out of each player. This man arrived the following season. Gerards' years (1985–2000) In 1985, OFI appointed Dutch Eugène Gerards as the head coach, who remained for a legendary 15 years. This is still the record tenure for a coach in the Greek League, and will be a feat that lives long in the memory of Cretans. Gerards' first 3 years at the helm in Crete were nothing short of amazing. In 1985–86, OFI finished 2nd in the league and only missed out on becoming champions by 5 points. Gerards continued his revolution with a 3rd-place finish in 1986–87 and 4th place in 1987–88. As Gerards' OFI continued to achieve high finishes in the Greek Championship the team from Crete did something wonderful 21 June 1987. In the Olympic Stadium in Athens they defeated Iraklis 3–1 on penalties winning the Greek Cup. The game had finished 1–1 after regular and extra time. With string league position and victorious in the Cup OFI was at that time one of the major players in Greek football. The 1987–88 season was special for Cretans for another reason too – it was the first time in league history that OFI finished in a higher position than Panathinaikos, beating them 2–1 in Heraklion on the way, with a goal in last minute from Stefanos Vavoulas. This golden era also saw OFI participate in European competition – UEFA Cup 1986 and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1987. On 7 June 1989, OFI won the Balkans Cup by beating Radnički Niš 3–1 in Serres. In the following seasons (1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92) OFI wasn't as successful. OFI finished 6th, 7th and 6th respectively, missing UEFA Cup participation by a few points. On 27 May 1990, OFI made the biggest overthrow in Greek football, as the club losing to 50' with 4–0 from Olympiacos in Karaiskakis Stadium, ending with 4–5. In June 1990, OFI played once again in the final of the Greek Cup, this time against Olympiacos. The game took place in Olympiacos' home stadium and OFI lost 4–2. In June 1991, OFI played in the final of the Pre-Mediterranean Cup, against AEK Athens. The game took place in Georgios Kamaras Stadium and OFI lost 1–0. During the last of those three seasons, OFI brought a young Argentinian star to Crete – Victor Hugo Delgado. However, there was little time for Cretans to enjoy the benefits of his talent