Only a draw, but it was the best game we ever played
CLIVE CORBETT looks back on Wolves’ UEFA Cup campaign of fifty years ago
FIFTY years ago this month Wolves experienced their most prestigious European contests since the glorious floodlit friendlies of the fifties. On this occasion they had reached the last eight of a European competition and were pitched against an Italian giant.
Three days after a 2-1 defeat at Derby’s Baseball Ground on 4th March 1972, Wolves were able to put their increasingly miserable league form behind them as they flew out to Turin to continue their European campaign. Wolves’ relatively easy stroll through their first three UEFA Cup outings in 1971 (three aggregate wins by the margins of 7-1, 7-1 and 4-0) had not truly whetted the appetite of the Wolverhampton public for European football, but when the quarter-final draw paired them with the mighty Juventus that all changed. John Richards had seen the early rounds as: “fairly low key affairs, but after Juventus people began to take note of our achievements, the interest was growing and growing.”
Steve Daley recalls a wonderful time: “The journeys around Europe were fantastic. The older players, Jimmy Mccalliog, Mike Bailey, Bernard Shaw, Phil Parkes and Frank Munro, they all looked after us.”
Wolves’ Development Association advertised a two-day trip to Turin for supporters, at an all-in cost of £27.50 (excluding match tickets).
Footballing great John Charles travelled with the team as a ‘guide, philosopher and friend’ to share his knowledge of the players, language and city. Fondly known by the locals as ‘Signor Charlo’ and warmly applauded wherever he went, the great Welshman proved to be an invaluable ally to the Midlanders. Phil Parkes recalls: “Bill Mcgarry pulled a masterstroke and took John Charles with us. He was a god in Italy and especially at Juventus. Bill had this idea of taking John as a goodwill gesture and they idolised him. He took us shopping and we even got discount in the shops.” Steve Daley remembers: “He took me and Alan Sunderland into town. We were only young kids and wanted the gear, some Italian shoes. Everywhere we went people were coming out of shops, putting their shopping down in the street and clapping him as he walked by. He was such an unassuming guy, but he could have had anything he wanted in that town.”
Worship
Captain Mike Bailey agreed: “When we got off the coach at the stadium the fans couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw John. I haven’t seen hero worship like it, but John just modestly waved his hand as the Queen might do and walked through the crowd into the stadium.
“Inside we met a man who had worked as a dressing room attendant with Juventus for 43 years. He dropped his tea tray when he saw big John and there were tears in his eyes when he shook the hand of his beloved ‘Signor Charlo’. The kit man, who had looked after John’s boots when he played there, bent down and kissed his feet.
“The affection for John was so great that when we came out on to the pitch with him alongside us rockets were let off and the night air was filled with the excited chants of ‘Charlo! Charlo!’ We felt like the home team and it lifted us so much. I was injured and couldn’t play, but it was a privilege just to sit on the bench with him, a wonderful man and a great, great player.”
Officials of the Italian club presented Wolves players with a book ‘Juventus Primo Amore’ (First Love) that contained a photo gallery and LP, as well as a leather-bound case. John Mcalle still has his, signed by John Charles, and he recalls: “We played so well in those games. The players were very together on the trips and we knew that we would always give anyone a good game”.
Kenny Hibbitt adds: “Namewise Juventus was the best match in that run. Playing away against the likes of Anastasi and the blond bombshell Haller was a remarkable sensation.”
Top of the Italian league and losing Fairs Cup finalists to Leeds in 1971, Juventus had eliminated Aberdeen in the previous round. With Bailey still absent, a knee injury also deprived Wolves of the services of Derek Parkin and there was still a doubt over Derek Dougan’s fitness.
Clapping
Phil Parkes and Steve Daley recall an amusing incident involving John Charles on the day of the game: “We were training on the morning and Juventus had one half of the pitch and we had the other. There were a lot of people watching, as they did every day there. Derek (Dougan) got a slight strain and John said, ‘Come on, I’ll walk you back to the treatment area.’ They walked down the side of these supporters and everyone stood up, clapping and shouting. The Doog waved his hand and Big John said, ‘I don’t want to embarrass you, boyo, but they’re clapping for me not you! They were probably thinking, ‘Who’s that skinny bloke with John Charles?’”
Although Juve lost Roberto Bettega through illness, West
German World Cup star Helmut Haller still bestrode their midfield and £440,000 striker Pietro Anastasi led the line. Frank Munro still considered it: “The best game we ever played. We all did well and drew 1-1 but we should have won that game easily. They’d just bought an expensive centre forward, Anastasi, but we played as a team.”
With 37 minutes gone Guiseppe Furino took the ball to the bye line and put in a cross that deflected off John Mcalle in the direction of Gerry Taylor. Unfortunately, the Wolves defender slipped to allow Pietro Anastasi to sweep the ball past Phil Parkes. With the partisan home crowd roaring their team on, Wolves were happy to get to the break only one goal down. The tension continued in the second period and Dougan was cautioned on 62 minutes for showing dissent.
Stunned
However, having had just one real shot on goal in the first 45 minutes (late in the first half from Gerry Taylor) Wolves stunned the 45,000 home crowd on 66 minutes with an equaliser. A free kick was awarded ten yards inside the Juve half when Jim Mccalliog was obstructed. Dave Wagstaffe ran over the ball for Mccalliog to square it to Taylor. Furino headed Taylor’s centre straight to Mccalliog on the edge of the box. He struck an excellent volley past the despairing dive of replacement keeper Carmagnani and into his left-hand corner. Jimmy Mac had also scored in his previous game in Italy, a 3-1 Anglo-italian competition win over Fiorentina in 1970. The joy of the travelling supporters was reported by John Dee in the Express & Star: “This silenced the Juventus supporters who had been waving their flags in excitement and setting off fire rockets at every opportunity, but the small band of Wolves fans was jubilant as the players ran to them.”
Blinder
A few minutes later Bill Mcgarry found himself taken to task by Belgian referee Loraux for touchline coaching, and in spite of a protest from John Charles he had to watch the rest of the game surrounded by policemen on the perimeter of the athletics track that circled the pitch. With the clock running down there was still time for Phil Parkes to pull off a blinder to deny Causio from eight yards out and retain parity.
Although Wolves had failed to go one better than Leeds United and get a seventh straight European win in one year, to hold Juventus was a magnificent achievement in itself. The visitors were generously applauded from the field by the home supporters for their efforts. John Dee picked out Frank Munro and Phil Parkes for their contributions: “On a night when Wolves held their heads high it would be difficult to single out any one player but the performance of Frank Munro was masterly.
“Munro marshalled his defence like a general on the battle front and perhaps his ablest lieutenant was the big man between the posts. Phil Parkes was at his best, making a couple of world-class saves.” Bill Mcgarry described the performance in Turin as their best display: “Juventus are a fine team but we outran them and never allowed them to get on top.”
John Charles had argued that the hardest part of the tie had been negotiated via a 1-1 draw in Turin, but there were a few scares left to be faced in the return at Molineux.
Part Two follows next week