FORTY years ago today Wrexham produced possibly the biggest shock ever on a rain-soaked stormy night in Porto.

Cash-strapped Wrexham took on a Porto side flooded with Portuguese internationals in the first round of the European Cup Winners Cup.

They’d already produced the unthinkable with Jim Steel heading in the only goal in a first leg victory in front of a crowd of just under 5,000 at The Racecourse.

Two weeks later and 3-0 down after half an hour, it looked like game over for Bobby Roberts’ side.

But captain Jake King - a right back - popped up with two goals before the break before Barry Horne’s spectacular last minute volley made it 4-3 - meaning the Reds went through on away goals.

It was a miracle result and one the hero of the hour, Horne, insists is Wrexham’s best giant-killing act ever, even better than when they knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup in January 1992.

At the time of the Porto party night, Wrexham were on the crest of a slump, spiralling back down the Football League.

The super Seventies had been eclipsed by the awful Eighties and down-in-the-dumps Reds fans were looking for something to give them a much-needed lift.

Finishing 20th in Division Four the season before at least ended the threat of a relegation hat-trick.

The one silver-lining on the dark clouds that had permanently hovered over The Racecourse was that Shrewsbury Town had won the Welsh Cup, and because they were English, runners-up Wrexham were back in Europe and paired against Portuguese giants Porto.

For Horne, the 22-year-old from Bagillt in Flintshire, it was the beginning of a professional career that would ultimately lead to much bigger and better things.

“I’d only been playing for Wrexham for two months,” said Horne in an interview reliving his Reds career in The Leader.

“I’d left university, Bobby Roberts had signed me from Rhyl and then the Porto game happened.

“I know fans talk about the 2-1 FA Cup win over Arsenal but that victory against Porto was something else and, for me, that was the best result in Wrexham’s history. Beating one of the champions of European football over two legs!

“To play in that game in Portugal and the way we won it, was a great memory. They went 3-0 up, Jake King scored two to make it 3-2 and they scored a fourth and switched off.”

Cue Horne, who only four days earlier had scored his first Wrexham goals with a double in another 4-3 defeat at home to Stockport County in front of just 1,516 fans.

“I remember the goal and, yes, it was spectacular,” added Horne. “I just pointed to John Muldoon where I wanted him to put it. And he did. We’d lost 4-3 but went through on away goals. It was an unbelievable night, the rain was torrential and there was a full house. My dad and brother were there, in fact there were lots of Wrexham fans there.”

Horne grabbed the headlines but it wouldn’t have happened without Steel’s winner at The Racecourse.

Target man Steel scored 51 goals in 164 appearances for the Reds and he said: “I really enjoyed my time at Wrexham.

“The club had no money but there were good young players coming through like Barry Horne – and do you remember that winning goal against Porto?

“We were 3-0 down after 30 minutes! Bobby Roberts had gone there to defend and it obviously didn’t work.

“He put Dave Gregory on and we got back in the game. Jake King scored two and then Barry got the winner. It was a wonderful night.”

The victory was a rewarding one for Reds’ boss Roberts, who knew nothing but hardship during his two seasons in charge.

Working on a shoestring budget, Roberts even had to play in goal in a Welsh Cup tie against Worcester.

But it was another cup - thousands of miles away in October 1984 - that Roberts remembers with relish.

“Don’t forget the first leg too,” said Roberts. “We beat them at home and that was a brilliant result - a brilliant performance. That Porto side had 13 internationals in their squad.

“Porto had beaten Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in the previous season, so I asked him for advice.

“Alex rang me back and sent me videos and reports on all of their players. It was dossier of information on them.

“We knew the second leg was going to be tough.

“And it never stopped raining. There was a crowd of about 45,000. I changed the team slightly, but we were 3-0 down after 15 minutes.

“We’d worked on set pieces and had pulled two goals back by half-time. Jake King got them both and Paulo Futre scored their fourth.

“Then Barry Horne volleyed one in from 25 yards to make it 4-3.”

As for the man who turned things around, captain King recalled: “Big Jim Steel had given us a 1-0 home leg lead but no-one seriously thought we’d got a chance.

“I remember turning to Jackie Keay and saying ‘we’re going to get murdered here’. But look what happened. It was unbelievable!”