Athlone Town rattled Italian giants AC Milan 50 years ago

An occasion which continues to resonate in the annals of local sporting folklore, Athlone Town’s two legged UEFA Cup fixture against AC Milan remains a standout moment in the club’s 138-year history. Today marks the 50th anniversary of the second leg (November 5, 1975) of that famous encounter.

Ultimately, the tie went the way of the Italian giants, but for a moment in time Athlone Town FC was not just the focus of national media attention, the club was afforded the glare of the international press.

Having defeated Norwegian club Valerenga in the first round of the competition, a second round fixture against illustrious Italian opponents awaited, and for the players an opportunity to grace the iconic San Siro Stadium.

In a previous interview with the Westmeath Independent to mark the 40th anniversary of the famous fixture, Pauric Nicholson, who was a member of the Athlone Town squad at the time, said to be pitted against AC Milan was “just unbelievable”.

“We never had any aspirations of playing anywhere and to be playing against a team like AC Milan, it was just a dream come true. When the draw was made, the whole town went crazy,” Pauric said.

The AC Milan team was stocked with Italian internationals, and a coaching ticket which included former Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni. But it was only in the last quarter of the second leg tie in the San Siro that Milan took command, as a brace of goals from Romeo Benetti and Francesco Vincenzi ultimately proved to be the difference over the 180 minutes played.

However, the first leg of this UEFA Cup fixture is still very much talked about amongst those who attended St Mel’s Park on October 22 1975, the fabled old ground hosting the ‘Rossineri’, a capacity crowd close to witnessing a famous victory for the home team.

Much has been said in the years since about John Minnock’s penalty miss after 30 minutes, but Athlone Town more than matched their opponents, an estimated 9,000 raucous home supporters willing the home team to victory and a result which would have stunned European football. The stalemate which ensued after 90 minutes remains much lauded and a moment in the club’s history never to be forgotten.

The Westmeath Independent match report from that first leg tie stated that the “prestigious reputation of AC Milan was badly dented in a game which Athlone should have won”.

Should John Minnock have scored his 30th minute penalty it would have made a difference to the game’s complexion and to the morale of a “badly rattled AC Milan side”.

Apart from the penalty miss, the game was remembered as one in which Athlone Town’s “team spirit worked wonders”.

“From the word go, Athlone tore into AC Milan knocking them completely out of their stride, their supreme effort, despite all the predictions of the pundits, giving a boost to Irish soccer,” the match report noted.

The Italians, who wanted the game played in Dublin when the second round tie was confirmed, were unsettled on the tight confines of the St Mel’s Park pitch. Athlone Town manager Amby Fogarty, in his post match analysis, stating that “four of the Italian players should have been sent to the dressing rooms” due to some of the tackles made by a rattled Milan outfit.

The plaudits were not just limited to the local media, Irish Press journalist Mel Moffat stating that Athlone had “humbled the millionaires from Italy”, only John Minnock’s penalty miss “preventing them from sending an even bigger shock through Europe”.

“The first hour of the game saw a lot of sizzling action from Athlone who showed that they did not give a damn about reputations. They had bravely attacked a defence that played like a pack of hungry tigers,” Moffat wrote.

Akin to the Westmeath Independent match report, Moffat said that the referee allowed “never really got an authoritative grip on the game, allowing the Italians to get away with everything short of murder”.

While clear goal scoring opportunities were at a premium in the fiercely contested first leg, Moffat said that the “home crowd were greatly anticipating what Athlone were going to put together, with a swirling wind behind them after the interval”.

“But it was an anti-climax. Although they chased every ball, they never succeeded in creating clear cut chances,” Moffat said.

Concluding his report, Moffat said that “Athlone could look back on tis day with pride for years to come”.

Journalist John Fitzsimons was also present for the Wednesday afternoon European fixture in St Mel’s Park and in his reflective post match piece, he contrasted the suave, stylish and sophisticated nature of the Italians who “swept into the heart of Ireland, amid a flurry of activity”.

“The sight of such a star studded AC Milan line-up, including Italy’s 1966 World Cup goalkeeper Enrico Albertosi and renowned striker, Francesco Vincenzi, tip toeing through swampy Athlone much in their finest leather shoes looking to protect their smart club suits from picking up wayward specks was quite remarkable, given that the home supporters were reduced to the more practical wellies,” Fitzsimons said.

Closing his piece, Fitzsimons said Athlone’s “wholehearted performance merited more glory, but it wasn’t to be”.

Athlone Town v AC Milan (October 22, 1975, St Mel’s Park). Athlone Town team: Mick O’Brien, John Duffy, Kevin Smith, Dougie Wood, Andy Stephenson, Noel Larkin, John Minnock, Carl Humphries, Paul Martin, Eugene Davis, Terry Daly. Subs: Joe Healy for Martin (60), Cyril Barnicle for Larkin (72).

AC Milan v Athlone Town (November 5, 1975, San Siro Stadium). Athlone Town team: Mick O’Brien, John Duffy, Kevin Smith, Dougie Wood, Andy Stephenson, Noel Larkin, John Minnock, Carl Humphries, Paul Martin, Eugene Davis, Terry Daly. Subs: Joe Healy for Daly (64); Pauric Nicholson for Davis (75).

AC Milan squad: Albertosi, Sabadini, Maldera, Turone, Bet, Scala, Gorin, Benetti, Bigon, Rivera, Vincenzi, Anquilletti, Calloni.