
club.
Adapted by Tim Quelch from a series of articles
written by John McPartlin
The first European adventure
Clarets in Europe and beyond menu
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