Hamburg took time to visit the world famous Christy's hat works

For the visit of world famous Hamburg football club H.S.V. on Tuesday May 10, 1966, County produced a 12-page programme costing 6d. Good value, unlike the price of Stand tickets for the game being upped to 5/-.

Although containing no team photographs, the programme gave a good informative write-up on the visitors. Hamburger Sport Verein, the oldest club in Germany, were formed in 1919 from the amalgamation of three different clubs; S.C. Germania from 1887, Hamburger F.C. and F.C. Falke.

Apart from the senior side, they ran no fewer than ten amateur senior XIs and an incredible 35 youth teams!

On page nine there was a tribute to the great Uwe Seeler; to read more about one of the world's greatest footballers click here.

County's League form at the time shown in the table on page ten read: PL 43 W 17 D 6 L 20 F 67 A 64 PTS 40. Not quite the sort of form to worry the stature of H.S.V. and so it proved as the game went on, although it wasn't until the 40th minute that the Germans took the lead when that man Seeler, who two months later would captain Germany to the World Cup Final, controlled the ball and chipped it in, all in one swift movement.

With four guest players in County's team - Blackpool's John Prentis was joined by the Stoke City trio of Eric Skeels, Peter Dobing and John Ritchie - it still made little difference as the visitors ran out 5-1 winners.

John Ritchie missed from only six yards when it seemed easier to score. Len White then grazed the cross bar. Then, in a twenty minute spell, four goals were scored. Dorfel got two and Seeler added another, but the goal of the night went to Len White, without question one of the greatest players ever to pull on a County shirt. From 25 yards his shot thundered in off the bar leaving Schnoor rooted to the spot.

County: Steve Fleet (Ken Mulhearn), John Prentis, Freddie Goodwin, Peter Clarke, Eric Skeels, Norman Sykes, David Shawcross, Len Allchurch, Len White, John Ritchie, Peter Dobing, Johnny Price.

Hamburg: Schnoor, Dieckmann, Kurbjuhn, Schiltz, Horst, Giesmann, B Dorfel, Pohlschmidt, Seeler, Peltonen, G Dorfel.

Attendance: 6,100.