Stergioudas
Tasos
Intzoglou
Ravousis
Nikolaou
Theodoridis
Tsamis
Nikoloudis
Papaioannou
Vagner
Mavros

33000 lucky fans were present that night to experience another good performance by AEK (2-0 was a score which did not do justice for AEK's game and numerous chances). On the 5th minute a Derby defender seemed to handle the ball but the ref ignored the AEK pleas. On the 6th minute Nikoloudis had a shot which hit the bar. The English players then started playing defensively using only one attacker. Vagner opened the account on the 66th minute after Papaioannou passed the ball to Mavros who in turn crossed the ball and found the head of Valter Vagner..and for Philadelphia to erupt once again. Two minutes later in a similar situation the English player Thomas scored an own-goal with a header while attempting to block Vagner. On the 88th minute Mavros missed a vary good chance for a third goal but the ball is probably still on the grounds of the church behind the stadium (recall that the new two-tier stand had not been built yet). My personal recollections include Charlie George arriving in Greece and in a very not-diplomatic way to ask who is AEK. Well, that night he found out and he found out well.

Wed 3 October 1976, UEFA Season Second Round, Second Leg

Stergioudas
Intzoglou
Ravousis
Nikolaou
Theodoridis
Nikoloudis
Tsamis     (83' Papadopoulos)
Papaioannou (60' Skrekis)
Tasos
Vagner
Mavros

Another golden day for AEK, another golden page to enrich the Golden Book of AEK History was written the cold night of the 3rd of November. Up to then no Greek team had ever won in British soil (AEK ofcourse did it again in 1994) and still hasn't.

Stergioudas was nicknamed the Hero of Derby that night and his heroic performance was the reason that the first half ended with no score. Derby scored first on the 53rd minute with George. On the 60th minute an injured Papaioannou was substituted by defender Screkis. Few moments later Vagner was awarded a foul, once again Tasos left Nikoloudis to take it and the ball ended in the net. On the 77th minute Tasos scored with a shot which first hit the post. The second goal of AEK was celebrated wildly by the thousands of Greek fans who had travelled from Greece and those living in GB. But the celebrations continued even more when on the 85th minute Vagner scored another AEK goal. Derby scored their second goal on the 89th minute. The celebrations continued through the night in Greece and GB (I remember as a 16 year-old running in a state of happiness that only AEK can give me the streets of Korydallos waiving the AEK flag and kissing and hugging strangers in the square...what a night). The following day thousands of AEK fans including myself went to the airport to meet the heroes, to meet the players of the best AEK team I have ever seen including modern teams. I wish I had kept Dikefalos which showed many photographs of the airport reception among them yours trully dancing inside the airport foundain.

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