Football: Kongsvinger singing in the Valleys

In a parallel world: European football provides a shift of emphasis as the Intertoto Cup kicks off in Ebbw Vale Steve Tongue reports

WHILE Japan set about Croatia, Toulouse trembled and the world nervously awaited the repercussions of Iran's meeting with the United States, a new British football season began yesterday afternoon in the unlikely setting of Ebbw Vale Rugby Club.

The Intertoto Cup is with us again - and titter not, Crystal Palace fans, it's your turn soon. To those Ebbw Vale players who had not booked their holidays for this week, before the club's unbeaten run of 15 games launched them into third place in the League of Wales, and qualification for Europe, fell the honour of seeing in the 1998-99 campaign, in front of perhaps 500 spectators. A 6-1 defeat ensued against the full-time pros of Norwegian visitors Kongsvinger, who are already eight games into their new season. Fitness told, as did the ability of a side placed sixth in their league last season, ahead of Chelsea's Cup-Winners' Cup opponents Tromso.

Ebbw scored the first goal before succumbing; a thumping volley after 18 minutes from striker Justin Perry that any World Cup participant would have settled for. Sadly Welsh supremacy lasted only two minutes, Vidar Evensen equalising before further goals from Ernstsson, Berg, Solberg, Alm and Dybendahl. Strict Fifa refereeing led to one late sending-off from each side before the home players trooped off looking as if the second leg in Norway next week was a long way away.

The Intertoto, founded more than 40 years ago, as a vehicle for pools companies, achieved a certain notoriety in England in 1995. Premier League chairmen, seduced by the notion of Uefa Cup places for the semi-finalists, told the FA to request three berths, then belatedly read the small print - trips to Yugoslavia and Romania in mid-June.

Under threat from Uefa of being banned from Europe altogether, the English authorities had to resort to discreet arm-twisting, leading to a bizarre midsummer weekend, in which teams of ringers, loanees and apprentices purporting to represent Tottenham and Wimbledon brought European football to Brighton's Goldstone ground.

Opponents from Turkey and Switzerland took the insult graciously and the points willingly, while Bordeaux demonstrated the competition's only value by progressing all the way to that season's Uefa Cup final against Bayern Munich.

English and Scottish clubs declined all further invitations until this year. Aston Villa then expressed an interest before qualifying direct for the Uefa Cup anyway, but Terry Venables was horrified to learn, on taking over as manager of Crystal Palace, that his new club had been entered, presumably as a leaving present, from chairman Ron Noades.

Despite Venables' protestations that the tournament had no part in his pre-season plans, Uefa again threatened dire reprisals, so Selhurst Park will stage a third-round game in four weeks' time.

Wales have always been gallantly supportive, Tom Pentre's effort in 1995 (played 4, lost 4, scored 0, conceded 16), being followed by those of Conwy, who achieved a draw in 1996, and now Ebbw Vale for the second season running. Their's is a remarkable tale in itself, a traumatic 12 months having divided the two European campaigns, the club almost folded last Christmas, with players not paid for five weeks and team manager John Lewis reduced to driving the mini-bus to away games.

According to secretary Viv Reed, last summer's Intertoto adventure, involving four games which involved visits to Croatia and Denmark, was "great experience but not a financial success." That sounds like something of an understatement.

Lingering bitterness at a perceived lack of support from the Welsh FA led to a verbal blast in yesterday's programme from club director Eugene Caparros who wrote: "Unless those who hold office in the official hierarchy of Welsh football start showing some interest in the survival of the top clubs in their league, then they should resign to make way for those more dedicated to football than a political career."

Ebbw Vale: Mulliner, Price, Needs, Chiverton, Morgan, Lima, Giles, Williams, Mitchell, Perry, Andy Evans. Substitutes: Hewings, Parker, Loss, Griffiths, Alun Evans, Thomas, Durham.

Kongsvinger: Langnes, Hoiland, Bergmann, Ernstsson, Alm, Dybendahl, Johnsson, Armed, Hadnes, Berg, Evensen. Substitutes: Hansen, Gullerud and Solberg.

Referee: C Kapitanis (Cyprus).