Rovers European Match

[bangormaine]

Having just read a thread likening the trip to Barnsley to a European adventure it brought to mind what may have been our only match against European opposition when in the mid 60s we played Wormatia Worms from Germany in a friendly at Belle Vue. My mum who watched them in the late 40s and 50s thinks The Rovers played someone called Floriana but does not know where they hailed from. Does any one remember any of these matches.

[BobG]

Don't remember those at all Bangor, but I do know, for a fact, that we played Lazio at BV and we played some rather good German crowd - not Wormatia Worms - bigger than them - who's name escapes me at the moment.

Cheers

BobG

PS We played some Scottish lot (Hibs?) when the original floodlights at BV were inaugurated.

[not on facebook]

notention that spanish mob who played at bellvue in last season when it pissed it down

[Donnywolf]

... We DID play the Worms and I was there and have the programme

I think the \"bigger\" German Club was Werder Bremen

... but dont forget we do play 4 European games this season Swansea and Cardiff Home and Away

[Savvy]

bangormaine wrote:

Having just read a thread likening the trip to Barnsley to a European adventure it brought to mind what may have been our only match against European opposition when in the mid 60s we played Wormatia Worms from Germany in a friendly at Belle Vue. My mum who watched them in the late 40s and 50s thinks The Rovers played someone called Floriana but does not know where they hailed from. Does any one remember any of these matches.

In my time watching the lads I seem to recall

Werder Bremen lost 2-1
Dallas Tornadoes Won 2-1
Lazio Lost 4-0

The scores are from memory so may not be fully accurate, but Floriana are a Maltese League football team, I used to own a shirt having been given it by a maltese friend of my Mam and Dads. They used to go to the feast of St Gejtanu in Hamrun every year for about 15 years continuously. If you haven't been its well worth going.

[Bentley Bullet]

I was there when we played Wormatia Worms at Belle Vue in the sixties. I think we won 1 nil.
Also around that time we played Lazio Rome. Not sure of the result....1-1 draw maybe.
Also we played Dallas Tornadoes and I think we beat them 2-1.

[Boomstick]

oslorovers wrote:

notention that spanish mob who played at bellvue in last season when it pissed it down

Yeah, Real Sociedad. Rovers won 1-0 with a Nick Fenton header.
It was quite a thunderstorm that aternoon.

Im sure they had a couple of semi biggish names playing for them

[Wellred]

Xabi Alonso's brother was playing for them

[Pintolager]

It would be great if Rovers were to play a few pre season games on the continent such as Sweden or Belgium for example. I'm sure that a fair few Rovers fans would travel overseas!

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I've always said that the airport has been built for a reason !

Barmy European nights watching the Rovers at Real Majorca, checking back in at 2am and back home at 2.30am !

[RobTheRover]

BobG wrote:

We played some Scottish lot (Hibs?) when the original floodlights at BV were inaugurated.

It was preseason 2003, I think Bob, so just before our Div3 championship season started.  The team was Livingston, who had signed a load of spanish players, and the Rovers were soundly beaten 4-2 if memory serves.

[Dagenham Rover]

Thought the Werder Breman score was either 3-2 or 3-1 to us

[RoversDave]

We beat Werder Bremen 2-1 at the end of the 1968/69 season

This is about Wormatia Worms

[Ldr]

RobTheRover wrote:

BobG wrote:

We played some Scottish lot (Hibs?) when the original floodlights at BV were inaugurated.

It was preseason 2003, I think Bob, so just before our Div3 championship season started.  The team was Livingston, who had signed a load of spanish players, and the Rovers were soundly beaten 4-2 if memory serves.

Think Bob is on about the 50's Rob  

[graingrover]

We did play Floriana at Belle Vue , under the lights and that was in itself still glamorous in those late 1950's . I have the programme somewhere, deep in the dusty attics of my youth. Floriana were from ... Malta!In that era .. Wolves were the magicians and about the same time beat Honved of Budapest .  Hungarian names like Puskas , Hideguti, Bocsic and co were all famous having routed England 7-2 I think at Wembley. But Floriana was still a magical fixture for the youth of Donny in those days

[RobTheRover]

Ldr wrote:

RobTheRover wrote:

BobG wrote:

We played some Scottish lot (Hibs?) when the original floodlights at BV were inaugurated.

