TWIH: Cup Winners’ Cup Anniversary

In the latest of his ‘The Week in History’ blogs, Club Historian John Hutchinson recalls the 51st anniversary of the first major European competitive tie at Filbert Street.

Fifty one years ago this week, on October 25th 1961, Leicester City played Atletico Madrid in their first real taste of top class European competitive football. The Filbert Street crowd witnessed a game which was so dramatic and controversial, that it is still talked about today by those of us old enough to remember it.

The game in question was the first leg of the second round of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. This was a major European competition which lasted until 1999 when it was absorbed into the UEFA Cup, which itself has now become the Europa League.

Leicester City had qualified for the competition as losing FA Cup finalists from the previous season.  This was because the Cup holders Tottenham Hotspur were also League Champions and were playing in the European Cup.

In the first round Leicester City had comfortably disposed of Glenavon from Northern Ireland. 

Spanish giants Atletico Madrid were an altogether different prospect. 

The challenge of the occasion galvanized Leicester City to such an extent that their tigerish, controlled football shocked the Spaniards who had been less than impressed by Leicester’s lacklustre performance against Blackpool four  days earlier. 

The game ended in a 1-1 draw. Leading by a goal from Ken Keyworth in the 56th minute, Leicester held on until added time when Atletico’s Mendoza equalized brilliantly.

The immediate post match reaction of Villalonga, the Atletico team manager was, “Leicester City were one of the best teams I have seen for years. The difference between last Saturday against Blackpool and Leicester tonight was remarkable. I would not praise one player more than another. They all gave a wonderful show. Leicester played better than we did”. Collar, the Madrid captain added, “Leicester played a wonderful game and I praise them en bloc. We are very keen to win in Madrid but it will be very difficult”. 

Leicester City should have won, but they felt that they had been robbed by some dreadful refereeing decisions. 

In the nineteenth minute, Keyworth, robustly challenged in midfield, headed the ball towards the rival goal, broke clear and placed his shot triumphantly into the net. The French referee, ignoring the advantage rule, disallowed the goal, awarding instead a free kick to Keyworth!  The crowd’s reaction was “a chorus of whistling and booing, which made the stands quiver”. 

 Another episode which inflamed the crowd was when the Brazilian right-half Ramiro pulled the shirt of Gordon Wills when only he stood between the Leicester player and the goalkeeper. He got away with a free kick.

In the second half, Keyworth was mysteriously flattened, yards away from the ball coming in from a free kick, and was badly winded. A few minutes later though, he volleyed home a great goal from a low centre from outside-right Howard Riley whose pass crowned a fine run.

Despite Atletico’s provocations, Ian King had an outstanding game, White and McLintock harried ceaselessly, Banks made a brilliant save against Ramiro, and Keyworth and Appleton were always looking for goals. 

Atletico were shaken the most though by right-winger Howard Riley, who sprinted, centred, and passed with such urgency that the Spaniards were forced to pull back their own winger to help out the full back.

Talking about the game over fifty years later, Howard told me,

“In the first leg at Filbert Street we had one or two players missing and others playing out of position, but we played very well, and we should have won by three or four goals. We had so much space and time to play. I found that surprising but we didn’t really take advantage of it. I made our goal. I went past the full back and squared it to Ken Keyworth and he scored. We were on top for the rest of the game, but they scored with a couple of minutes to go which we felt was a bit harsh. I do remember a big chap called Mendoza who scored their goal. Ian King had a very good game for us”.

Mendoza’s last gasp equalizer deflated the vociferous Leicester crowd, but manager Matt Gillies was full of praise for his team. “There are some tough characters in this team. There are no fancy footballers but hard players”. 

The Spaniards, relieved to have escaped with a draw, celebrated in the changing room after the match by shaking each other’s hands and embracing. 

Three weeks later, with Graham Cross making his European debut on his 18th birthday  in front of a packed crowd at the Metropolitan Stadium in Madrid,   Leicester City were defeated 2-0 by Atletico who went on to win the trophy, beating Fiorentina in the Final. 

Fifty one years ago this week, it really looked as though Leicester City had arrived as a force in Europe when they came within a hair’s breadth of beating the Spanish giants at Filbert Street. Few of us anticipated at the time that it would be another thirty seven years before Leicester City next competed in Europe. 

By one of those ironies that help to make football so  fascinating, when Leicester City did next compete in Europe, in 1997, it was once against Atletico Madrid and once again the Foxes were robbed  of a victory at Filbert Street as a result of dubious refereeing decisions!