Bizarrely, all three Scottish clubs involved would face the Spanish giants in successive rounds.
Dunfermline beat English champions-elect Everton, 2-1 on aggregate, thanks to a late goal from Harry Melrose, before succumbing 1-0 to Valencia in a play-off in Lisbon, having recovered from a 4-0 defeat in the Mestalla to memorably win 6-2 at East End Park (in the days before away goals counted double).
Hibernian beat Staevnet (a Copenhagen select side), 7-2 on aggregate, then overcame an Utrecht XI by 3-1, before they too faced the Spaniards, suffering a heavy 5-0 Quarter-final defeat in Valencia, before restoring some pride with a 2-1 victory at Easter Road.
Valencia then beat Roma 3-1 in the Semi-finals, three late goals in the first leg essentially killing the tie, to set up a Final meeting with Yugoslavia’s Dinamo Zagreb, a 2-1 away victory followed by a comfortable 2-0 win at the Mestalla, enabling them to successfully retain their title.
And they would go all the way to a third successive Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final the following season, before losing 2-1 to fellow-Spaniards Real Zaragoza in the Camp Nou.
In the meantime, the Bhoys had enjoyed their first taste of European competition.
Over the next few years, this would become an epic journey, which would change the course of Celtic’s history forever.
Following their disappointing debut defeat against Valencia and the glorious run to the Cup-Winners’ Cup Semi-final in 1964, then the inglorious surrender in Budapest, Celtic’s third Euro campaign was already over before Jock Stein’s feet were under the manager’s desk.
A third-place League finish in a sixth successive trophyless domestic season saw them once again compete in the Fairs Cup, pitched in the First Round with Portuguese side Leixoes. The away leg is best remembered for the closing five minutes, where the French referee decided to send three players off.
It all kicked off after Chalmers made an innocuous challenge on the Portuguese keeper, Rosas, who then rolled on the ground in agony, in a preview of events which would take place in Seville, four decades later.
For this, the Celtic striker walked, a decision described by Chairman and erstwhile team selector, Robert Kelly, as the worst he had seen in football.
Minutes later, full-back Young reacted to a head-butt from Leixoes forward, Oliviera, both then joining Chalmers for an early bath. What football was played on a dreadful surface with a strange ‘crimson-coloured’ ball was almost incidental, however, for the record, Esteves opened the scoring within six minutes with Murdoch forcing home a Hoops equaliser on the half-hour.
