NIGEL SPINK was the stand-out stand-in who came off the bench after NINE minutes to inspire Aston Villa’s famous 1982 European Cup triumph.
The 23-year-old rookie keeper’s heroics against mighty Bayern Munich, after replacing injured No 1 Jimmy Rimmer, earned him iconic status and his place in Villa folklore.
Rimmer, who had only missed one game for the club in five years, was carrying a neck injury into the final and knew he could not continue when he struggled to move an arm towards an early shot.
Spink admits Villa will have a much more experienced keeper to call on in World Cup-winner Emi Martinez than the rookie he was on the club’s finest night.
And Spink, who will cheer on his old club when they take on Bayern again in the Champions League tomorrow, said: “I’d only made one first-team appearance before Rotterdam — 2½ years earlier.
“On Boxing Day, 1979, I was told to travel with the first team to Nottingham Forest because Jimmy had a problem with his foot.
“Ron Saunders took me, so he could make a last-minute decision. When Jimmy couldn’t get his boot on Ron asked if I fancied a game.
“We lost 2-1 and I wasn’t needed again until I came on against Bayern Munich, nine minutes into the European Cup final!”
Spink went on to make 460 appearances for Villa between 1979 and 1996 but none came close to matching his remarkable display to keep Bayern at bay in Rotterdam.
He admits he had no idea he could be called on that night as Rimmer was so rarely injured.
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Spink revealed: “It was very much just one goalkeeper in those days. Back then the reserve players didn’t even train with the first team, let alone play with them!
“The only time we got to see the first team play was on Match of the Day because if the first team were playing at home, the reserves would be playing away.
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“Our gaffer Tony Barton, his assistant Roy MacLaren and our physio knew there was a slight problem with Jimmy but assumed he would be OK.
“His career was littered with bumps and bruises and he would just get on with it. I’m not sure he ever missed a training session.
“Having to come off must have been a tortuous decision for him to make. He was on the bench when Manchester United won it in ’68.
“You talk about mental health these days but that must have cut him up — that would have been the highlight of his career and he called [to be subbed] to help the team.
“Fortunately I’m a pretty laid-back character so I just got on with it and enjoyed it. I’ve got a DVD of the game and I watch it back from time to time — and the hairs still stand up on the back of my neck.
“And I know it’s coming, because I’ve seen it one million times, but the save at the start of the second half from Bernd Durnberger at the near post still gives me goosebumps. It was my best save because he gave me the eyes. But I stood still and managed to keep it out.
New Champions League format
Each club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.
The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.
Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.
The new Champions League format also sees the implication of two additional qualifying spots.
They will be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season.
“When I know that’s coming, my shoulders start going back and my chest puffs out a bit. Then it happens and you think, yeah, I did my bit.
“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about Villa drawing Bayern again, before the draw. When it came out, a cold shiver of enjoyment and happiness went down my spine at the thought of it.”
The occasion at Villa Park will be all the more poignant after the recent death of Spink’s former team-mate Gary Shaw. Villa’s golden boy sadly died aged 63 from injuries sustained in a fall last month.
Spink was earning £13,000 a year as a Villa reserve but pocketed a bumper £10,000 bonus for winning the European Cup.
However he was glad he did not have to pay the bar bill in Rotterdam that famous night.
He revealed: “Ken McNaught, Jimmy and Peter Withe were approached by the waiter at the hotel to see if we wanted him to put some champagne in the cup, so the lads could have a drink out of it.
“We were all up for it and thought it would be nice for everyone to have a sip of champagne from the trophy.
“But it took 26 bottles and it was still nowhere close to being full — and I have no idea who footed the bill for that! But it certainly wouldn’t have been big Ken.”
