Conceived as a football tournament to run in conjunction with cities hosting trade fairs, few competitions were to undergo so many changes in regard to format and fixture staging as the appropriately named European Fairs Cup or to bestow its better-known title, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Due to its early rules of engagement, it created the strange anomaly in England of clubs such as Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday experiencing competitive European football before Everton, Liverpool and Arsenal. Indeed, such are the vagaries in the years immediately following its 1955 inception, the first side to represent the English capital are a London XI who reached the inaugural final – the initial playing of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup taking three years to reach its first two-leg conclusion.
Peculiarities in protocol ranged from a ‘one club/one city‘ rule, final league position having no bearing on qualification status, the final of one season being played at the start of another (almost on a whim the final itself could be a one match or two leg affair) and the curious case of a major footballing power of Europe contesting the European Cup and Fairs Cup in the same season.
Yet when it came to be superseded by the UEFA Cup prior to start of the 1971-72 season, the Fairs Cup had become streamlined, more or less – and the domain of English clubs who lifted the distinctive trophy in each of its last four seasons.
In doing so Leeds were twice successful, their first triumph in 1968 (the first English winners) came 12 months after they had been beaten finalists. In the years between them succeeding again in 1971, Newcastle United and Arsenal also prevailed, Fairs Cup successes the first trophy glory enjoyed by either club since the mid-50s – winning the competition, in the case of Leeds (the first time) and Arsenal, a precursor to becoming league champions the following season.
Defeat in four finals was all English sides had to show for their Fairs Cup involvement up to the late-60s. This was still a superior record to final appearances in the other two European club competitions, although by this time Spurs and West Ham had both won the Cup Winners’ Cup with European Cup success for Manchester United just around the corner. From the formative years of the 50s through to the middle of the following decade rarely were Spanish clubs far from the winners’ medals – the dominance of Barcelona (3 wins), Valencia (2) and Real Zaragoza only broken in the first nine tournaments by Roma, Ferencvaros and Dinamo Zagreb.
But the picture changed significantly once Leeds broke the duck for their domestic rivals, England becoming the first country to produce three successive Fairs Cup winners, which became four when the Elland Road side captured it again – supremacy that was maintained when Spurs (1972) and Liverpool (1973) won the UEFA Cup in its first two seasons.
It had become a monopoly, one that would return in the lofty surroundings of the European Cup as the 1970s gave way to the 80s due to the year-on-year achievements of Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
But from English clubs beating all-comers in the latter years of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the story began with England fielding a team of any-comers back when the competition first appeared………………….
1955-58: England representatives – Birmingham City, London XI; With the competition rules stipulating home and away fixtures while also stating only one side from each city could compete, cities such as London chose to select an amalgam of players pooled from different clubs.
The club given the name of the second city of England were having no such truck with that idea and on May 16, 1956, Birmingham City became the first English club to contest a Fairs Cup fixture, taking a point from a goalless draw against Inter Milan. From a qualifying group also including a Zagreb XI, Birmingham emerged unbeaten, clinching top spot with a 2-1 St Andrews victory over Inter in April 1957.
With Birmingham progressing out of Group B, a London XI did likewise from Group D, their number in the pool games including such talents of the day as Johnny Haynes, Bobby Robson and Bedford Jezzard (Fulham), Eddie Firmani (Charlton Athletic), Danny Blanchflower (Spurs), Roy Bentley (Chelsea), John Bond and Malcolm Allison (West Ham). For the semi-final second leg against a Lausanne XI at Highbury (London having lost the first game 2-1) a prodigiously talented teenager named Jimmy Greaves was called up – the young Chelsea striker scoring after just ten minutes in a 2-0 victory that secured the home side a place in the final on a 4-3 aggregate.
Meanwhile Birmingham City and Barcelona remained deadlocked after the two-legs of their semi-final. Blues, after winning the first encounter 4-3, conceded late at the Camp Nou, defeat by the only goal necessitating a play-off two weeks later. The teams met in the Swiss city of Basel on November 26, 1957, where the Spanish side again struck late, reaching the final by virtue of a 2-1 win.
On travelling to Highbury in early March 1958, after taking an early lead Barcelona were quickly pegged back by another goal from Greaves, although on this occasion it was the English side who netted in the closing stages, an 88th minute penalty from Fulham full-back Jim Langley securing a 2-2 draw.
But in the May Day return, despite the absence of Greaves, a strong-looking London side were no match for the hosts and knocked for six without reply as Barcelona won by an overall margin of 8-2.
