By Greg Blake
It was the year of Wham, Madonna, Ah Ha and the most memorable of one-hit wonder singles, ‘You Spin Me Round Like a Record’. And on a balmy late summer evening in 1985 Heidelberg United ended a five year drought and Melbourne Croatia imploded. On the same night.
Around 9,000 fans at the now demolished Olympic Park watched on wide-eyed and incredulous as Alexander unexpectedly destroyed Croatia 5-1 in the Buffalo Gold Cup final. To this day this remains the worst cup final defeat in Croatia’s history.
So accustomed to ‘close but no cigar’ Sam Goulopoulos was, the then Alexander president attributed the emphatic success to divine intervention. A Greek Orthodox priest blessed the Alexander team prior to the game and a grinning Goulopoulos was later quoted as saying: “If it works like this every time, then we’ll have the priest here before every game”.
So unfamiliar with humiliation Croatia’s president, Joe Sigur, was, he sacked his playing-coach – club legend and favorite son, Tommy Cumming – at half time. According to media reports of the time, Sigur and Cumming launched into a “war of words” at the interval after Cumming told Sigur not to interfere during his team talk. Cumming insisted that he was the boss. Turned out he wasn’t. Sigur reacted by sacking him on the spot.
And so relaxed were Melbourne coppers back then, they didn’t wear kevlar vests or utility belts with all manner of weaponry. And they relaxed and smiled alot more. Thus allowing a massive contingent of Alexander supporters to celebrate with unrestrained joy. Hundreds clad in black and yellow ran on to the ground when a young Steve Tasios scored the a late fifth goal.
At the final whistle another tidal wave of Heidelberg fans swarmed over the fence to get around their heroes, many of them lifting individual players shoulder high and chairing them through the cheering throng in the direction of the tunnel to the change rooms. The coppers smiled and mingled and simply made sure everyone was safe. There were no subsequent fines or points deductions either.
Back in the day, sport was all about letting off a bit of steam. And Alexander fans had a plentiful supply to expel. Alexander spent their first decade in the national competition in the top half of the table, in the top six nine times, top three five times and finished second three times. They were considered elite. But frustrating.
Alexander had also lost three NSL Cup finals and three Ampol Cup finals between 1979 and 1984 and in 1985 they were coming off a horrid NSL Southern division grand final defeat at the hands of South Melbourne Hellas, just months before. Ahead 2-1 at half time in that grand final, Charlie Yankos was red carded after the break and Hellas stormed home to win it 4-2.
So yes, by February 27, 1985, Alexander – under coach Brian Garvey – had a hunger for, no, were starved for success. To win something significant. And winning through to the 1985 Buffalo Gold Cup final was the opportunity. On the night Heidelberg were fairly flying from the get-go and the outcome was never in doubt.
With former Marconi man, Steve Winn, playing probably his best game during his two years with the club, Steve Tasios previewing a sensational career to come, Stuart Stevenson making the mullet look utterly glamorous and a rock steady defence – on this night led boldly by Steve Marley – Croatia weren’t in the running. It was an expertly executed demolition job.
According to Fred Villers in the ‘Truth’ newspaper, Croatia was no match for Alexander. “The beaut Bergers thrilled their large army of supporters with brilliant possession football. It was entertaining to see the way they built up their attack from the backline with speed and precision”, he wrote.
“The brilliant ball play of Steve Winn, Steve Tasios, skipper Theo Selemidis, Mike Valentine, Ian McKie and Steve Marley gave the Croatians no chance as I predicted in Truth’s early edition this week”.
Headlining a tumultuous opening to the final were two of Heidelberg’s champions from the 1980 ‘Legends’ team. Sixteen minutes in Winn wrestled his way past an opponent wide left before delivering a wonderful far post cross, which was met mid-flight in spectacular fashion by Selemidis. Now club captain, Selemidis flew high over an opponent to head home the match-opener.
Croatia might have equalised five minutes later when Cumming was through and appeared certain to score, only for the other remaining 1980 Berger hero, goalkeeper Jeff Olver, to produce a precisely-timed charge and brave smother at Cumming’s feet. Olver was later declared player of the series (five qualifying games, semi final and final), having saved a couple of penalties and conceding just four goals overall.
But for all of Alexander’s dominance Croatia was still only one goal down headed deep into the first half before around 20 seconds of game time turned the evening on its head. Croatia’s usually reliable Drago Deankovic was facing his own goal and aiming to comfortably back pass to his keeper, Zeljko Govic.
Winn charged at Deankovic and applied enough pressure that the Croatia defender hurried the pass and missed Govic, who had moved slightly off his line. Govic could only grasp despairingly as the ball trickled over the line for 2-0.
