Obscure Football Tales: Burnley’s 1960-61 European Cup Run

The European Cup was a far more modest competition than the current European Champions League, which is a big-money event full of glamor and glamour. This is particularly true of its early years, before super teams became monopolized, when clubs ventured into uncharted territory and made their own history. Examples of this include Celtic’s “Lisbon Lions,” the early Manchester United teams, including the doomed Busby Babes and the 1968 squad of Best, Law, and Charlton. Nonetheless, a lot of cup runs are now mostly forgotten. One of these was Burnley’s participation in the European Cup during the 1960–61 campaign.

Burnley did not develop into a super-club like other teams like Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool did. However, they earned their spot in the European Cup by winning the English domestic league, just like every other team in that era did. Burnley, under the direction of manager Harry Potts, engaged in a fierce battle with Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the final table following 42 games looking like this:

Burnley: 55 points
54 points for Wolverhampton Wanderers
Hotspur Tottenham: 53 points

It was Burnley’s first championship since 1921, and the advancement was based on a modernizing approach that prioritized youth and the construction of a new training facility. In the late 1950s, Potts advanced the team on the field, preparing them for the difficult championship-winning season. What was most impressive, though, was that only two of the 18 players used were acquired as transfers. Jimmy McIlroy and top scorer John Connelly (20 goals) were prominent figures.

The Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid had won every previous event before the 1960–61 European Cup, which was the sixth edition. Because Burnley was picked first from the pot for western European clubs, they were fortunate to obtain a bye from the preliminary round of the competition. Accordingly, it wasn’t until November 1960 that they truly began participating in the competition. Stade Reims, who had defeated Luxembourg team Jeunesse Esch 11-1 overall in the preliminary round, were their opponents in the opening round. Stade Reims was one of France’s best teams at the time and had won multiple championships. They had also made a name for themselves in the European Cup by making it to the finals in 1956 and 1959. It was obvious that Burnley had a difficult time replicating the Busby Babes’ past achievements in order to advance in the competition.

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