1958-60: England Representatives – Birmingham City, Chelsea; Greaves and Birmingham City were soon back on Fairs Cup duty, the blues of St. Andrews and Stamford Bridge carrying English hopes when the competition was staged for a second time.
Neither encountered too much difficulty in their opening contests, the Cologne XI sent out against Birmingham managed a 2-2 draw on home turf but lost 2-0 on their visit to the Midlands, Greaves meanwhile scored in both ties as Chelsea overcame a Copenhagen collection by an overall margin of 7-1.
After safely progressing from round one in the autumn of 1958, there was a six month wait until the Fairs Cup once again appeared on the agenda. At the end of a season where they had each recorded a mid-table Division One finish, both managed 1-0 first leg victories – and while it proved crucial for Birmingham in overcoming Dinamo Zagreb (drawing the away leg 3-3 after leading 3-0 at one stage), Chelsea went out after succumbing to a 4-0 defeat in Belgrade.
The 1959-60 season was well underway when Birmingham met Union Saint-Gilloise in the semi-finals, winning 4-2 on Belgian soil in October before repeating the trick under the St Andrews floodlights a month later – a game in which former West Ham and Wolves forward Harry Hooper netted his fifth goal in Blues run to the final.
Standing between them and the distinction of becoming the first English club to win a European competition were holders Barcelona. On March 29, 1960, the first club team from England to reach a European final were held to a goalless draw and unable to make home advantage count were soundly beaten 4-0 on May 4 as Barcelona with some aplomb, retained the trophy – but the Fairs Cup had not seen the last of Birmingham City.
1960-61: England Representatives – Birmingham City; In theory it was to be the first Fairs Cup completed in the course of a season, but in practice stretched over into the one following. Despite a poor season on the domestic front when they only just managed to keep their heads above relegation water, by the time it ended, Birmingham had progressed to the Fairs Cup semi-finals. Late April and early May brought progress to a second successive final in the form of a 2-1 home and away double over Inter Milan – whose goal in the home leg was scored by former Charlton man Firmani who had arrived at Inter via Sampdoria to whom he had moved from The Valley.
Represented for the first time, Scotland were done proud by Hibernian who propelled by the goals of future England striker Joe Baker reached the semi-finals. En route they knocked out holders Barcelona, concurrently playing in the European Cup where they would eventually lose to Benfica in the final, the Easter Road side sharing two titanic matches with Roma at the last four stage that finished with an even aggregate of 5-5 – although in a play-off game at the end of May the Italians hit Hibs for six in going through to the final.
When Birmingham and Roma finally came to cross swords the 1961-62 season was already six weeks old. The home side were kept at bay by the acrobatic goalkeeping of Fabio Cudicini (father of former Chelsea and Tottenham custodian Carlo) but rallied with two late goals in securing a 2-2 draw. In an especially feisty second leg at the Stadio Olimpico played a fortnight later, (the first meeting had been none too civil), two second half goals took Roma to victory as Birmingham once again fell at the last.
One Birmingham player did manage a form of revenge on a club from Italy – six years later Scottish midfielder Bertie Auld would be a Lisbon Lion when Celtic defeated Inter Milan in becoming to the first British team to win the European Cup.
1961-62: England Representatives – Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday; After defeats for English teams in the three finals to date, the biggest entry from England so far might have raised hopes of finally going the extra yard, but such hope was extinguished at the quarter-final stage.
Nottingham Forest would later have far greater European experiences than a 7-1 first round aggregate exit at the hands of eventual winners Valencia, while perennial nether end merchants Birmingham went out to Espanyol in round two. In advancing on the last eight Sheffield Wednesday pulled off the notable feat of eliminating holders Roma, but after achieving a 3-2 Hillsborough victory over Barcelona in February 1962, went down 2-0 in the return a month later.
After Valencia and Barcelona easily overcame their respective semi-final opposition, the all-Spanish final had a four-day turnaround in early September 1962, the 1-1 second leg draw academic as Valencia had triumphed 6-2 on their own patch. The 1961-62 competition not only produced a new name for trophy, but reflected the political changes unfolding in Western Europe, the entry of a ‘West‘ Berlin XI a minor consequence of the wall now dividing the city.
1962-63: England Representative – Everton; After a fourth placed league finish and growing sense that under recently appointed manager Harry Catterick good times at Goodison Park were just around the corner, their first-round exit at the hands of Dunfermline Athletic is an odd quirk of fate given how the season would unfold. The 1-0 first leg home win in late October came in the midst of a six-match unbeaten that extended to seven with victory over reigning league champions Ipswich Town in between the two Fairs Cup encounters.