Deankovic stood there like a man waiting to be hit by a bus. Eventually he was. Over and over again, both at half time – when the sparks were flying – and during the Heidelberg second half onslaught. According to Craig MacKenzie’s ‘Soccer Action’ summary “Croatia was a shambles after half time”.
MacKenzie’s led his match report with the player-coach versus president showdown at half time. “Cumming is on the transfer list. He’s finished with Croatia , (fyi – he wasn’t!) said an angry Sigur after the match”.
“Cumming has been living on the honey here for far too long. He’s got to lose weight and he can’t keep relying on the other players to do the work for him.”
There is no record of Cumming having been triggered and seeking a safe space after the fat-shaming. But he didn’t reappear after the break. And while outclassed but not broken in spirit going into the rooms, the Croatian team appeared utterly broken upon the game re-starting.
Mind you, referee Mike Gaut’s no penalty call in the opening minutes of the second half might have helped Croatia avoid the rout. McKie floored the other 1980 Alexander legend on the paddock that night, Jim Campbell, inside the river-end penalty area. Campbell, now wearing the colours of Croatia, went down heavily and required treatment, but Gaut wasn’t convinced.
From that point on that powerful – and record-setting (see footnote below) – back four of Mckie, along with Marley, Charlie Yankos and Joe Angele kept Croatia at arm’s length as the flood gates creaked open.
Nine minutes into the second half much-underrated club 200-gamer, Micky Valentine, started and finished the move which swept Croatia off the board completely. Valentine sped wide through half-field and hit a pass for Stevenson, who, in turn, hit the running Tasios, leaving Tasios to maneuver past two defenders before smacking the ball across the goal face. Valentine swept through the crowd and belted a shot home from close range.
On the hour a busy-all-night John Metaxas helped allow Stevenson’s set-up for Winn to make the scoresheet. Winn’s shot across the body from around 10 yards out jettisoned Alexander to a resounding 4-0 lead.
Watch the Full Game
Jozo Antolovic pulled a consolation goal back for Croatia but another slick build-up with five minutes remaining ended with man-of-the-match Winn squaring for Tasios, who gleefully side-footed home for goal number five.
This cup win revived the bouyancy of Alexander fans, following the shattering disappointment of the grand final loss to Hellas just a few months beforehand. Hopes were high that the club could go one better in the regular season of the 1985 national competition.
A large element of Garvey’s remit as Heidelberg coach was to almost completely re-build a side which had lost nine of its star-studded 1980 team between 1982 and 1984. All of them Socceroo and/or Victorian representatives, no less. At the same time it was expected that Garvey’s new-look team would still challenge for honours. Every year.
The Buffalo Gold Cup savaging of Croatia suggested he was on the right track. In an interview in ‘Soccer Voice’, Garvey was brimming with confidence about the season ahead. “Our oldest player last year was 24 and none had really experienced some of the situations we had to face,” Garvey explained.
“They showed character at times and it was a learning experience for them. We were beaten by circumstances in the grand final last year against Hellas but we played some of our best football for the year in the finals series.
“We’ve got the same squad as last year when we did well and with improvements there is no reason why we can’t go that one better.”
Heidelberg charged into the 1985 season and had compiled an eleven win, three draws and only two defeats overall record in league and cup combined after 16 games. The Bergers then inexplicably stumbled In their subsequent run-in to the finals, winning only six of their final 17 games. Garvey’s side were bundled out of the finals in straight sets, unable to score in either of the two finals defeats.
Garvey got Alexander to the play-offs in each of his three seasons as coach, but his teams only managed only a single outright finals win in seven starts, in 1984. Meanwhile Croatia bounced back and went on to win the next two Buffalo Cup night series, including a 2-1 victory in the 1986 final. Against Garvey’s Heidelberg United.
For those curious about the ‘Buffalo’, in Buffalo Gold Cup. For a period of time in the 1980’s, it seemed like local sporting brand, Buffalo Sports, were major sponsors of pretty much everything remotely connected to the code in Victoria. Balls, jerseys, kit bags, banner advertising in related publications, the works.
When Ampol finally pulled the plug on the then massively popular night series, it came as no surprise that Buffalo Sports – founded by Eane Whitton in 1972 and which still exists today – slipped in to fill the void.
Contested by the top four State League teams and Melbourne’s NSL clubs, the cup was, at the time, a much-anticipated season heart-starter.
Footnote – For the record, defensively Alexander went on to produce a record-setting season in the National Soccer League in 1985. The Bergers conceded only 17 goals during the 1985 regular season, the lowest total ever in an NSL season.
And that NSL record still stands, with only Wollongong City matching the 17 goals against mark in season 1991/92. It is also a club record which stands to this day. No other Heidelberg United team has ever been as thrifty over the course of a season at senior state or national league level.