It was preseason 2003, I think Bob, so just before our Div3 championship season started.  The team was Livingston, who had signed a load of spanish players, and the Rovers were soundly beaten 4-2 if memory serves.

Think Bob is on about the 50's Rob  

LOL, before my time by 20 years, mate.  I'm a Johnny-Come-Lately, only been going since 1980.

[Mr Brightside]

You're right Bob, Rovers played Hibs in the 51/52 season for the first floodlit match at Belle Vue.

Other Rovers home matches against continental opposition include:

50/51    
Third Lanark
Floriana (Malta)

52/53
Djurgarden (Sweeden)
Celtic

53/54
Falkirk
Hearts
Sportklub Wacker (Austria)

54/55
Linfield (N Ireland)

55/56
Spandauer (Germany)

57/58
Airdrieonians

65/66
Wormatia Worms (Germany)

68/69
Werder Bremen (Germany)

69/70
Dallas Tornadoes (USA)
Lazio (Italy)

71/72
Cowdenbeath

74/75
Dunfermline

03/04
Livingston


Rovers have also played friendlys against unusual opposition like the St Ledger Jockeys and RAF Bomber Command both 54/55.

[irishcontingent]

My mind playing tricks again, didnt Rovers play a polish side in 1965 - 1966 ( well around that era ) preseason. Seem to remember a 3-0 victory. Maybe Brain not functioning though.

[i_ateallthepies]

Dagenham.Rover wrote:

Thought the Werder Breman score was either 3-2 or 3-1 to us

I was there and as I remember it we won 3-1 after giving them a real pasting, and this was a German side with 1966 world cup players in.

[The Red Baron]

Mr Brightside wrote:

Rovers have also played friendlys against unusual opposition like the St Ledger Jockeys and RAF Bomber Command both 54/55.

The Jockeys being a team over which even an O'Driscoll side would have an aerial advantage!

[The Red Baron]

I have a programme from that game against Hibs, played on 4th March 1952. Hibs were the Scottish League Champions at that time and won the game 3-0. I also have one from a game played a few weeks later against a Scottish XI, which Rovers won 8-0. Must both be worth a few bob, but before you ask, I'm not selling!

In May of 1952, Rovers went on a four-match tour of Ireland, playing Drumcondra, Waterford, Cork Athletic and Glentoran. Nowadays the idea of a post-season tour would go down like a lead balloon with the players, but in those days they'd be happy to earn a bit of extra bunce. It also served as a scouting mission, because Peter Doherty recruited many players from Ireland in those days.

[Dagenham Rover]

i_ateallthepies wrote:

Dagenham.Rover wrote:

Thought the Werder Breman score was either 3-2 or 3-1 to us

I was there and as I remember it we won 3-1 after giving them a real pasting, and this was a German side with 1966 world cup players in.

So was I as a 10/11 year old memory a bit fuzzy but I was sure that was the score I remembered.
I'll always remember badgering my Dad to take me cos all these German internationals were playing, he ended up \"borrowing\" the rent money so we could go.
 Mum went ballistic when she realised. then all behind the settee when the rentman was due  

[Mr Brightside]

Red Baron wrote

I have a programme from that game against Hibs, played on 4th March 1952. Hibs were the Scottish League Champions at that time and won the game 3-0. I also have one from a game played a few weeks later against a Scottish XI, which Rovers won 8-0. Must both be worth a few bob, but before you ask, I'm not selling!

I have a few of those programmes too and the Hibs one will have extra value because it was the first floodlit game at Belle Vue, and according to the programme 'the first time floodlit football on a big scale will be seen in the north'.

The games you mention over in Ireland, now those programmes would be worth a few quid.

[not on facebook]

only way rovers will get into any other part of europe is if they bring
back 'national service'

[RedRover45]

Mr Brightside wrote:

Red Baron wrote

I have a programme from that game against Hibs, played on 4th March 1952. Hibs were the Scottish League Champions at that time and won the game 3-0. I also have one from a game played a few weeks later against a Scottish XI, which Rovers won 8-0. Must both be worth a few bob, but before you ask, I'm not selling!

I have a few of those programmes too and the Hibs one will have extra value because it was the first floodlit game at Belle Vue, and according to the programme 'the first time floodlit football on a big scale will be seen in the north'.

The games you mention over in Ireland, now those programmes would be worth a few quid.

 There was only a programme printed for the Drumcondra game which values about 90-100 quid. There was no programme issued for the other 3 games.