First and foremost: Group effort

Celebrating landmark achievements and curious quirks in the history of Ireland’s Oldest Football Club, cliftonvillefc.net today continues a new mini series reflecting on some of the trailblazing enterprises where Cliftonville have led the way.

Every week throughout the summer break, ‘First and Foremost’ will shine a spotlight on startling statistics, tall tales and magical milestones that saw the Reds play a pioneering role in the story – with the summer of 1996 taking centre stage today.

For it was 30 years ago that Cliftonville became the first ever Irish League side to compete in the group stage of a European competition, with Belgian outfit Standard Liege and German giants Stuttgart visiting Solitude as part of a schedule that saw Marty Quinn’s men undertake missions in Israel and Denmark.

Just a few short weeks after the 1995/96 Premier League campaign had drawn to a close, the Reds were back in competitive action when Les Rouches of Standard found themselves in north Belfast for a UEFA Intertoto Cup tie on June 22.

The visitors eased to a 3-0 success thanks to a double from Belgium international Michael Goossens and a strike from compatriot Roberto Bisconti.

The following weekend, Cliftonville registered no fewer than three milestones in an away clash with Hapoel Haifa.

Trailing 1-0 at the Kiryat Eliezer Stadium, the Reds’ first ever European goal came courtesy of Scottish midfielder Shaun Strang, whose strike ensured the Club’s first point in continental competition. Further to that – and understandably less celebrated – was the Reds’ first ever dismissal in a Euro game when Tim McCann was sent off.

Next Monday, meanwhile, marks the 30th anniversary of VfB Stuttgart visiting Belfast for a keenly contested tie that was nothing like as one-sided as the 4-1 scoreline suggests.

Cliftonville competed admirably throughout and, but for the genius of Brazilian frontman Giovane Elber, might have come away with something to show for their efforts but were, in truth, given a harsh lesson in finishing by a Stuttgart side who boasted a healthy travelling support thanks in no small part to the recently-finished European Championship in England.

Elber opened the scoring from a suspiciously offside position and made it 2-0 in first-half injury-time before the Reds were given a slither of hope when Paul Stokes tucked home the Club’s first ever European goal at Solitude only for Marco Grimm to extend the Germans’ advantage with four minutes to play ahead of Elber completing his hat-trick.

Quinn’s charges completed their programme against Aalborg at the Nordjyske Arena on July 14.

The team were certainly giving a more than decent account of themselves despite midfielder Mark O’Neill having to assume goalkeeping duties following Dean Smyth’s dismissal early in the second-half.

Unfortunately for Cliftonville, a late flurry of Aalborg goals saw them turn a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 victory that sent the Danes to the top of the Group 1 table, a position from which they were usurped courtesy of a 1-0 loss in Liege the following week.

Standard progressed to the semi-finals, where they got the better of Nantes – who, prior to the summer of ’96, had been the Reds’ only previous continental opponents – before suffering a 3-2 defeat to Karlsruhe of Germany over two legs in the decider.