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 HAMRUN SPARTANS (Malta)
Overview | First Leg | Second Leg | "I Was There" | Competition Results
They let down 1,900 supporters, who, instead of being given a night to remember, were served a soccer-shocker in the home leg of the Cup Winners' Cup first round. Hamrun Spartans, strong and physical, but short of skill and technique, pirated an early goal and thereafter unashamedly packed their penalty area. And off colour Ballymena lacked the subtelty to find a way through the Maltese massed ranks. The United midfield, in which Jim Buchanan, deputising for the ineligible Owen Daly, was substituted midway through the half, stumbled through the match and contributed nothing. Ballymena president Jimmy Rock, a management committee member for nearly 50 years, couldn't recall a more pathetic United display. And manager Alan Campbell never a man to look for excuses that don't exist, branded his team's performance, and the match, as "the worst ever." The portents hadn't been good for United from before the kick-off. Jeff Wright broke down with a recurrence of knee trouble in the pre-match warm up and was replaced by Don McAllister. Only two Ballymena men emerged from the debacle with their reputations intact - Graham Fox and Brian Crockard. The skipper, however, was fortunate to escape with a yellow card after blatently kicking Leo Regalo in the 20th minute. That incident came just 60 seconds after the Maltese, who became the first team from the Mediterranean island to win a leg in Europe had stunned the rather disappointing crowd. Malcolm Robertson, Spartan's Scottish player-coach, knocked a cross into the six-yard box and Ray Xuereb, with not a defender near him, had the simple task to head the ball into the net. Before that, Roy Smyth put a header from Fox's cross past a post and a good effort by McAllister screamed over the bar. A critical moment in the match came in the 28th minute when the Irish Cup holders were awarded a penalty after McAllister had been brought down by Edwin Farrugia, Hamrun's Barry McGuigan lookalike captain. Report by Billy Spence - Ballymena Times ??/??/1984 Date: Wednesday, 13th September, 1984 Competition European Cup Winners Cup First Round First Leg
Final Score: Ballymena United 0-1 Hamrun Spartans Ballymena United: Grant, Hamilton, M. Smyth, Garrett, Heron, Young, McKee, Curry (sub Loughery 84), Sloan, Hardy, D. Smyth (sub Simpson 65). Subs (not used): Scott, O'Neill, McErlean. Goals: None Hamrun Spartans: ... Goals: Ray Xuereb '19 Referee: Mr. J. Worral (England) |
BALLYMENA United's return to the European stage after an absence of three years was an unmitigated disaster.