Lisbon lions
WE’D done well. We’d enjoyed the competition so far. But most people thought we might well get knocked out by Sporting Libson.”
There’s still a faint note of disbelief in Bill Gibbs’ voice. Today he’s chairman of fans’ group the Fairs Club; in 1968 he was an 18-year-old shipbuilding apprentice watching, incredulously with thousands of others, Newcastle United’s unlikely progress in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Famously - or perhaps infamously - it remains the last major trophy to date to be held aloft by a United captain.
Next year marks half a century since Bobby Moncur lifted the Fairs Cup - the forerunner of the UEFA Cup and Europa League - on a balmy night in Budapest.
But that was still in an unimagined future. Fifty years ago tonight, St James’ Park hosted just its second ever European match.
Having disposed of Feyenoord of Rotterdam over two legs in the first round, highly-rated Sporting Lisbon were the next exotic arrivals at St James’ Park.
The first leg, in Portugal, had gone well.
The Chronicle’s legendary sports writer John Gibson covered United’s exploits in the competition from start to finish.
He recalls: “We had set up the second leg perfectly with a 1-1 draw in Lisbon where a freak storm threatened to see the game abandoned at any time.
“My lasting memory was of coach Dave Smith sitting on a bench on the athletics track with a large white towel over his head and the water creeping up the wood until his legs were nearly submerged.
“Such was the heightened interest in the return leg at St James’ Park, fans started queuing at three o’clock for the 7.30pm kick off. ”
As the four towering floodlight pylons at St James’ blazed in the Wednesday night sky, 53,650 fans descended on the ground. “The huge gate returned then record receipts of £20,000,” says Gibson.
United sitting 11th in the First Division were going into the match on a high. Five days earlier, they had beaten champions Manchester City 1-0 at Gallowgate with Wyn Davies notching the winner.
But Sporting were also brimming with confidence. Striker Joao Lourenco told the Chronicle: “We always play to win. Newcastle will have a tough tie on their hands. I feel right on form and ready for a hatful of goals.”
When the teams ran on to the pitch at 7.20pm, fans on the jam-packed terraces were greeted with the unusual sight of a Newcastle United side wearing an all-white kit - in the style of Real Madrid (who were in European action themselves that night at Rapid Vienna).
The starting XI was: McFaul, Craig, Clark, Burton, Moncur, Elliott, Gibb, Scott, Dyson, Davies Robson. Sub: Elliott.
It would be another glorious night of football. Under the headline ‘Lisbon Lions tamed by United tornadoes’, John Gibson reported on the game for the Chronicle 50 years ago.
He wrote memorably: “The golden gates of Europe swung even more invitingly open as more than 53,000 followers swept Newcastle United into the last 16 of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.