Glentoran 3 Sk Brann 1

European Cup Winners Cup, Second Round, 2nd Leg

Wednesday 7th November 1973

Kick Off 2:30pm

Glentoran qualified for the second round of the 1973-74 Cup Winners Cup competition courtesy of a 4-2 aggregate win over the Romanian side, Chimia Valcea.  They were drawn against the Norweigans SK Brann with the first leg being played in Bergen on 25th October 1973 and the return scheduled for the Oval on 7th November.  The Glentoran party landed in Bergen to find the pitch covered in snow, the Norweigan season having ended a couple of weeks previously.  Heavy rain on the day prior to game meant the playing conditions were atrocious and consequently the match was poor with few goal scoring chances.  In front of a 12,000 crowd, Brann took the lead in the 12th minute with a goal from Jensen.  Ten minutes from time Billy Walker grabbed the equaliser, but the match will be remembered for the horrific injury sustained by Rab McCreery.  In the 73rd minute three Brann defenders and McCreery challenged for the ball in one of the many pools of water on the pitch, a sickening crack was heard and McCreery's right leg was broken.  At the time it was thought that the injury may have been career threatening but Rab eventually to don the Glentoran shirt for another 10 years.

For the return leg at the Oval, Brann had to do without the services of central defender Bjorn Dahl who was unable to travel due to work commitments.  Glentoran tool full advantage of the visitors need to reshuffle their defence by scoring twice in the opening 15 minutes.  The first goal came courtesy of a poor clearance from Rune Pedersen.  Weatherup and Anderson combining to set up Warren Feeney who scored with a right foot shot, a collectors item.  Number two was scored by Johnny Jamieson who ran on to a through ball by McIllwaine and superbly chipped the Brann goalkeeper, Enge.  The Norweigan side got back into the game when Blindheim flicked the ball on with his head and Jan Erik Osland knocked the ball in from close range.  For a quarter of an hour at the start of the second half it looked like Brann might turn the game around but it was the Glens who the all important third goal.  It came in the 67th minute with Weatherup passing to Feeney, he threaded a beautiful ball to Jamieson, and Johnny collected his second goal of the game.

This victory put the Glens into the Quarter Finals of a major European competition for the first and only time.  They were drawn against the German side Borussia Monchengladbach and lost both legs,  2-0 at the Oval and 5-0 in Germany.  The Competition was won by FC Magdeburg of East Germany who beat AC Milan 2-0 in the final in Rotterdam.