A former Albion star has relived the night Chris Rea unwittingly played a part in the most famous English success story at AS Roma.

Mark Lawrenson was part of the Liverpool side who drew 1-1 with the hosts as the Stadio Olimpico staged the 1984 European Cup final.

Roma then blew their lines in the shoot-out as Bruce Grobbelaar performed his spaghetti legs stunt.

Lawrenson helped Liverpool clinch a treble of title, League Cup and European Cup tat season.

Only a defeat at the Goldstone in the FA Cup ended their chances of a clean sweep.

Lawrenson recalls the Olimpico being a hostile environment but said a pre-match singalong helped unsettle their already nervous hosts.

He said: “We got there early and went for a walk around the pitch.

“There was actually a kids’ game going on – before a European Cup final!

“The stadium was three-quarters full and Charlie (Graeme Souness, AKA Champagne Charlie), his immortal words were, ‘Lets walk around the pitch’.

“There was a bit of trepidation. ‘Well, okay’.

“The were chucking plastic bottles and stuff, booing us.

“David Hodgson, Craig Johnston and Charlie had all played at Middlesbrough and they were friends of Chris Rea.

“As we went back in, up some wooden steps, for some reason we were singing this Chris Rea song, ‘I don’t know what it is but I love it’.

“It got louder and louder and I suppose it was echoing around the corridor.

“Nobody thought anything about it at the time.

“After the game, their manager Nils Liedholm said they heard it in the Roma changing room.

“He came straight in and said ‘I knew we were beaten’.

“He said, “I’m in the dressing room, I am giving out instructions. And we heard them singing and it got louder and louder and at one moment, I thought ‘That’s Liverpool’ and as I looked around, the players had also realised.

“That was the biggest thing from that night.

“People talk about Brucie’s wobbly legs but, as we told him, he never got near any of the penalties!”

Liverpool’s possession game helped take the sting out of the occasion and Albion will look to do similar tonight.

Lawrenson said: “It was a bit of stand-off. Very few chances for either team.

“We kept the ball because we had talented players who could do that.

“They were at home which is great but, if things aren’t going well, it can get a bit ‘what’s happening here?’.”

While it is not known whether Albion have their own song, they would settle for the same result as Liverpool had over 90 minutes that night 40 years ago.

Lawrenson said: "You'd take a draw now, wouldn't you?"