Aberdeen in Europe – The Early Years
 
49 years ago Aberdeen made their debut in the European arena when they faced Icelandic part time side KR Reykjavik in the Cup Winners Cup. It could have been a different story for the club had they been granted their rightful place in the first European Cup competition back in 1955 as Scottish champions. It is fair to say that there was great excitement in September 1967 when the local ‘Evening Express’ proudly declared that ‘PITTODRIE HISTORY WAS BEING MADE’ on the eve of the game.
 
The draw for the preliminary round was made on the 5^th July 1967 and made front page news in Aberdeen while the Aberdeen squad was still over in Texas playing in the USA Presidents Cup. Reykjavik were the most northerly team in the competition and Aberdeen were immediately installed as firm favourites to progress. The Icelandic side had been hammered 8-4 by Nantes in their first European Cup tie a year earlier and their European history was littered with heavy defeats. Being an all amateur club they were not expected to trouble the Dons. By the time the tie came around Aberdeen had enough information about their opponents. Although they were certainly the top club in Iceland, back then the standard in the region was poor and Icelandic sides had never made their mark in European football.
 
Bjarni Felixon doubled up as club secretary and player and he declared that the trip to Scotland would be a great adventure for his side: “Although Reykjavik have not been in the best of form recently we remain confident of putting up a good show in Aberdeen.” The visitors arrived at Aberdeen Airport with 16 players and four officials on the Monday before travelling to train at Pittodrie under the lights. Aberdeen were in no mood to be merciful as they had their own agenda and were keen to erase the memory of a heavy defeat against Celtic in a League Cup-tie at Pittodrie which was controversial after a clash with Bobby Clark and Bobby Lennox of Celtic. Manager Eddie Turnbull had injury worries before the tie with Jens Petersen and Jim Storrie struggling to make it. The Dons boss was keen to field his strongest side as this was new, unexplored territory for the club and Turnbull had ambitions to fulfil in Europe. Although he was mindful that the Dons opponents would be of a poor standard, he was adamant that his players take full advantage and make the most of the occasion. 
 
A crowd of 14,000 turned out to see one of the most one-sided games at Pittodrie as a ruthless Aberdeen won 10-0, creating a club record in their very first outing and also a Scottish record in Europe, bettering Dundee’s 8-1 in over Cologne. Frank Munro was married two days before the game and he celebrated by scoring the Dons first ever goal in Europe and Munro went on to claim a hat trick, only one of two Aberdeen players ever to do so in Europe. From the outset Aberdeen were looking to get amongst the goals and within minutes the visitors were forced back to try to hold the Aberdeen forwards. Bobby Clark was a spectator for long spells: “I don’t remember too much about the game, it was a calm summer evening and it was as easy a game as I had ever played in. The Reykjavik side were all amateurs and it showed. We hardly broke sweat all night and I remember us scoring at will.”
 
Jimmy ‘Jinky’ Smith was inspired as he got the freedom of the park and he displayed his full repertoire of skills and he weighed in with a couple of goals. The only real surprise was that it took the Dons 19 minutes to make the breakthrough when Frank Munro headed past Petursson after Buchan had set up the chance from an Ian Taylor corner. It was all Aberdeen as they proceeded to pile on the goals in 21, 32, 44, 49, 53, 56, 62, 72 and 78 minutes. On reflection the game was bordering on the farcical; so far ahead were Aberdeen that Bobby Clark made only one save all night and that came in the 82^nd minute after Aberdeen had completed the rout. There was also confusion before the game as outfield substitutes were not allowed in Europe back then and only a goalkeeper could be replaced. That meant that young Ernie McGarr was stripped and listed as the substitute, prompting much furrowed brows from the home support as Ernie warmed up trackside. The European story had begun for Aberdeen and their first away trip was of course the formality of wrapping up the tie in Iceland. With little incentive for the Aberdeen players it was down to manager Turnbull to motivate his players to add to their goals tally. The Dons began the game slowly in the Municipal Stadium in Reykjavik before a sparse 1,500 crowd. Despite dominating the game it took the Scots 42 minutes to score when Jim Storrie reacted quickly after Petursson could not hold a shot from Munro.

Just before half time Martin Buchan headed a Munro cross past a helpless Reykjavik keeper. Frank Munro was at the centre of all of the Aberdeen pressure and he scored the Dons third in 52 minutes from a free kick awarded when Ian Taylor was brought down. In 59 minutes Jim Storrie scored the Dons fourth goal after his clever header from Jimmy Wilson’s cross completed the rout. The one crumb of comfort for the home side came late in the game when Aberdeen had visibly eased off and began to showboat, much to the later dismay of manager Turnbull. The hard working Hafsteinsson was rewarded when he scored from a Felixson cross to the ironic delight of the home support. That late goal was not lost on Turnbull who promptly ripped into his players for their lack of professionalism in the closing minutes. It was a lesson that the Dons manager would hammer into his players as he was well aware that tougher opponents would be faced in the next round.
 
