CITY 3 FC TWENTE ENSCHEDE 2 (City won 4-3 on agg.)
UEFA Cup 1st Round 2nd Leg
27th September 1978
Attendance 29,330
Scorers
City Wildschut(9 o.g.), Kidd(69), Bell(83)
Twente Overweg(49), Gritter(85)
Ref Mr R Lalanzi
City Corrigan, Clements, Power, Owen, Watson, P Futcher, Channon, Viljoen, Kidd, Hartford, Barnes. Sub – Bell(53)
Twente Pasveer, Van Lerssel, Thoresen, Drost, Thijssen, Overweg, Wildschut, Van Der Vall, Bos, Pahlplatz, Gritter – sub Bruggink(69)
A TWENTE OWN GOAL SETS CITY ON THEIR WAY AND BRIAN KIDD CELEBRATES SCORING CITY’S SECOND
.
.
COLIN BELL MAKES IT 3-1
FROM THE PRESS BOX
.
.
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 28TH SEPTEMBER 1978
Manchester Ciy are no longer the frightened and frustrated flops of Europe.
However, they still managed to scare the pants off their fans before fially laying the UEFA Cup bogey in a Maine Road cliff-hanger that remained precariously in the balance until the welcome final whistle.
It left the Blues staggering into round two for the first time in four attempts with a nail-chewing 3-2 win on the night, giving them an aggregate 4-3 victory over the technically superior Dutchmen of Twente Enschede.
Yet the spectre of defeat still haunted them to the death despite the flying start a Piet Wildschut own goal after only eight minutes.
City lived dangerously from that point wasting at least two first half chances that could have wrapped up the tie there and then.
Manchester Ciy are no longer the frightened and frustrated flops of Europe.
However, they still managed to scare the pants off their fans before fially laying the UEFA Cup bogey in a Maine Road cliff-hanger that remained precariously in the balance until the welcome final whistle.
It left the Blues staggering into round two for the first time in four attempts with a nail-chewing 3-2 win on the night, giving them an aggregate 4-3 victory over the technically superior Dutchmen of Twente Enschede.
Yet the spectre of defeat still haunted them to the death despite the flying start a Piet Wildschut own goal after only eight minutes.
City lived dangerously from that point wasting at least two first half chances that could have wrapped up the tie there and then.
And from the moment Niels Overweg rapped in a free kick that was a virtual action replay of the equaliser Twente had scored in the first leg, the Blues walked a tightrope of uncertainty as the tie reached a dramatic and entertaining climax.
Battle-scarred European campaigners, Brian Kidd, back after a six match inury absence, and Colin Bell, second half substitute for Colin Viljoen, scored the goals that gave City what looked like to be a watertight lead.
But even then the Blues still diced with death and allowed Twente to pull one back. Had the Dutch equalised that UEFA Cup jinx would have struck again, City would have gone out on the away goals ruling.
They didn’t, although there were a few nervous wrecks after a furious final five minutes in which Twente through everything forward in a last brave and desperate attempt to salvage a great cup tie.
City too often fell into a trap of their own making by carelessly, and needlessly giving the ball away. Twente, too troubled te Blues with long ball tactics at which their skipper and sweeper Epi Drost was a master.
Yet apart from a 21st minute shot from Ab Gritter that was well smothered by Joe Corrigan, the City goalkeeper rarely had another serious effort to save.
Battle-scarred European campaigners, Brian Kidd, back after a six match inury absence, and Colin Bell, second half substitute for Colin Viljoen, scored the goals that gave City what looked like to be a watertight lead.
But even then the Blues still diced with death and allowed Twente to pull one back. Had the Dutch equalised that UEFA Cup jinx would have struck again, City would have gone out on the away goals ruling.
They didn’t, although there were a few nervous wrecks after a furious final five minutes in which Twente through everything forward in a last brave and desperate attempt to salvage a great cup tie.
City too often fell into a trap of their own making by carelessly, and needlessly giving the ball away. Twente, too troubled te Blues with long ball tactics at which their skipper and sweeper Epi Drost was a master.
Yet apart from a 21st minute shot from Ab Gritter that was well smothered by Joe Corrigan, the City goalkeeper rarely had another serious effort to save.
… Kidd’s return was marked by his superb 70th minute solo goal, a blistering left foot drive from all of 30 yards that maintained his goal a game record for the season.
Mike Channon, too, worked tremendously hard and it was from his glancing header following a Hartford cross, that City’s third goal resulted.
Goalkeeper Eddy Pasveer made a magnificent save but the ball cannoned out to Bell who struck a polished shot for a fine goal in his first senior match of the season.
Bell’s introduction was a psychological boost in that it brought the crowd to life, and while the former England star’s contribution was reduced to a defence splitting pass, and his goal, it indeed proved a master-stroke.
Mike Channon, too, worked tremendously hard and it was from his glancing header following a Hartford cross, that City’s third goal resulted.
Goalkeeper Eddy Pasveer made a magnificent save but the ball cannoned out to Bell who struck a polished shot for a fine goal in his first senior match of the season.
Bell’s introduction was a psychological boost in that it brought the crowd to life, and while the former England star’s contribution was reduced to a defence splitting pass, and his goal, it indeed proved a master-stroke.
I can never forget Colin Bell on his comeback after his near-career ending injury and just moments after coming on he scored that excellent match winning goal for City.
When I saw him get up from the bench and remove his training jacket, the atmosphere inside Maine Road suddenly changed and like everyone else I yelled “Colin is back!… Colin is back” and then just to prove it he scored that goal. I felt ecstatic. What a man. What a player. What magic that night.