33 years ago

[Chris Jameson]

I had caught a football special from New Street to Dover to catch a ferry to Oostend, there were coaches waiting to take us to our final destination...

[Pat McMahon]

I had caught a football special from New Street to Dover to catch a ferry to Oostend, there were coaches waiting to take us to our final destination...

Shopping trip?

[Rudy65]

I had caught a football special from New Street to Dover to catch a ferry to Oostend, there were coaches waiting to take us to our final destination...

Me too. Happy days

[tomd2103]

Having a Youtube browse the other day and came across this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B7OYWswn2Zs

[Chris Jameson]

I remember there being a couple of foreign camera crews on the ferry and they seemed most disappointed that everybody was in high spirits but very well behaved.

It was a sunny day and after a quiet drink in Rotterdam we had a wander round and my mate and I ended up having a game of football in a square somewhere off the beaten track with some Dutch kids, I remember there was a pair of twins who ran rings round everybody.

[olaftab]

All threads related to being in Rotterdam that day annoy me intensely. The saying is that it's better to regret things you have done than to regret things you have not done. I am in the latter category. I did not go to the final and regret it more and more as every year passes. One excuse is that from the time I started supporting the VIlla I only experienced success starting by promotion from the 3rd so when we won the Championship and than reached the European cup final I  was convinced that this sort of thing is going to keep happening again and again....
So I do envy all of you who did

[Jon Crofts]

I spent the morning with my Dad in Amsterdam having arrived into the Hoek the night before and caught a train to Amsterdam and our guest house.  We'd got tickets through the Metropolitan Police Athletics Association via some Dutch Police sports club, the down side was my old man was supposed to have written a 'policing report' for the benefit of others back in the Met, being in the Diplomatic Protection Group for most of his career, what he knew about policing a football match was very limited indeed so I think in all the excitement he made his excuses and never filed any report!   

We went to the Rijks Museum in the morning (I think, it was big and boring to an 18 year old) and Ann Franks house and only arrived into Rotterdam around 4 in the afternoon.  What struck me about Rotterdam was how lonely we felt, we were surrounded by Bayern fans everywhere but I do remember coming across a piazza/square no idea where that was rammed with Villa fans and after that it's all a bit of a blur really.

[dave shelley]

I had caught a football special from New Street to Dover to catch a ferry to Oostend, there were coaches waiting to take us to our final destination...

Same here.  Do you remember being marched along the docks under armed guards to the coaches?  I clearly remember the convoy of coaches stopping somewhere along the road for a break and most of us on board getting off for a piss.  What I found funny was that they pissed alongside the bus and the driver, who happened to be a woman, walking down the line having a look as if it was an inspection.  A happy, happy day.

[class-of-82]

young free and single and about to watch the team that is so close to your heart it's frightening become champions of Europe.
It simply didn't get any better, queued up for about ten minutes at the bar under the stand for 6 litres of Pilsner was in the crowd when the move started and threw the lot into the air when withey scored.
Come on villa let's celebrate again this Saturday
We can do it

[Godfrey Brian]

Around the ground it seemed mainly Villa all afternoon Mad kick around on the training pitches. Poignantly we bumped into some guys we'd travelled around div 3 grounds with a decade before and hardly seen since.Another measure of the surreal experience of supporting the Villa!

[clash city rocker]

Think the train I caught from new street left about 2 in the morning. Remember after the game the coach took us back to the port and the local police tried to usher us into what looked like some disused hall. Half a dozen of us made a dash for it and spent the night in a bar in town. Next morning we made our way to the port and we're promptly put on the next ferry back to Dover.

[castlefields_villan]

Think the train I caught from new street left about 2 in the morning. Remember after the game the coach took us back to the port and the local police tried to usher us into what looked like some disused hall. Half a dozen of us made a dash for it and spent the night in a bar in town. Next morning we made our way to the port and we're promptly put on the next ferry back to Dover.


I seem to remember the train leaving New Street just after midnight and we caught the ferry to Dunkirk  -  from there onto coaches and onto Rotterdam.  I was with two pals and in my newly bought ECF top.  I remember a group of 5 Bayern supporters coming up to us - they were very loud and in-your-face but also un-intimidating.  One of them said in broken English - holding one hand up "Ve Vill Vin Five to One" and then another said ""YES - It is FIVE TO ONE" - one of my friends instantly looked at his watch and shook his head and said "no, it's about twenty five to six" - they didn't see the funny side and then one of them said "have you heard of Karl-Heinz Rummeniger - he is ze best man in the vorld" - my other friend said - "HAVE YOU HEARD OF TONY MORLEY?" to which one of them replied "Ve have heard of Peter Vithe" -  Boy oh boy the whole of Europe - not just Munich knew of Peter Withe a few hours later - a truly unforgettable couple of days.

I was 24 then - 57 now and now it's time for the younger gerneration to enjoy this Saturday - I'm shaking with excitement at the thought of watching it on the tv on my own.