May 26 – Back to the Football | On This Football Day

May 26 – Back to the Football

GREAT Scott! This day in history is littered with key events and significant happenings in the world of football. As Doc Brown surmised in Back to the Future Part II: “It could mean that that point in time inherently contains some sort of cosmic significance, almost as if it were the temporal junction point of the entire space-time continuum. On the other hand, it could just be an amazing coincidence.” Heavy.

Jules Rimet announced on this day in 1928 that the first World Cup would take place in 1930. In 1989 the most dramatic ending to a First Division title race took place at Anfield when Arsenal snatched the championship from under the noses of Liverpool in their own back yard.

Today in 1982, Aston Villa defeated the might of German giants Bayern Munich in the De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam in the European Cup final.

It was a harsh lesson for Ron Saunders in the importance of timing – he had been the Villa boss for half of that season but resigned before the quarter-final stage because of a contract dispute with the board. His assistant Tony Barton took over and led his team to the final.

Then disaster struck just ten minutes into the game when first choice goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer went off injured. In his place came untried youngster Nigel Spink, making only his second appearance of the season. “I didn’t have time to get nervous and that was the big factor on the night,” he said later. He played a blinder and kept a clean sheet that was key to Villa’s victory. “We defended resolutely and I probably had half a dozen saves to make,” he explained. “In a game, which was supposed to be so one-sided it wasn’t a great deal.”

At the other end, Tony Morley’s excellent work down the left teed up Peter Withe to score the only goal of the game, although he did not get a clean hit on the ball. “It just hit a bobble and sat up a bit. I half hit it with my foot and half hit it with my shin,” he explained later.

Brian Moore’s commentary of the goal is displayed on a giant banner across the North Stand of Villa Park: “Shaw, Williams, prepared to adventure down the left. There’s a good ball in for Tony Morley. Oh, it must be! It is! Peter Withe!”

Bayern Munich were again the opponents when Villa’s fellow English team Manchester United made it to the European Cup final in 1999.

United had already wrapped up the Premier League title and the FA Cup and entered the final hopeful of completing a historic treble, and winning the Cup for the first time since the days of Matt Busby.

Bayern went a goal up after just six minutes through a deflected Mario Basler free kick. As the clock ticked past 90 minutes United’s dream looked to be in tatters. Thereafter began perhaps the greatest comeback in modern football history.

First Teddy Sheringham scored from a corner to get United back in it. And while Bayern were contemplating just how they had come within a couple of minutes of winning the trophy only to be pegged back at the last, United went and did it again, super-sub Ole Gunnar Solskjær grabbing the most dramatic goal in European Cup history to win the trophy for Sir Alex’s team. “Football, bloody hell!” was all Fergie could say as the celebrations got underway. Bloody hell indeed Fergie.

Well folks, if we can reach 88 miles per hour and get our flux capacitor working, we will be back tomorrow bringing you more tales from football’s past. Until then dear readers.