Budapest Blues For Dons
    
Following a memorable Scottish Cup win in April 1970, Aberdeen qualified for another crack at the European Cup Winners Cup. Many observers were of the opinion that Aberdeen were well suited for European football.
 
Manager Eddie Turnbull had changed his team which was far removed from the flamboyant days of the likes of Jinky Smith. Turnbull adopted a more methodical approach built on a strong defence and the modern era of using a ‘sweeper’ in defence. That role fell on a young Martin Buchan who was also the youngest Aberdeen FC captain. Perceived to be ideally suited for the modern game, Aberdeen were seen as a good outside bet to go far in the tournament. As it turned out the draw was far from kind when the Dons were paired with Hungarian side Honved.
 
Season 1970.71 began with the Dons looking sluggish, but by the time that Hungarian cracks Honved arrived at Pittodrie, the Dons were well into the new season, unlike these days. Honved were a side of real European pedigree, and were undoubted formidable opponents. The Hungarians were in their heyday in the 1950’s when the Hungarian international team, full of Honved players crushed England at Wembley and repeated their feat in Budapest.
 
The first leg at Pittodrie was perhaps the first ever-great night of European football in Aberdeen. A 21,500 crowd were treated to a classic; the Dons came through the loss of the opening goal through Pusztais to storm back with three goals. Arthur Graham levelled matters before a typical opportunist goal from Joe Harper gave the Dons an interval lead. The predicted onslaught in the second half produced a third goal for the Dons as Steve Murray finally broke through in the 83^rd minute. “We showed tonight just how we can adapt to an offensive game as we really dominated them and put them under severe pressure” declared manager Turnbull after a pulsating first leg.
 
The return in Budapest was an experience the Dons had certainly not come up against in previous years. Faced with all the usual difficulties that come with a trip behind the then ‘Iron Curtain’, the Dons found Honved a tough proposition. The Hungarians were a far different prospect on home soil and Aberdeen found themselves 3-0 down after goals from Kocsis (2) and Kosma had the Scots on the rack. Aberdeen, playing in their all blue away kit rarely threatened and were well off the pace.
 
Despite the Hungarians third goal being yards offside the German referee and officials were giving Aberdeen nothing, and intimidation from the home support was obviously taking its toll. The Dons had to score to take the tie in to extra time, and their first piece of good fortune arrived in 77 minutes when Steve Murray’s deflected shot eluded keeper Bicskei. The extra time period brought no further scoring as the tie then went to a penalty shoot out, the first ever European tie to do so. Confusion reigned; the German referee thought that the game should go to a third match and offered the teams to leave the field. It was not until a European observer informed the referee of the new system of deciding ties that the game went in to the shoot out. It was now a test of nerve.

Steve Murray and Joe Harper scored the first two for the Dons to tie the game at 2-2. Jim Forrest then struck the bar, and although Jim Hermiston and Alex Willoughby scored, it was left to Honved keeper Bicskei to put his side through. Although Dons keeper Bobby Clark got his hand to the ball, Honved were through, and Aberdeen became the first team to be eliminated from European competition by this method.

Honved progressed to the latter stages only to be eliminated by Manchester City. Chelsea went on to defeat Real Madrid in an Athens Final. Although Aberdeen were bitterly disappointed to go out at the first hurdle, Honved were certainly a quality side. Although bereft of the legendary Ferenc Puskas, and a clutch of Hungarian internationals, Honved were well suited to the rigours of European football. To compound the Dons dismay, Aberdeen invited ECWC Finalist Gornik Zabre to Pittodrie for a friendly in November, and the Dons swept the Poles aside, winning 5-0 to suggest that earlier optimism was not misguided.