'The idea never left my head': Glenavon fan's dream becomes reality as over 1,000 German supporters make trip for historic fixture

Having won the Irish League title in 1960, Glenavon were drawn to face Wismut – now known as Erzgebirge Aue – in the European Champions Cup, but the tie was ultimately cancelled as both sets of players were denied visas due to political tension.

However, 65 years later, the two teams will meet at Mourneview Park – 12 months on from the “first leg” at the Erzgebirgsstadion in Germany.

Carson, who is Glenavon’s supporter liaison officer, has played a key role in planning the fixture and initially expected around 500 Erzgebirge supporters to make the trip, but when the German club sold out their allocation of 800 tickets within an hour, the significance of the event became clear.

Throughout this week, 1,100 fans have arrived in Northern Ireland, including around 300 members of Erzgebirge’s motorbike supporters’ club, and the match in Lurgan will be the culmination of a mammoth collective club effort.

"It has been basically three years in the making officially,” said Carson. "Leigh McClune took a lot of the work on...she was on our board when the idea first came about and did a lot of the organising behind the scenes.

"There's been an army of volunteers who have helped out. It has been a huge effort.

"The idea itself goes back about 10 years. Ralph Hewitt, who used to do our matchday programme, and I saw this match which had never been played when we qualified for Europe.

"The idea never left my head and I thought it would be great to get this match played...also selfishly I wanted to go to Germany to watch my club!

"I kept putting it out every year and about three or four years ago some of their supporters picked up on it and we started becoming friendly.

"We talked about our towns, our clubs and we still talk every couple of weeks. They came to watch Glenavon in December and took the story back to their club.

"I was speaking to Max and Thomas, the two guys I've became friendly with, and when we first had the idea it was a bit of hope. We wondered could we actually get this going, so to see it actually come to fruition is amazing."

This weekend is about far more than just a football match with supporters set to meet in Lurgan on Saturday morning ahead of making the trip to Mourneview Park, where they will celebrate the significant achievements of their respective clubs from over six decades ago.

"The bikers arrived on Thursday and I'm seeing photos on social media of fans landing in Dublin and Belfast and enjoying a couple of pints of Guinness,” added Carson. “The plan is for them to meet at Brownlow House on Saturday morning from about 10:30am and they'll be walking to the ground together.

"We have our rivalries at home so you don't maybe see as much of the friendly atmosphere, but when you're playing European games there's no animosity and people are there to have a good time.

"This game is to celebrate two title-winning clubs who were denied the opportunity to play against each other. We are coming together to celebrate those two teams."

Glenavon are also keen to repay the warm hospitality shown to them in Germany – some fans have opened up their homes as accommodation for travelling supporters after striking up friendships last summer.

While both teams will be using the historic fixture as preparation for next season – Erzgebirge ply their trade in the German third-tier – the result won’t hold much significance, rather it’s a cause for celebration after finally bringing the two clubs together all these years later.

"Germany was brilliant,” said Carson. “If we were lucky to play in European competition every season, we wouldn't get a welcome anywhere like what we got last year.

"Our team bus was brought into the ground by the bikers, there were thousands of fans clapping us into the stadium, offering us beers, shaking hands, taking photos and exchanging scarves and shirts.

"There were a few phone numbers exchanged and from that there are some of their supporters staying in houses of Glenavon fans.

"The main thing I've got out of it is the friendship with Max and Thomas. We speak every couple of weeks about football.

"Last year when we went over, I met Max but Thomas couldn't make the match...the day before the match he sent me a photo of himself in hospital with his newborn daughter."