Sunday Times October 14th 2007 - Wrexham in the European Cup Winners’ Cup, 1976

Preparing to board the team coach for their trip to Burnley, the Wrexham players looked primed to parade down a catwalk rather than play in an FA Cup quarter-final. John Neal, the manager, was more impressed with their football than their fashion sense and insisted that in future they wear a team outfit to away matches. The year was 1974 and the north Wales club was punching above its weight. “We didn’t fear anybody,” recalls Arfon Griffiths, a leading striker in the side. “Bill Shankly used to come and watch us and said we were the best Third Division side he had seen.” On their way to the quarter-final Wrexham beat Second Division sides Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough and First Division Southampton.

They had a scoring chance against First Division Burnley. “I was clear through with only the goalkeeper to beat,” says Griffiths. “The shot cannoned off his knees. They scored a goal through Frank Casper. It came off our defender Dave Fogg and looped over the goalkeeper. We were disappointed because we believed we could have got to the semi-final.

“My mates don’t let me forget that miss. Nowadays, if anybody gives me a 12-inch putt on the golf course, my mates joke that he couldn’t have been at Burnley that day.”

Wrexham lost 1-0, but their cup run prepared them for a European odyssey two seasons later. “We had gained a lot of experience, especially playing away, and the FA Cup run was the first of several in the 1970s,” says Griffiths. “We had some good players, a good youth policy and experienced pros who cared for the club and helped the younger players.”

They won the Welsh Cup to earn a ticket to the Cup Winners’ Cup. In the first round they beat Swedish side Djurgardens IF 2-1 at home and drew 1-1 away.

In the second round they were paired with Stal Rzeszow of Poland. “It was a difficult trip,” says Griffiths. “It was the time of the Iron Curtain and it took two hours to get through the airport. They were about 50 miles from the Russian border and it was a tough place to go. When we first got to the stadium, it was very quiet, but by the time the game started, it was full. It was as if the authorities had told the people to go to the match.”

Wrexham, who had won 2-0 at home, drew 1-1 away and advanced to a plum quarter-final against Anderlecht, one of the top teams in Europe. Among their number were striker Rob Rensenbrink and defender Arie Haan, two members of the Dutch side that had played in the World Cup final two years earlier.

Anderlecht’s Gilbert van Binst opened the scoring in the 11th minute. Stuart Lee missed an excellent opportunity later in the game and the Dutch took a 1-0 lead into the second leg in Wales. “We had Billy Ashcroft, who was 6ft 2in and ginger, and he caused havoc over there. But in the return leg they did their homework on him and our attacking chances were limited,” says Griffiths.

Lee levelled the tie on the hour, but Rensenbrink scored in the 76th minute to give Anderlecht a 2-1 aggregate win. “The difference between the teams was that they had a world-class player who was given one chance and took it. We played really well and Mickey Evans came on to mark Rensenbrink. Unfortunately he got away once and scored.” Anderlecht went on to beat West Ham 4-2 in the final.

 

1 Mickey Evans

The central defender played 383 league games for Wrexham in 13 years. He was manager of Welsh club side Caersws for 24 seasons and scouts for Wrexham.

 

2 Joey Jones

With 72 Wales caps and a European Cup medal, Jones was a star left-back at the Racecourse Ground. He helped Liverpool win the top prize in Europe and Chelsea to promotion. He is the reserve and youth team coach at Wrexham.

 

3 Mickey Thomas

A speedy winger, he played 230 league matches in six years for Wrexham before joining Manchester United for £300,000. He was sent to jail for passing dud £10 and £20 notes to trainees at Wrexham and was stabbed in the backside by his brother-in-law when caught having sex with his wife’s sister in a car on a country lane. He hosts a Manchester radio phone-in show.

 

4 Graham Whittle

A one-club striker, he made 306 league outings for Wrexham. He became a milkman, but a hip injury hampered him. Retired, he lives in Liverpool.

 

5 Dave Fogg

A full-back at Wrexham and Oxford United, he was a youth coach at Blackpool. Now scouts for Everton.

 

6 Brian Lloyd

A well-travelled goalkeeper who spent the bulk of his career with Wrexham and won three caps for Wales. An architect, he designed the front cover of the programme for the home fixture against Anderlecht and the Wales programme for the game against England in Wrexham in 1976. His daughter is married to Danny Williams, a current Wrexham player.

 

7 Mel Sutton

Signed from Cardiff, the midfielder played 360 league games for Wrexham. He was manager of the club and worked for a printing company in Walsall. He scouts for Ipswich.

 

8 Brian Tinnion

He scored 54 goals in 279 league matches for Wrexham as a striker, then played alongside Pele at New York Cosmos. He has settled in the United States.

 

9 Gareth Davies

A central defender who played in 135 consecutive league games, Davies totted up 490 appearances for Wrexham. Formerly a publican in the town, he works for Hoya Lens, a spectacles company.

 

10 Arfon Griffiths

Scored 120 league goals in two spells at the Racecourse ground. He played in 592 league games and won 17 caps for Wales. A former manager who ran a newsagency for 20 years, Griffiths is the club president. “A lot of good work is done behind the scenes and the club is run on a sound business footing,” he says. “We should be doing a lot better, but the playing side will be galvanised in the next year.”

 

11 Eddie May

A strong central defender, he spent eight years at Wrexham. He held several managerial positions around the country and is a club coach in Zimbabwe.