The 1975 clash in Porto was Peter Latchford's first taste of European action and he almost wished it was his last when his delaying tactics in the 0-0 Cup Winners Cup' clash earned the wrath of a rifle-toting soldier.

Portugal was gripped in a wave of civil unrest at the time after the right wing dictatorship which had ruled the country for half a century was toppled.

The authorities deployed a heavy military presence at the game after a kiosk at a hotel where many Celtic fans were staying was destroyed by a bomb.

Intimidating

Latchford proved a Hoops hero in his baptism of fire with a stunning display topped by a penalty save from local hero Alves five minutes from time.

But his abiding memory of the game is staring down the wrong end of a rifle.

Latchford, now a goalkeeping coach with Hearts and Motherwell, said: "I wondered what I had let myself in for in these games.

"Soldiers with guns were sitting round the track watching the game.

"The crowd were very close to the pitch and when I made the penalty save they became really intimidating towards me.

"We wanted to wind down the game and our bench were screaming at me to slow up.

"I was following instructions and taking it nice and easy when I felt something poked into my back.

"I looked round and saw a soldier standing there with his gun pointed at me.

"I couldn't understand what he said but I knew what he meant. He was clearly telling me to get a move on.

"So for the remaining few minutes I was operating at a million miles an hour.

Every time the ball came near me I couldn't wait to get rid of it.

"Of course the bench were going crazy with me because they couldn't understand why I was operating at top speed.

"But gun law won. There was no way I was taking the chance of that soldier or any of his mates having another go at me."

Latchford revealed he had been happy to follow orders from the bench when he made that vital spot kick save that set Celtic up for a 3-1 win in the return leg at Parkhead.

Assistant manager Sean Fallon was in charge of the team because boss Jock Stein was on sick leave recovering from the effects of a car crash which had almost claimed his life.

Latchford said: "Sean was jumping up and down and screaming at me to dive to my right at the penalty. I just nodded my head, went right and got to it."

Despite the intimidating atmosphere surrounding ther game, he has happier memories from the trip.

He said: "The day before the game we got lost after going out for a walk.

"Our trainer Neilly Mochan wanted to take us to the beach but we went the wrong way and ended up climbing over people's fences and going through backyards to try to find the sea.

"I can still remember the amazed look on the faces of the homeowners as this squad of players marched through their gardens.

"When we did get to the beach we were so far behind schedule that when Sean drew the tactics out in a diagram on the sand the incoming tide washed it away.

"It was certainly a memorable trip, but mostly for the wrong reasons.

"I'm certain the current team won't face the same problems this time round."

History

Celtic won the second leg, helped by a quickfire opener from Kenny Dalglish after just 35 seconds.

The game also made history when Celtic wore numbers on the back of their hooped shirts for the first time.