Glens v AC Allianssi

'Somebody nip me, I must be dreaming' - the initial onslaught of hysteria after that final whistle had subsided, heart rate returned to something near normal, and the 20 odd souls on the Ballymac trip were now sat in the wee bar just down the road from the ground staring at our pints in near silence .... Stunned! 12 European trips in a row I'd been on before this one, seen just 2 away goals, and gained a solitary point, 0-0 away to Rovaniemi back in 1987! Trip no.13? Lucky for some they say, well maybe, but there was nothing lucky about this result .....

Glentoran were simply outstanding!

Our passing, build up and movement was surperb, finding players feet, front men holding the ball up and time after time, turning the Finnish back four, while they watched for the raiding Keegan down the right. Morgan and Parkhouse found themselves with room in the area for a shot on numerous occasions in that first half hour, and I think more in disbelief than anything else delayed too long for the chance to go begging. The Finns were once again limited to long range efforts, our back four looking solid as a rock, with 'Andy Pandy' Adriano looking the only real danger.

They were definitely getting frustrated, trying to play the game at their own pace, but simply weren't allowed to settle for a second, and but for a nightmare of a linesman just below us I reckon we'd have been well ahead by this stage in the game.

The 2-2 result from the first leg had given the Glens a glimmer of hope of going through in this UEFA Cup tie, everybody was saying we were in with a chance this time, even the anti-Glentoran gutter press ... but deep down I reckon we all knew we'd been here before. Last year we 'blew' it when in an even better position against HJK, it's a hard call for part-timers just back from holidays to battle for 90 minutes against a full time outfit, but sure we could always drown our sorrows after what'll probably be another of those 'what might have been' European nights! ....

Boy did that script go out the friggin windie this time or what!!

A 5.30 pm pitch inspection had only just passed this game, as enough water had fallen in the previous 48hrs to call off a canoe race! But when we eventually got underway it was the Glens who started best. So often we're used to the slow calculated passing game of these ties, don't give the ball away, be patient and maybe your lone striker will get a couple of half chances throughout the 90 minutes ... not so this time!

The Glens lined up in 4-4-2 formation, Parkhouse and Morgan up front, with Tommy McCallion making a surprise start in midfield, and Nicky and Timmy McCann employed as overlapping wing backs.

Right from the off it was 'up and at 'em' stuff, our midfield were giving Allianssi no time whatsoever on the ball, and Kevin Keegan was having a field day! On at least four occasions in the first 10 minutes Kevin 'skinned' the big left back, (who was coming under major stick form just below the 100 odd travelling Glentoran support)! Each time Keegan got his cross in though the strikers had guessed wrong, and the ball fell agonisingly short or just too long with the goalie well beaten.

the ball at the foot of his right hand post. Adriano was quickest to react on the slippery surface and clipped the loose ball over Elliott into the net. I was sick to my stomach.

Here we go again, we could all see those headlines - 'Brave Glens go down fighting once again'

But no! It's hard to fathom it, but right from the kick-off the Glens were at it again, chasing, harrying and fighting for every ball, these players STILL believed they could win this tie, and with time almost up at the end of the first half we really should have been all square. Locky and Tommy McCallion were once again biting round Allianssi ankles around the opposition 18 yard line, this time wee Tommy coming away with the ball. Under pressure from two defenders, and the ball looking like it was running out of play Tommy squeezed in a brilliant cross right past the keeper and across Finninsh goal-line. Chris Morgan could have become a Glentoran legend right there and then had he reacted quicker, but by the time he stretched out a leg the ball was past him and running for a throw in - an awful moment for Morgan, and the Glens. But we weren't done yet, another ball into the box moments later, the keeper parries it in a packed goal area, it falls behind everyone in a Glentoran shirt, goes through legs, hits ankles .... ANYWHERE but to a Glentoran boot and gets scrambled away. The referee blows for half time and the fans give Glentoran a standing ovation as they leave the field ... this one's not over yet - not by a friggin long shot!

