Northern Irish side Crusaders FC are looking forward to bringing Fulham FC to their Seaview home, with memories of the club's 1976 meetings with Liverpool FC still strong in north Belfast.
Having eliminated NSÍ Runavík to reach the second qualifying round, Fair Play contenders Fulham FC can expect a warm welcome in north Belfast as they visit Crusaders FC in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
The last time the Northern Irish league runners-up faced English opposition on the continental stage was 35 years ago when they were drawn against Bob Paisley's Liverpool FC in the first round of the European Champion Clubs' Cup. The part-timers were beaten 2-0 at Anfield on 14 September 1976, succumbing 5-0 at a packed Seaview two weeks later.
It might be the kind of aggregate score a club would prefer to forget, but there was no disgrace for Crues in going down to a side boasting the likes of Kevin Keegan, Ray Clemence, Tommy Smith, Emlyn Hughes and Terry McDermott, who went on to win the European Cup that season, beating VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 in the final.
It was the first of the Reds' five European Cups, and memories of their visit to Seaview have been flooding back with the news that Martin Jol's Fulham are heading for Belfast. "To draw an English club in Europe is very special - it really is a dream come true," said Crusaders chairman Stephen Bell, just 12 when Liverpool came to Seaview.
"Those games against Bob Paisley's side of the late-1970s hold a very special place in the club's history," Bell added. "I was a boy when Liverpool beat us in Belfast and I remember jumping over a wee fence to sit near the goals at the Railway End. Seaview was packed; there must have been about 1,000 of us sitting two-or-three deep pitchside.
"We still have newspaper clippings from the match on our boardroom walls at the club," said Bell, who was elected Crusaders chairman two years ago. "I went on a tour of Anfield a few years back and it was a very proud moment seeing our name on a museum exhibit detailing Liverpool's first ever European Cup success during that season."
The Seaview that will host 2009/10 UEFA Europa League finalists Fulham is a world away from the stadium that great Liverpool side played at back in 1976. As well as installing a 4G plastic pitch in 2009, new floodlights and changing room facilities have been built and the Crusaders board recently oversaw the erection of two new all-seater stands at either end of the ground.
"Our seating capacity has been increased to just over 3,000 and the ground is looking terrific," said Bell. "We are very proud of the improvement work. We were hoping to attract an English club to Belfast for a glamour friendly to help open the two new stands. Now we don't have to worry about that. We have a competitive, European tie in front of a sell-out crowd to look forward to against Fulham. It will be an occasion to relish. It's such a wonderful boost for the club."