european super cup 1983

European Super Cup trophy/plaque - As an exciting addendum to the winning of the European Cup Winners Cup Aberdeen faced up to the European Cup holders Hamburg in late 1983. The first leg of the time was played in Hamburg on 22nd November and the Dons, defending magnificently, secured a no-scoring draw to ensure that the return match at Pittodrie would be an exciting European occasion.

For the match, 22,500 supporters packed into Pittodrie on the 20th December, on a typical northeast winters' night of steady drizzle, to be given an early Christmas gift by the Dons as they proved that the European Champions were not necessarily the best side in Europe, and beat Hamburg by 2-0 bringing the Club a second European trophy of the year. The winning goals were scored by Neil Simpson and Mark McGhee. No other club in Scotland has managed to win two European trophies and this is a record of which everyone associated with the Club can be rightly proud.

The trophy itself is a wooden plaque with the UEFA emblem in 'gold' metal on its face with a brass plate detailing the date of presentation. It appears that at the time UEFA had no real interest in providing a trophy for this event, and it was only through the efforts of Aberdeen director Chris Anderson that anything at all was provided for presentation to the winners. The design, which does seem to have been put together in haste, was only used for three seasons before UEFA relented and returned to a more traditional Cup style trophy. Unusually in major competitions, the design of the Super Cup has changed several times over the years. A replica of one of these cups is also on display at Pittodrie.

Whether UEFA were interested in a trophy or not, the Dons are delighted to have the plaque and it has been shown to many visitors to the Pittodrie Boardroom over the years. It has had the advantage of being one item that fans can be allowed to hold for photographs as it is robust and not prone to the same risk of wear as a piece of silverware.