The European Cup Winners' Cup may have become a victim of the Champions League expansion in the late 1990s, but there could be no questioning the quality of the tournament prior to this money motivated move.
Just look at the class of the clubs alongside Arsenal in the 1993/94 tournament: Real Madrid, Ajax, Parma, Torino, Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica and Paris Saint Germain highlighted just how difficult it would be for Arsenal to lift the trophy.
As Arsenal prepare to take on Port Vale in the Carabao Cup third round, fans making their way up to Vale Park will be hoping history can repeat itself. Twenty-seven years ago Arsenal supporters - including this writer - made the same journey at the start of a cup run that would end in celebrations at Wembley. But FA Cup joy in the Wembley sunshine seemed a million miles away for Arsenal fans in January 1998.
Seven times Arsene Wenger led Arsenal to FA Cup glory. But his first was far from straightforward. In all, Arsenal played nine matches on their way to lifting the 1998 FA Cup, a run that involved three replays, two penalty shootouts, and narrow victories over second tier teams. The third round tie against Port Vale would be a microcosm of Arsenal's road to Wembley.
