When Larne step out at Inver Park to face Red Star Belgrade in the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round tie on Tuesday, they will follow purity of another Irish League club that faced the decorated European giants 35 years ago. Red Star began their defence of the European Cup they won the previous season by defeating then Irish League champions Portadown 8‑0 on aggregate back in the autumn of 1991. The first leg, played in Szeged in Hungary because of the deteriorating security situation in then Yugoslavia, saw Portadown lose 4‑0. The second leg at Shamrock Park ended in the same scoreline. The Portadown team that celebrated back‑to‑back domestic league titles in 1990 and 1991 included long‑serving goalkeeper Mickey Keenan, defender Philip Major, midfielders Martin Russell and Paul Doolin, plus renowned Scottish strike duo Stevie Cowan and Sandy Fraser. The central defensive partnership of Alfie Stewart and Brian Strain also played a key part in the success enjoyed by the Mid Ulster side, who were managed by642 legendary Irish League boss Ronnie Mc Fall.

Stewart recalled discovering his club's opponents courtesy of a then popular television text service. "Back in the day the only way of finding out who you were playing in the draw was to switch on to Ceefax and that was how I found out," he said. "I almost fainted when I found out it was Red Star Belgrade, the European champions, but you quickly switch into excited mode as it's a chance in a million."

Current Irish League champions Larne will host Red Star in the first leg of their tie on Tuesday, 21 July (20:00 BST), with the second leg away from home on Wednesday, 29 July (19:00 BST).