by Richard Hinman
Jones had ended Merthyr’s long wait for a Welsh Cup in the competition’s centenary edition. He had also guided the club to Europe for the first time. The town and the area were gripped by Euro fever — fans dreamt of watching their team face giants of the European game like Ajax, Sporting Lisbon and Marseille, who were also in the Cup Winners’ Cup. As a reward for their domestic cup triumph, Merthyr were drawn against Atalanta from the mighty Serie A.
At this time, Serie A was on the verge of becoming the best league in football. Arrigo Sacchi had just joined AC Milan, while Diego Maradona was delighting fans at the San Paolo following his move from Barcelona. Atalanta were considered one of the best teams in Italy, under president Cesare Bortolotti and manager Nedo Sonetti, who guided the club from Serie B to a ninth-place finish in the top flight within the space of three seasons.
Yet while the 1986-87 season was historic for Merthyr, it was dreadful for the Bergamo outfit. Despite being led by iconic captain and Swedish international Glenn Strömberg, Atalanta struggled and were relegated on the final day of the season having collected just 21 points from 30 games. Sonetti was sacked but not before guiding the club to a Coppa Italia final, the only shining light of a terrible campaign.
In the final, a Napoli side inspired by Maradona made light work of Sonetti’s men, beating them 4-0 over two legs. With the Partenopei claiming a historic league and cup double, Atalanta were given the consolation of a place in the Cup Winners’ Cup as they began life back in Serie B.
People in Merthyr Tydfil did not care about the struggles of their first European opponents. They had been handed a glorious tie and even with Atalanta falling to the second tier, the Welsh side from the seventh level of British football still claimed the mantle of huge underdogs. The tie also drew memories of Merthyr’s most famous player.
John Charles, who had made his name as a star at Juventus, ended his career as player-manager of the Glamorgan side. Joining in 1972, he was given the almost impossible task of the turning the club’s fortunes around at a time when the club couldn’t even afford to turn the floodlights on for its evening training sessions. Despite loving his time at Penydarren Park, Charles oversaw his first and only relegation in his career.
Memories of the ‘Gentle Giant’ were not the only reasons why the fixture took on extra significance for the Merthyr fans. Following the tragic events at Heysel, English clubs were banned from Europe, meaning the Glamorgan side were the only representative in European football from either Wales or England for the 1987-88 campaign. There was a feeling that the Martyrs faithful had to rebuild the reputation of British fans abroad. They did not disappoint.
As soon as the draw was made, the town became a sea of Italian flags. Tickets were like gold dust as the club prepared itself for the biggest night in its history. Chairman Reddy invested heavily (£150,000, to be precise) to make sure the stadium was ready. Everything seemed right and fittingly on the night before the match, Welsh hero Ian Rush rang up the manager Lyn Jones to wish the side all the best. They’d need it.
The Merthyr fans made the usual trip to Penydarren Park more in hope than expectation. New Atalanta coach Emiliano Mondonico brought his side to Wales on the back of a bright start to the Serie B campaign with forward Oliviero Garlini in particularly good form. What the Welsh fans saw was the game of a lifetime.
“There were as many people as you could squeeze into the stadium. The atmosphere was magical, absolutely electric,” Merthyr captain Andrew Beattie declared. The match was sell-out with an official attendance 8,000 but reports suggested as many as 14,000 fans were crammed in. Just before the game kicked off an Italian journalist was so confident he proclaimed: “If it isn’t 5-1 by half-time it would be a farce.”
Merthyr started the game at a hell of tempo. As the home faithful roared on every touch the non-league side made, Atalanta’s players looked shell-shocked. As the pressure mounted, the Italian visitors buckled. Kevin Rodgers, who would go on to play for both Aston Villa and Birmingham, drilled home a well-worked set piece move to open the scoring on 34 minutes. Penydarren Park was bouncing.
However, just before half-time and against the run of play, Merthyr conceded. Domenico Progna, Atalanta’s record appearance holder in European competitions, steered the ball home from close range after a stunning move. As the players headed into the dressing rooms, the Merthyr players were cheered off the pitch by a vocal home support.
Despite levelling the game, Atalanta failed to take control after the restart. “The pitch was not in the best of conditions, which probably helped us,” Beattie later admitted but even so, the Welsh minnows out-thought and out-battled their illustrious opponents. As the match entered the final stages it looked as if Atalanta would escape with a draw and an important away goal. But Merthyr were not to be denied.
Ceri Williams was one of Lyn Jones’ first signings at the club and turned out to be his best. After impressing at Cardiff-based side Blaenrhondda, he joined Merthyr in 1985 on a deal which saw him paid £10 and two pints a game, while he worked during the day in the tarmac trade. With just three minutes to go against Atalanta, he found space in the box following a corner and rifled home from close range, albeit thanks to a heavy deflection.
Penydarren Park erupted for the second time and Atalanta had no time to recover. As the final whistle blew, the celebrations commenced. While the home players went on a lap of honour, Atalanta’s stars left the pitch with their heads down. On 16 September 1987, 11 players and their manger earned themselves immortality.
“We became instant heroes and partied all night, into the morning,” Beattie recollected. Merthyr were the talk of British football. Following his winning goal, Williams topped the bill on ITV’s famous football programme Saint and Greavsie, hosted by Ian St John and Jimmy Greaves. While his players partied and lapped up the attention, Lyn Jones already had his focus on the return leg in Italy.
To be continued…..
Article courtesy of ‘The Gentleman Ultra’. To view the original please follow the link below.
Merthyr Tydfil vs. Atalanta: The story of an unforgettable upset
Thank you, Richard, for the very detailed piece about the Merthyr v Atalanta games in 1987. I enjoyed reading it. However, I would like to point out a few errors.
The description of both Merthyr goals is inaccurate.
It is unfair to say that Merthyr did not create chances in the second leg. Dai Webley and Ceri Williams forced brilliant saves from the Atalanta keeper.
Kevin Rodgers had played for Birmingham by this time. He did not go on to play for them.
Blaenrhondda, as the name suggests, is at the top of the Rhondda Fawr valley, not a ‘Cardiff based club’.