1968: Dunfermline 10 Apoel FC 1

Memorable Match #75
European Cup Winners Cup
First Round, First Leg
East End Park
Wednesday 18 September 1968

This was at the start of the Pars sixth campaign in European football. As Scottish Cup winners they competed in the 1968-69 European Cup Winners Cup. First opponents were Apoel FC (Nicosia) and the first leg was at East End Park.

The Cypriots were an amateur side who had won the country’s league championship 10 times and were cup holders for a sixth time. Apoel were managed by Pambos Avraamidis who also had responsibility for the Cypriot national team. Twenty five year old Andreas Stylianou was top scorer in Cyprus with 70 goals and Andreas Pakkos was Cypriot football’s Player of the Year.

As it turned out there was a little threat to be afraid off has Dunfermline crashed 10 past their opponents to set up a record total for them in a European match.

It also equalled Aberdeen’s Scottish record of 10 goals in the competition which they set against Reykjavík of Iceland the previous season. It also gives them found a passport into the second round and makes the return leg in Nicosia on 2nd October a mere formality.

The scoring started in the ninth minute when Hugh ROBERTSON took a cut back from Pat Gardner to lash home the ball, 1-0.

Eight minutes later skipper Roy Barry collected a rebound from left a terrace to score, 2-0.

GARDNER picked up a mis-clearance from Stelios Charitakis, to score the third. Willie RENTON flashed a shot high into the net in 26 minutes to make in four and two minutes the interval Alex Edwards increased the lead with a shot from the edge of the box.

Half time: Dunfermline 5 FC Apoel 0

Willie Callaghan got on the scoresheet twelve minutes into the second half with an impressive 30 yard strike. 6-0

Then in 62 minutes a solo run from STYLIANOU produces a shock goal for the visitors. Next minute however Tommy CALLAGHAN hit back when he finished a Lister cross. 7-1

His brother Willie scored again with another long range effort before ROBERTSON ran through the Cypriot defence to make it nine.

In the final minute RENTON took the tally to double figures and surpassing Dunfermline’s highest goals tally in European competition which had been six against Valencia six years earlier.

As predicted the return was easily negotiated with goals from Pat Gardner and Willie Callaghan securing a 2-0 win and qualify to meet Olympiakos Piraeus in the next round en route to the semi final against Slovan Bratislava.

DUNFERMLINE: Bent Martin, Willie Callaghan, John Lunn, John McGarty, Roy Barry, Willie Renton, Hugh Robertson, Bert Paton (Tommy Callaghan 46), Alex Edwards, Pat Gardner, Ian Lister (Ian Cowan 46)
SCORERS: Robertson (9, 78), Barry (17), Gardner (19), Renton (26, 89), Edwards (43), W Callaghan (57, 73), T Callaghan (63).

APOEL FC: Theodoros Theodorides, Lefteris Poulias, Dimitris Chiotis, Solis Andreou, Stelios Charitakis, Stefanis Michael, Nikos Kantzilieris, Antros Antoniadis (Papageorgiou 46), Nikos Agathokleous, Andreas Pakkos (Spyros Kettenis 46), Andreas Styilanou.
SCORER: Stylianou (62)

REFEREE: Kåre Sirevaag (Norway)
ATTENDANCE: 7167

Above: Jim Thomson captained Dunfermline in the return leg and led the team out

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