While the draw had been kind to the Dons in the preliminary round, there was no such luck when they came up against Standard Liege of Belgium in the next round. While Reykjavik were out of their depth in Europe, it was the novices from Aberdeen who were up against a side with an impressive pedigree in European competition. The best Belgian sides more than held their own in Europe and Liege were seen as one of the favourites to go all the way in the competition that year. The first leg in the intimidating Sclessin Stadium was a far cry fro the relative calm of Iceland. A large home crowd made it an uncomfortable night for the Dons who went down 3-0 in what was a huge disappointment.
 
Set pieces were Dons weakness, losing two goals from corners in the first 11 minutes. When Aberdeen lost a third just after the hour, it was a lost cause for the Scots. The return at Pittodrie was a huge anti-climax for Aberdeen. A severe snowstorm hours before kick off kept the crowd down to less than what turned up for the Reykjavik tie. If ever Aberdeen needed their support behind them it was then with a three goal deficit to make up, it was always going to be an impossible task. Aberdeen were forced to take chances and go on the offensive at every opportunity. Despite the Belgians showing a good technical approach they had no answer to the guile of the Aberdeen players who showed enough to suggest that all was not lost. Frank Munro scored with a searing volley in the 20^th minute and after Harry Melrose made it 2-0 in 65 minutes it was game on. Despite laying siege on the visitor’s goal in a frantic closing spell the Dons ran out of luck and time.
 
Bobby Clark recalled: “Liege brought us down to earth after the Reykjavik game. They were a quality side and they hit us hard over in Belgium. We had usually defended well at set pieces but they got the better of us before their own support. I remember the return being played in thick snow and the game should never have taken place. But we did give them a real time of it at Pittodrie. Chalky (Jim Whyte) missed a great chance that could have taken the tie to extra time but it wasn’t to be.”
 
In 1968 Aberdeen qualified for the grandly named Inter Cities Fairs Cup, the forerunner to the current UEFA Cup, by virtue of their league placing in season 1967.68. The Dons came up against Slavia Sofia in what would be their first trip behind the Iron Curtain as Eastern Europe was called back then. Trips to the eastern bloc were invariably fraught with difficulties and the Dons had more than the usual hassles to contend with. Five days before the Dons were due to fly to Sofia; Soviet tanks invaded Czechoslovakia, turning up the heat in the Cold War. The political turmoil that followed forced UEFA to redraw the ties in the European and Cup Winners Cups, but the Fairs Cup draw remained and Aberdeen were forced to travel after some hastened paperwork and visas were obtained. In that first leg in the searing heat of Sofia, manager Turnbull made a tactical switch that was to have long reaching consequences for he club.
 
Martin Buchan had flirted with first team football since breaking into the side two years ago and the youngster was deployed in a deep defensive role behind Tom McMillan. After the experience of Liege the Dons had learned that defending in depth away from home was no crime and they soaked up wave after wave of attack and held out in a 0-0 draw. Buchan was outstanding and following his inspired display in Sofia the new ‘sweeper’ position would be one that Buchan would hold down with distinction. The return at Pittodrie was perhaps the first of the famed ‘European Nights’ at Pittodrie. A near capacity crowd, two Aberdeen goals in an all out attacking display of pace and power and Aberdeen had progressed against a side that had a far greater European pedigree than Aberdeen.
 
Bobby Clark recalled he had other things on his mind before the tie against the Bulgarians: “I had planned to get married that summer, but Betty and I decided to wait until our new house was ready and that was going to be in September. I asked Eddie about a possible date back in April and he told me any Monday would be suitable. I picked 16^th September and all was set for my wedding day in Golspie. It was around July when my wife to be arrived at my digs and asked me what I was doing on the 16^th September. Very proud that I had remembered our wedding date, I was sure she was still not happy. She then thrust a copy of the Evening Express in front of me as it declared that Aberdeen would be in Sofia on the 17^th September! There was an immediate panic and after some long discussions we opted for a small wedding in Aberdeen a week later. Not many players back then would postpone a wedding to get to a football match but it was worth it as we went through after a fine defensive performance in Bulgaria.”
 
Aberdeen came up against Spanish opponents for the first time when they came up against Real Zaragoza in the next round. With the first game at Pittodrie, the stage was set for a classic, but Aberdeen were struggling in the league and confidence was low. Zaragoza were one of the top sides in Europe and had developed an irritating habit of knocking British sides out in Europe. Dundee, Cardiff, West Ham, Hearts and Leeds Utd had all previously fallen to the Spaniards. Aberdeen raced into a two goal lead at Pittodrie and looked good value to pull off a shock result.
 
However a Tom McMillan own goal late in the tie changed the whole complexion of the tie and armed with the away goal the pendulum swung in favour of Zaragoza. The return in Spain was a difficult experience for the Dons as they were well beaten n a 3-0 defeat. It was the Dons poorest performance to date in their European travels and one that had Eddie Turnbull rethinking his long term strategy for the club. Aberdeen had shown enough to suggest that they could be a force but it was on their travels that they struggled to adapt to the conditions and different styles of opponents. Turnbull was determined to change that which meant a complete change of tactics and payer personnel.
 
Aberdeen struggled throughout the 1968.69 season and were nowhere near the qualifying places for Europe come the end of the season. The Dons had a taste of what European football was like and they were determined that lessons had been learned for the future.