TOWN are in good company as they go into their centenary season.
Leading European clubs Inter Milan, Feyenoord, Anderlecht and Panathinaikos are also celebrating their 100th birthdays and so are Brazil’s Clube Atletico Mineiro.
Inter, whose blue and black striped kit is known worldwide, are the only Italian club to have spent their entire history in the top tier.
Twice European Cup and three-times UEFA Cup winners, they have captured the Serie A title 16 times.
Inter were originally a splinter group of disaffected members of their now great rivals AC Milan and took their name because they welcomed non-Italian players.
Rotterdam’s finest Feyenoord (originally known as Wilhelmina) have also spent their entire existence in their country’s top flight, winning the Dutch title 14 times.
Their greatest triumph was the unexpected 2-1 European Cup win over Celtic in 1970, a victory made all the sweeter because arch-rivals Ajax had fallen at the final hurdle the season before.
The first Dutch club to win a European trophy, the team in red and white halves later lifted the UEFA Cup twice.
Anderlecht are Belgium’s most successful side ever in European competition with two Cup Winners’ Cup victories and one in the UEFA Cup to their credit.
Les Mauves have 29 domestic title successes, but didn’t become a force until after the War.
The greatest moment in the history of Panathinaikos came in 1971, when they made the European Cup final at Wembley, going down 2-0 to Ajax.
They remain the only Greek club to have reached a European final, and the green-shirted Athens outfit can also boast 19 home titles.
Atletico Mineiro are based in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, scene of England’s infamous 1-0 World Cup defeat by the USA in 1950.
Wearing black and white stripes and known as Galo, Portuguese for roosters, the club’s nickname, they were Brazil’s first official champions in 1971.
Galo, who have won their regional league 39 times, share a stadium with big rivals Cruzeiro.
Also starting their 100th birthday celebrations are Hartlepool, hosts of the pre-season tournament in which Town also competed, and Norway’s SK Brann, who were invited to be part of the Victoria Park event but had to refuse because of their domestic commitments.
And in the non-league ranks, 1908 was the year of formation of Farsley Celtic, of the Blue Square (Conference) North and St Albans City, of the Southern section.
And it’s congratulations too to the wonderfully named Civil Service Strollers, of the East of Scotland League.
