Contact lenses, Russian roubles and getting stuck in a lift - Coleraine in Europe

Up until Coleraine's magnificent Maribor victory in Slovenia last month, their greatest achievement on the European stage was undoubtedly a sensational comeback win in Kilmarnock.

Half a century ago the late great former Celtic captain Bertie Peacock had crafted a squad of brilliantly gifted battling Bannsiders. The Northern Ireland legend, who played in the World Cup finals in Sweden back in 1958, had brought an era of expectation at the Showgrounds with his astute management style.

Coleraine were a threat on the home front but even after holding Killie to a creditable 1-1 draw on the banks of the Bann, they were written off for the away tie at Rugby Park. Trailing 2-0 at half-time it seemed as though the curtain had already come down on their Fairs Cup (now Europa League) assignment.

However, that was the cue for striker Dessie Dickson to capitalise on Coleraine's resurgent second half performance to plunder a hat-trick inside 12 monumental minutes.

The Ballymoney man - still to this day Coleraine's record goalscorer with 452 strikes from 623 appearances - completed his treble despite having problems with a contact lens which partially blurred his vision!

It was a result that sent shockwaves around British football. The Scottish club were among the giants of the game in their own country at that time. Even Killie manager Walter McCrea conceded it was an "unbelievable comeback" and the renowned Jack Milligan, writing in the Daily Mirror, described it as the most "remarkable and exhilarating display" he had ever witnessed from an Irish club in European competition.

Coleraine's Euro adventures have not afforded many wins in the intervening years. They had defeated Luxembourg opponents Jeunesse Esch 4-0 at home in a Fairs Cup game the previous year but it would be 2002 and the Intertoto Cup before they registered another victory, 5-0 over Sant Julia from Andorra. The following year they beat Portugal's UD Leiria 2-1 in the UEFA Cup at Ballycastle Road.

History was also made the last time Coleraine faced Scottish opposition in Europe. An illuminating performance against Jim McLean's star-studded Dundee United in 1987 resulted in a narrow 1-0 defeat on the night the club marked a first competitive game under floodlights at their own ground.

Former Northern Ireland international keeper Jim Platt was player-manager and missing five first team regulars for the first tie including teenage prospect Michael O'Neill who, of course, went on to play for the Tangerines and coach Northern Ireland to the dizzy heights of a first ever appearance at European Championship finals in France back in 2016.

Despite a Herculean effort from Platt's super troupers, Paul Sturrock's goal broke brave Bannside resistance and the beaten UEFA Cup finalists from the season before pushed themselves over the line courtesy of a 3-1 home win but not after defender Dessie Edgar had popped up with a goal to make it 2-1 on aggregate and give the home side a reality check.

Incidentally, O'Neill was at the centre of a post-match transfer tug-of-war with McLean desperate to sign him United and Coleraine man Iam McFaul, then in charge at Newcastle United, eager to land him for the Magpies. In the end, the rising young star found himself on his way to St James Park.

Perhaps Coleraine's most fondly remembered European occasion is the visit of Keith Burkinshaw's Tottenham Hotspur in 1982. He had a stellar cast at his disposal including Argentina defender Ricardo Villa, England keeper Ray Clemence, Garth Crooks, Steve Archibald, Steve Perryman, Gary Mabbut and Republic of Ireland defender Chris Hughton. A capacity crowd watched Spurs win 3-0 and a stand ticket - if you could even obtain one - would have cost £4.

It ended up 4-0 in the White Hart Lane return despite the heroics of Coleraine keeper Vincent Magee. The bearded giant won over the Spurs fans with his acrobatic endeavours between the posts which without doubt was the key factor in player-boss Dickson's side avoiding a cricket score.

Coleraine directors had an unnerving experience following a dinner the night before the match. As they left the plush dining room in the spanking new £4.5 million grandstand, the lift ground to a halt between floors.

For a full 40 minutes eight members of the board were trapped until the London Fire Brigade freed them. To help time pass and shift focus from the claustrophobic catastrophe, there was an outbreak of hymn singing, led by club chaplain and former Glenavon footballer Rev. Brian Liddell! The doors finally opened to a resounding rendition of the 23rd Psalm!

European tales are myriad and perhaps while remembering Des Dickson's glorious hat-trick in Kilmarnock, it is only fair to recall the night Coleraine had a soft landing of sorts in Germany!

Back in 1977 the Iron Curtain still divided the country East and West. In Leipzig Coleraine were two down against Lokomotive in the Cup Winners Cup. Carrying a 4-1 deficit from the home game it was all over as a contest but somehow the Bannsiders found their second wind and Michael Guy scored twice to level the game. In scenes unprecedented in East German football, frustrated fans threw missiles onto the pitch - including cushions - and applauded the part-timers off at the end.

Coleraine returned to the city in the Eighties but couldn't replicate that pulsating performance. Their operations behind the Iron Curtain also included a trip to Brandenburg and, way back in the mid Sixties, to the former Soviet Union where Dynamo Kiev was the destination.

They were trailblazers. The first British club to play at that level in Russia following a first ever Irish Cup final triumph in 1965 when they defeated Glenavon in the final. Their Euro debut ended in a 6-1 home defeat. Tony Curley scored the goal.

Future England manager Ron Greenwood, then in charge at West Ham United, watched the action. He had a been stationed in nearby Maghera with an RAF mobile unit for part of the Second World War and had become friendly with Coleraine chairman Jack Doherty and legendary local journalist William "Speedy" Moore who both served with the 6th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery. Greenwood also guested for Belfast Celtic during his wartime sojourn.

One final footnote on the away game comes from celebrated Belfast sports writer Dr Malcolm Brodie MBE who accompanied the club to Kiev where Dynamo drove themselves to a 4-0 success.. He wrote:

"Depressed, we left for Moscow where I'll always remember Jack Doherty having a row with the soccer officials about the inability of changing roubles back into sterling. Impossible but luckily, Glasgow Celtic went there next season and they used them. Nothing ever goes to waste in Coleraine!"