But at East End Park their European ambitions for the time being at least came to grief in losing 2-0 – although in the bigger picture they would soon be back in Europe, Everton proceeding to win the league title by six points, thus securing qualification for the European Cup.
In the second round Dunfermline were involved in two noteworthy clashes with holders Valencia – who won the first leg 4-0 only to be beaten 6-2 in their return, the Spanish side winning a Lisbon play-off 1-0 in early 1963 on their way to retaining the trophy.
For the first time the competition was completed before a new season had begun, Valencia overcoming Dinamo Zagreb 3-2 on aggregate during June.
1963-64: England Representatives – Arsenal, Sheffield Wednesday; If Arsenal had an idea Fairs Cup entry would be a short cut to end their lengthening period without a trophy, that notion was over before the Christmas decorations went up – and while a second-round exit at the hands of Belgian small fry RFC Leigeios was not a shock on the scale of their 1969 League Cup Final defeat to third division Swindon Town, it ensured the prevailing mood of frustration at Highbury would continue a while longer yet.
Sheffield Wednesday fared little better and also went out in round two when confronted with West German outfit Koln. While it was a disappointing return for the English duo – the final league table found them eighth and sixth respectively – their conquerors would acquit themselves well.
Leigeios were beaten in the last four by Real Zaragoza while Koln lost in the other semi-final to holders Valencia – who in turn were denied a third successive triumph when they went down 2-1 to Zaragoza in a one match final staged at the Camp Nou in late June.
1964-65: English Representatives – Everton, Manchester United: The inclusion of two English clubs who had both won a major domestic prize in the preceding 15 months suddenly cast the Fairs Cup in new light – paving the way for a somewhat inevitable all-England tie.
One noteworthy aspect of United inflicting a 6-1 first round defeat upon Swedish visitors Djurgardens on October 27th, 1964, was it marked the first occasion the ‘Holy Trinity’ of Charlton, Law and Best all scored in the same Old Trafford fixture.
By the time they had been drawn together for a pair of third round Fairs Cup encounters, the teams had already shared six goals in a Goodison draw with United recording a 2-1 win in the Old Trafford return – the first European tie involving two English clubs taking place on January 20, 1965. Visiting Everton took the lead through centre-forward Fred Pickering in front of an Old Trafford crowd put at 50,000, before his England international team-mate John Connelly levelled to ensure they would resume all square.
Three weeks later almost 55,000 were inside Goodison to see Pickering score again – but so did Connelly with Scottish forward David Herd also on target as the current league leaders won the day, progressing by virtue of a 2-1 win.
Manchester United had already secured their first league title since the ‘Busby Babes’ era when Hungarian side Ferencvaros arrived at Old Trafford in May for the semi-final first leg – a 3-2 win for the home side cancelled out a week later by a 1-0 defeat in Budapest, where they returned seven days later to lose 2-1 in a play-off.
Before June was out a new name was on the winners’ roster – Ferencvaros scoring a commendable 1-0 victory on the Turin home ground of opponents Juventus, the Fairs Cup going to Eastern Europe for the first, but not last, time.
1965-66: England Representatives – Chelsea, Everton, Leeds United; Fielding the teams who finished second, third and fourth in Division One the previous season, solid progress was made through the eighth Fairs Cup tournament, despite Everton, in a season they would win the FA Cup, falling by the wayside at a comparatively early stage.
Both Leeds, who on their return to the topflight in 1964-65 had finished runners-up in the league and FA Cup and Chelsea, League Cup winners with a third placed finish, accounted for strong opposition in reaching the last four.
In round three and showing the resilience that would see them through many a stern test in the years ahead, Leeds registered a 1-0 second leg victory at regular challengers Valencia to proceed by a 2-1 margin.
Chelsea meanwhile had managed to overcome Roma, AC Milan (the Stamford Bridge side advancing from round three on the toss of a coin at the end of a third encounter, this after two-legs and San Siro play-off had been unable to separate the sides) and in the last eight, TSV Munich – who were beaten by West Ham in the 1965 Cup Winners’ Cup Final and on their way to winning the Bundesliga.
At the semi-final stage the draw created two Spain v England contests with Leeds (0-1 v Real Zaragoza) and Chelsea (0-2 v Barcelona) behind on losing first-up away legs. But on their own grounds the damage was repaired to the extent both were able to at least secure a play-off match.
