90 Minutes from Europe

It was the summer of 1983. Walsall were preparing for yet another season in Division Three when, out of the blue, British Airways got in touch. They were launching an innovative advertising campaign and wanted to feature the team underneath the banner 'They're only 90 minutes away from a place in Europe'. The idea was to show how quickly European cities could be reached from Birmingham Airport, while gently mocking the West Midlands' least successful football club. As the season got underway, Walsall were thrashed 8-1 by Bolton Wanderers and 6-3 by Oxford United. Saddlers fans feared the worst, while the marketing people at the airline no doubt felt vindicated in their judgement of the club. But this Walsall team were about to have the last laugh. They embarked on a League Cup campaign which saw them defeat Arsenal, stun Liverpool and come closer to reaching Europe than anyone would have dared imagine. 90 Minutes from Europe tells the story of Walsall's greatest cup run; an adventure so implausible that you just couldn't make it up.