The second began like the first, Glentoran much the livelier side, but with Michael 'Doc' Halliday on for Morgan. It did the job too for a while, the Glens used the high ball more into the Allianssi area and big Michael was winning the headers, it was something new for the Finns to deal with and completely buggered up their game plan for the second half, because by the time they'd sussed out big Halliday, Nicky, Keegan and Timmy McCann were galloping down the wings again! What a cracker of a European tie this was becomming! We'd two big men in the area now and the Finns were definitely NOT looking comfortable at the back. But it wasn't all Glens, all the pushing for an equalizer left us short at times, and on the hour mark Elliott Morris tipped a wonder swirling 30 yarder over the bar!

Heart-stopping stuff, another goal now would surely have killed us off, but it was all or nothing with half an hour to go.

Then a free kick for the Glens about 25 yards out (pictured right), with it being slightly left of goal you fancied Shaun Holmes was gonna hit it - and boy did he!! Curling it over the wall it looked too high, but was dipping all the way and the keeper was never getting there. When it cannoned back off the top of the

post every Glenman in the ground had their head in their hands, I could'a cried, and as we tried to press home from the rebound the referee stopped the game so the keeper could receive treatment lying in his own goals after colliding with the post in a effort to keep it out! Cue a serious rise in volume from the packed Glenmen! The game re-started and we won it back yet again, 20 minutes to go now and it was frantic stuff, the Finns had lost all composure and just couldn't handle the pace, they were now playing on the break. Once more a cross came in, our big men made a nuisance of themselves yet again and a scuffed clearance ran to the feet of the arriving Tommy McCallion at the edge of the area. Tommy never broke stride, hit the ball first time low and hard through a whole ruck of players, and it settled itself in the bottom corner of the net!! PANDA-FRIGGIN-MONIUM!!!

I thought I was gonna have a heart attack! I swear the stand was lifting up and down as the Glenmen went absolutely nuts!

Game on! That got the Finns attention I can assure you, now for the time-wasting throw-ins and falling down holding sore ankles antics! But fair play to the ref, he was having none of it, and on one occasion Andy Pandy was told in no uncertain terms to get off the pitch if he wanted treatment. It was Charge of the Light Brigade stuff now as the Glens threw everything at a winner, and nearly paid the price a couple of time too. On one occasion one of our clearances fell to one of their strikers, and he hit it on the volley like nobody's business, an absolute thunderbolt. It looked for all the world a goal, when Elliott Morris absolutely threw himself from nowhere, to not only stop it but gather and smother it below him just 3 yards from our goal-line with two Finnish strikers waiting for a tap-in! A world class save, and what a time to produce it.

The noise level rose again. 10 minutes left now and Timmy McCann galloped free down the left, everybody and their dog was haring into the box for the cross, and when it came in Halliday and Parkhouse both got enough head on it to flick it past everyone to the far post. With the big Allianssi goalie scrambling across his line, Kevin Keegan and Nicky were arriving at pace. Keegan just couldn't get there, but had enough presence of mind to get out of the way for Nicky to volley it home acrobatically form the back post! Words could not describe what was going on in that Glentoran stand after that, I don't know where I was, but it wasn't planet earth!

I kicked every ball for the next 9 minutes, and must have lost half a stone. No more time-wasting from the Finns now, they chased after every loose ball, hurridly taking throw-ins and corner kicks, while the Glens just seemed to mop up everything and more importantly, rather than just belt the ball upfield every time, passed the ball out from the back to even look dangerous on the break. We almost got caught out once though, Andy friggin Pandy ghosted into the area and both Leeper and Pat McGibbon didn't know where the ball had gotten to. It ran between Paul's legs, towards our goal, and just as it looked like our pig-tailed friend was going to nip in behind him and get his second, Leeper stuck out a leg to clear it for a corner! I had no nails left by then.

When the referee blew up for time ... well you didn't have to be there, you can imagine the scenes! The whole team raced for the Glentoran supporters section of the ground, shirts got ripped off, training staff, manager, team attendants, fans .... unbelievable scenes, wee Jason Hill never even got on for the game, but had a big bandage round his napper coz he'd jumped so hard on the bench for the first goal he'd put his friggin head through the roof of the duggout!

11 o'clock the next morning we arrived back at out hotel in Estonia ....

.... I'd be grateful if anyone could fill in the gaps .... or then again maybe not ;-)

LE JEU AVANT TOUT