Winning the toss to stage the fixture at Elland Road, Leeds found themselves three down after 14 minutes and while a late Jack Charlton header was academic, he would at least have the consolation of a far more significant winners’ medal in ten weeks’ time.
For their semi-final play-off it was Barcelona who called correctly – and in the Camp Nou on May 25, 1966, Chelsea were never in with a shout, the home side dominant in recording a 5-0 victory.
In the all-Spanish final played over the course of a week in September 1966, Barcelona, after losing the home leg 1-0 went to Zaragoza and triumphed 4-2 to lift the trophy for a third time – the Fairs Cup going to Spain for a sixth, but final time.
1966-67 – England Representatives – Burnley, Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion; Boosted by the goals of imposing Scottish striker Andy Lochhead, whose tally of six would only be bettered that season by legendary Hungarian striker Florean Albert (Ferencvaros), Burnley advanced smoothly to the last eight whereupon their progress was halted by Eintract Frankfurt, the West Germans winning by a 3-2 margin.
West Brom had departed a round earlier, their 3-1 home defeat against Bologna that established a 6-1 overall deficit, completed a miserable few days at The Hawthorns – Albion having gone down 3-2 at Wembley the previous Saturday to third division QPR in the League Cup Final.
Having already overcome Valencia, Leeds then accounted for Bologna, a 1-0 defeat in Italy countered by Johnny Giles scoring from a penalty in the Elland Road return – but with no more goals, victory was secured when skipper Billy Bremner called correctly at the end of match coin toss.
The semi-final proved more straightforward, Leeds comfortably protecting a 4-2 home win over Kilmarnock with a goalless draw at Rugby Park to safely reach their first European final – where awaiting them were Dinamo Zagreb, who had overcome a 3-0 first leg deficit against Eintracht Frankfurt to earn their place.
Travelling to what was then Yugoslavia in the last week of August 1967 Leeds suffered a 2-0 defeat, the grainy black and white footage still clear enough to depict centre-back Charlton having his customary rant at goalkeeper Gary Sprake, this after Krasnovar Rora has put the home side two-up.
At Elland Road seven days later, Leeds would dominate possession but to no avail as Zagreb held firm in keeping a clean sheet, the trophy going behind the Iron Curtain for a second time – although in fact the curtain was about to go up on four years of English Fairs Cup enjoyment.
1967-68: England Representatives – Leeds United, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest; Having previously failed to win either the European Cup or Fairs Cup, it was therefore ironic English clubs should break the spell by winning both in the same season.
Represented by a strong hand of Leeds, beaten finalists of the previous season, first division runners up and beaten FA Cup semi-finalists Nottingham Forest and an accomplished Liverpool side taking their Fairs Cup bow, England it seemed never had better opportunity to end the hoodoos – what with three excellent sides in one competition and Charlton, Law and Best leading the challenge in the other.
Only a month after Leeds had lost in the 1966-67 final, they were back on Fairs Cup duty, putting sixteen without reply past CA Spora of Luxemburg in a first-round mismatch, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest more modest in overcoming respective opponents Malmo and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Forest, however, fell at the following hurdle – their next incursion into Europe eleven years later lasting altogether longer – while Liverpool exited in round three after losing by the only goal home and away to Ferencvaros.
But Leeds kept moving steadfastly along, victories over FK Partizan and Hibernian setting up a quarter-final meeting with more Scottish opposition, Leeds holding Rangers to a goalless draw at Ibrox before recording a 2-0 Elland Road victory.
The semi-final draw paired the last remaining English side with the same from north of the border, Leeds sharing a 1-1 Dens Park draw with Dundee on May 1st, 1968. Scottish winger Eddie Gray was on target in the return a fortnight later in taking Leeds through to final against Ferencvaros, scheduled for the opening weeks of the following season.
Manchester United had been in possession of the European Cup for ten weeks when the Hungarians travelled to Yorkshire on August 7, where a first half goal from centre-forward Mick Jones proved crucial in every sense. Leeds subsequently recorded a goalless draw in Budapest on September 11, 1968, to not only become the first English team to win the Fairs Cup but the first to have their name on a domestic and European trophy from the same season – the initial part of this ‘double’ being a League Cup Final victory over Arsenal six months before.
