The 1969 Anglo-Italian League Cup was a football cup competition held between clubs in England and Italy won by Swindon Town. It was the inaugural Anglo-Italian League Cup competition.

Background

The origin of the Anglo-Italian League Cup (also known as the ''Anglo-Italian Cup Winners' Cup'' and billed on the match programme as the ''International League Cup Winners' Cup'') was to reward Swindon Town with European football in lieu of their ineligibility for the

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European Association football, football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecess ...

following their victory in the 1968–69 League Cup, beating

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in the final. The

Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

had been changed in 1967 so the winner would be awarded a place in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup; however, teams outside the First Division were not permitted in the competition. Queens Park Rangers won that year's final but were omitted from the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup as they were in the

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

. When Swindon, another third division club, won the League Cup two years later the Anglo-Italian League Cup was organised as a way of compensating them for the ruling that prevented them competing in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The competition consisted of a single two-legged match against the Italian team A.S. Roma who had won the Coppa Italia that season.

The final

The final was played over two legs, with A.S. Roma drawn to host the first game in Rome. The second leg was played in England.

1st leg

Roma relied on attacking tactics in the early stages of the game, forcing Swindon to defend and rely on counter-attack moves to break the dead-lock. The first half was characterised by the many attempts on goal by Roma's centre-forward Enzo saved by Swindon goalkeeper Downsborough. In the 12th minute Roma were denied a penalty. Peiro had fed a pass through to

Cappellini Cappellini and Capellini are Italian surnames, possibly derivatives of ''Capelli'' or ''Capello''. It is also used as a Spanish surname. Notable people with those surnames include: * Ada Itúrrez de Cappellini, Argentine Justicialist Party politi ...

and, as the inside-right cut into the penalty area, he appeared to be sent full-length by a

tackle Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking ...

from Harland. Instead of the expected penalty, English referee Kevin Howley gave Swindon a free-kick. Shortly before half-time, Elvio Salvori, the Roma half back, dived over the outstretched leg of Roger Smart. A penalty was awarded, which

Fabio Enzo Fabio Enzo (22 June 1946 – 11 January 2021) was an Italian professional footballer who played as a striker. He was born in Cavallino-Treporti. Career Enzo played for four seasons (46 games, 8 goals) in the Serie A for A.S. Roma and Hellas Ve ...

converted. Just two minutes later, the half-time whistle sounded.

Then, as Salvori broke into the penalty area, he literally threw himself over the outstretched leg of Smart. Much to the dismay of the Town players, the referee immediately awarded a penalty from which Enzo scored.

The second half was more evenly contested, and Swindon equalised through

Peter Noble Peter Noble (19 August 1944 – 6 May 2017) was an English footballer who played forward. Noble began his career with Consett where he combined a career in painting and decorating with football. After an impressive season with a record breakin ...

who sliced a chipped free-kick from John Smith just out of the grasp of the Roma goalkeeper,

Alberto Ginulfi Alberto Ginulfi (30 November 1941 – 6 September 2023) was an Italian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Career Ginulfi played for 12 seasons (188 games) in the Serie A for Italian clubs A.S. Roma, Hellas Verona F.C., and ACF ...

. Roma responded with a period of concerted attack and were rewarded when Renato Cappellini headed home a cross from a corner, which proved to be the winner. Swindon pressurised the Italian defence for the final 10 minutes of the game but could not equalise, A.S. Roma won 2–1.

2nd leg

For the second leg, Roma attempted to hold onto their lead with a defensive formation. It took Swindon five minutes to pull level on aggregate, when

Arthur Horsfield Arthur Horsfield (born 5 July 1946) is an English former footballer who played as a striker. Career Horsfield was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. He joined Middlesbrough as an apprentice – "I was in my local under eleve ...

volleyed home a cross from John Smith. The game remained at 1–0 until the 70th minute, when Horsfield added his second and Don Rogers scored the third two minutes later. With Roma pushing forward to get back into the game, Horsfield completed his hat-trick in the 89th minute – meaning Swindon Town had won 4–0 on the night, and 5–2 on aggregate. The gate receipts were reported as being £8794.19 s, equivalent to around £ in .

Post game

Impressed with the competition and spirit of both fans and clubs, the

Italian FA The Italian Football Federation ( it, Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio; FIGC), known colloquially as ''Federcalcio'', is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence. It ...

organised another Anglo-Italian competition for later the same season. This was to be the

1970 Anglo-Italian Cup The 1970 Anglo-Italian Cup was the inaugural Anglo-Italian Cup competition. The European football competition was played between clubs from England and Italy and was founded by Gigi Peronace in 1970, following the success of the Anglo-Italian Leagu ...

, a competition that Swindon Town won. A.S. Roma were later Anglo-Italian Cup champions in 1972.

Notes

References

External links

Anglo-Italian League Cup 1969
at RSSSF
Anglo-Italian League Cup Winners 1969/1970
– swindon-town-fc.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Anglo-Italia Swindon Town F.C. matches A.S. Roma matches 1969–70 in English football 1969–70 in Italian football

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...