“ Exactly 50 years tonight at 7.30pm “

Exactly 50 years tonight at 7.30pm, Cardiff City v SV Hamburg European Cup Winner's Cup Semi-Final Second Leg at Ninian Park - Wednesday May 1, 1968.

The Bluebirds, a team struggling against relegation from the Second Division - now the Championship - had beaten Shamrock Rovers (Irish Republic), NC Breda (Holland) and Moscow Torpedo (USSR) - via a 1-0 Quarter-Final Play-Off victory in West Germany - to reach the last four.

Norman Dean, a City reserve striker and now a safety steward at Southampton's training ground in Marchwood, had scored the winner against the Russians to set up the Hamburg clash which captured the national media attention.

Legendary BBC Match of the Day commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme was the voice covering a match City lost 3-2, the German winner comming in injury time at the Canton Stand end.

Dean's early strike giving Cardiff a 2-1 aggregate lead had been cancelled out by two Hamburg goals, Bluebirds skipper Brian Harris levelling up in front of just under 50,000 fans on 78mins.

Under the lights Jimmy Scoular's heroes wore royal blue shirts, white shorts and stockings - Hamburg in white shirts, red shorts and stockings.

The Germans lost 2-0 to AC Milan in the final held in Holland.

I recall Wolstenholme saying that even though it was Cardiff keeper Bob Wilson who made a terrible error for Hamburg's third goal, only the ex-Aston Villa man's superb displays in the earlier rounds had dragged City through to that stage. He replaced the ineligible Fred Davis, who had signed from Wolves.

The match was so high-profile that the black and white pictures and latest score - then 2-1 to Hamburg - were flashed across the BBC One main news at nine.

Ironic, in the week that the Bluebirds stand on the cusp of the Premier League and World media glare.

I was with my dear old dad right behind Bob Wilson when he let the ball slip and under him. I have never heard 50,000 people go so quiet. It was a crushing experience - right up there with the playoff final.

yes I was in the Canton Stand that night a mere lad of 24,also right behind the goals . Poor Bob Wilson came out of his area and the guy just curled the ball into goal. We were all shocked. Gone now. Lets get the job done on Sunday.

I was there too... Today is my 50th anniversary for watching and supporting the bluebirds also

I was also there a mere boy of 15 singing it up on the grange end and I recall scoular never picked him again and was transferred soon after

Yes, I was there as well in the Grange End. Wasn't it Uve Sealer who scored that goal. He was the West Germany centre forward at the time. A draw would have sent us to a replay in Jutland (Denmark) and that would have been my first venture away with CCFC.

I was there that night just a kid ,crowd so big my dad let me wait for autographs after the game needless to say no player wanted to stop to sign any and some of them were to upset to even acknowledge fans outside painful memory and l still can’t bring myself to watch the game to this day please god it doesn’t happen on Sunday

Yes, I was there as well in the Grange End. Wasn't it Uve Sealer who scored that goal. He was the West Germany centre forward at the time. A draw would have sent us to a replay in Jutland (Denmark) and that would have been my first venture away with CCFC.

Seeler scored the second goal - Honig the third

From CCFC webpage:
"Seeler finally made his mark on the contest when he majestically arrowed a shot into the the top corner to give his side the lead."

"Hönig let fly with a speculative effort from thirty yards out and Wilson, so often the hero during the tournament, was unable to keep it out and let the shout squirm under his body into the back of the net."

Unbelievable that we got that far

Thanks for reminding me but frightening to think it as 50 years ago. I was there that night in the boys enclosure at the front of the Grangend. That fantastic achievement of being so close to reaching a European final tends to be overshadowed by beating Real Madrid a few years later. In fact Hamburg were probably a much better side than the Real team we faced three years later.

European nights were great and those of us old enough to have witnessed them were very lucky.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JEk2dFyr6Ac

Heartbreaker!
Also their second goal was either fantastic or spawny as hell!

What people underestimate is fact we were div 2 at time and a lot teams we played were the best of their leagues!!! Truly remarkable era for club