1968-69: England Representatives – Chelsea, Leeds United, Liverpool, Newcastle United: Set the task by manager Don Revie of winning everything they entered, the English challenge to them retaining the Fairs Cup came from Chelsea, Liverpool and first-time entrants Newcastle – whose opening foray into Europe would ultimately prove triumphant.
If Liverpool and Chelsea had designs on bigger prizes, in the Fairs Cup it was a case of couldn’t win a toss rather than give one – Liverpool exiting in round one by such means against Athletico Bilbao, Chelsea the same against Dutch side DWS a round later.
Leeds on the other hand came through such a conclusion after finishing all-square with Napoli in the second round (this after previously eliminating Standard Liege), but a thumping win over Hannover 96 in round three was followed by defeat in both quarter-final legs against useful Hungarian outfit Ujpest Dozsa, who had not yet seen the last of English opposition.
Newcastle had set their ball rolling with a 4-2 aggregate win over Feyenoord – a victory made all the more impressive when the same opposition went onto win the Eredivisie, an achievement they followed by winning the European Cup in 1970 less than two years after being trounced 4-0 at St. James’ Park.
While they blew hot and cold in the league – where everyone was swept aside by Leeds who lost only twice in winning the title with a record number of points – Newcastle found the Fairs Cup to their liking, accounting for Sporting Clube de Portugal, Real Zaragoza, and Vitoria Setubal before the semi-final draw created another last-four England v Scotland clash.
On 14 May Newcastle came away from Ibrox with a goalless draw, secured in part by goalkeeper Willie McFaul saving an Andy Penman penalty. Rangers were then undone on Tyneside a week later as goals from Jim Scott and Jackie Sinclair saw Joe Harvey’s side through to their first major cup final in fourteen years – victory secured despite a twenty-minute stoppage after Sinclair scored while police cleared the pitch of trouble-seeking visiting supporters.
When Ujpest Dozsa ran out at a packed to the rafters St James’ Park they encountered conditions closer to January than two days shy of June – three Newcastle goals without reply coming in a second half deluge from Scott and brace for skipper Bobby Moncur.
Thoughts they were travelling to the return with an unassailable lead were quashed when the visitors reached half-time in Budapest trailing 2-0 and in a parlous state.
But once again Scottish skipper Moncur was on hand to ease the burden. His goal a minute after the restart was soon added to by a strike from Danish midfielder Preben Arentoft, their remarkable comeback completed 14 minutes from time when winger Alan Foggon scored the winning goal on the night – victory and the Fairs Cup won by Newcastle in resounding fashion.
1969-70: England Representatives Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle, Southampton; With Leeds having a bigger prize in the European Cup on which to focus, they were absent from the English Fairs Cup rollcall for the first time in four years – although even then England still fielded the holders, Liverpool giving it another go, Arsenal back after a five-year absence and first-timers Southampton, who had been making steady, season-on-season, progress.
Once again, however, Liverpool were unable to make significant headway and if a second-round exit at the hands of Portuguese outfit Vitoria de Setubal (albeit on away goals), brought indication their mid-60s trophy stalwarts had seen better days, it was confirmed by a sixth round FA Cup defeat against second division Watford later in the season.
The away goals ruling also did for Southampton who reached round three only to depart after a 1-1 home draw against Newcastle. It allowed their defence of the trophy to continue (the teams having shared a goalless first leg encounter), but in the last eight it would be The Magpies downfall as well, Anderlecht advancing despite losing 3-1 in the Northeast, the home side not quite able to repair damage done by a 2-0 defeat in Brussels.
In contrast things had been largely straightforward in regard to Arsenal reaching the last four. Their first genuine test came in the semi-final when they were drawn against Dutch side Ajax whose growing renown (beaten finalists in the European Cup the season before), was built on the exceptional skills of Johann Cruyff and a host of other gifted individuals.
But Arsenal had an emerging virtuoso of their own, flamboyant young maverick Charlie George netting twice in the Highbury first leg and with midfielder Jon Sammels also on target, the Gunners took a commanding lead to Amsterdam that Ajax, despite winning 1-0, never looked likely to overturn.
They did, however, gain revenge two years later in knocking Arsenal out of Europe – a European Cup quarter-final triumph over Bertie Mee’s side achieved en route to retaining the trophy, a mark of how far each club would go in a short space of time.
Up against Anderlecht in the final, when the home side moved into a 3-0 lead in the Brussels first leg on April 12, the Arsenal trophy drought stretching back to Coronation year looked set to continue. But a late goal from substitute Ray Kennedy was to prove crucial – as six days later the marble halls shook in a way they had never done before, goals from Eddie Kelly, John Radford and Sammels guiding Arsenal to a 4-3 aggregate victory on a night often described as the greatest in Highbury history.
With the long wait for silverware now over, the next two trophies would arrive at the double in barely a year.
1970-71 England Representatives – Arsenal, Coventry City, Leeds United, Liverpool, Newcastle United: With holders Arsenal joined by a gang of four comprising of previous winners Leeds and Newcastle, back again Liverpool and debut merchants Coventry, England entered the 13th and what transpired as the last Fairs Cup with the largest contingent it had ever put in the field.
All emerged intact from round one, but at the next step Coventry were no match for emerging West German force Bayern Munich to whom they suffered a 6-1 first leg defeat as their only experience (to date) of European football came to an abrupt end. Newcastle were then lost in round three when they became the first English team to lose a penalty shoot-out in Europe, the winning club of 1969 toppled by Hungarian part-timers Pecsi Dozsa.
Also chasing down the league title and FA Cup, Arsenal surrendered the Fairs Cup at the quarter-final stage in going out on away goals to FC Koln, but Leeds (their main rivals for the championship) and Liverpool (who Arsenal would go onto meet in the FA Cup Final), continued to advance – a hat-trick from Alun Evans saw them to a memorable 3-0 Anfield victory over Bayern, while Leeds took a 2-1 advantage to Portugal for their return with Vitoria Setubal, both second legs involving the English pair ending in 1-1 draws.
Hopes of the Fairs Cup ending with an all-English final were dashed when the draw brought them together in the last four. Both harbored hopes of a trophy ‘double’, Leeds involved in a neck and neck title race with Arsenal, while Liverpool had won through to the FA Cup Final after recently defeating neighbors Everton in the semi-finals to reach Wembley.
Not for the last time would Billy Bremner strike decisively when a final was in sight. Two years before he would decide a 1973 FA Cup semi-final against Wolves, the Leeds skipper scored the only goal of the Anfield first leg, his 64th minute effort proving the difference between the teams over both games, an Elland Road stalemate on 28th April ensuring Leeds went one step further than where they reached in the European Cup 12 months before.
It began a dispiriting few days for the red half of Merseyside as Saturday 8 May brought a 2-1 FA Cup Final against Arsenal, who earlier in the week had pipped Leeds to the title, the Highbury club thus completing the league and cup double with their Wembley win over Liverpool.
With May 1971 fast drawing to a close, Leeds travelled to Turin in order to face Juventus, the Italians making a second Fairs Cup Final appearance six years after the first. Their return to this stage of the competition initially lasted 51 minutes, at which point the fixture was abandoned, torrential rain causing the pitch to become waterlogged.
Rearranged for two days later on May 28, Leeds twice came from behind to force a 2-2 draw, the away goals from Paul Madeley and Mick Bates proving vital when the sides proceeded to draw at Elland Road on June 3, Juventus responding to an early Allan Clarke goal but unable to do any more.
So, four seasons after becoming the first English club to win the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, in extending England’s winning streak to four, they would also be the last. But even then, there would be one more twist to the Fairs Cup fable.
For the 1971-72 season it was relaunched as a competition bearing the name of the governing body and with the UEFA Cup came a rare instance in England of the Football League and the FA operating for the greater good – the footballing authorities having already agreed league placing would determine entry with a place also guaranteed for winners of the League Cup.
Surprisingly, the ‘one club/one city rule’ was left in place, much to the despair of UEFA, who by 1974 had become so incensed by the situation threatened sanction if it continued to be enforced, the Football League relenting in time for Liverpool (2nd) and Everton (4th) to both compete in the 1975-76 UEFA Cup after their top four placings of the previous season.
Back in 1971 and as means to decide a lasting home for the Fairs Cup trophy, three times winners Barcelona and two-time victors Leeds were invited to play for the right of permanent ownership, the fixture taking place at Camp Nou on Wednesday 22 September 1971. Although the visitors were to lose 2-1 the game was notable in Elland Road dispatches for young Scottish striker Joe Jordan netting on his first team debut.
By the time Leeds travelled to Northern Spain, they, Spurs, Southampton and Wolves, had already begun their respective UEFA Cup campaigns, this new era in European competition bringing a familiar outcome as Spurs would progress to become the inaugural winners, winning by the odd goal in five over two legs against Wolves in the first all-England European final.
No matter its name dominance of the competition by English clubs had been extended – and was ready to endure yet further.
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