Saturday 7 September 2013

Talking about my generation... Spurs fans' first-game memories

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club celebrated its 131st birthday last week, so we asked a number of Spurs supporters from different generations to give an account of their first-ever Spurs game.

Here's what they came back with...

Spurs 1-1 Wolves - FA Cup 4th round, Jan 1996  By Taxi For Maicon

It was freezing and, to put it kindly, Spurs were genuinely terrible. We were right at the back of the upper shelf - although the  lower north-east corner was to become home until Paxton Road was expanded.

I remember panicking during the week, firstly that it would get called off over snow, and secondly that Chris Armstrong would play (this was totally unfair as Chris Armstrong did well for Spurs, scoring 48 goals in 141 games, but I was a huge Jurgen Klinsmann fan and unless his replacement was, well, Jurgen Klinsmann, then I was always going to be an unfair critic.)

Anyway, Dean Austin misplaced a backpass for their goal and I'm pretty sure Clive Wilson brought us back to 1-1. Don't quote me on that, as my memory is terrible.

The rest of it is hazy other than my dad refusing to "stand up if you hate Arsenal", getting top-class chips from a chippie on Tottenham High Road and playing Sensible World of Soccer when I got home.

Spurs 5-1 Oldham - League Division Two, Oct 1977  By Hounslow's Finest (via Ja606.com)

We were in the players bar after the game as the bloke I went with's niece was married to Neil McNab.

We came out of the ground in Neil's wife's Austin 1300 (how times have changed).

We went up that season to Division One after finishing third behind table-toppers Bolton and  Southampton.

My 35 years of watching spurs has cost me loads of money, my fringe and a good few wind ups from my mates but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Spurs 5-1 Crewe Alexandra - FA Cup 4th round, Jan 1961 By ThePieKing (via Twitter)

We parked up at Wingate trading estate, which isn't there any more. I think it has made way for  the development of the new stadium.

I remember it being full. Around 60,000, mostly standing although funnily enough I was sat down.

Cliff Jones and Dave Mackay were among the scorers but my lasting memory from the game is Bobby Smith hammering a shot wide from close range.

The ball arrowed straight into the crowd and hit someone down the front. It looked nasty and there was some sort of commotion - maybe a stretcher, but I can't be sure.

We never did find out if they were OK afterwards.

Bolton 2-2 Spurs - Premier League, Oct 2009 By LancslassinLdn (via Twitter)

Living up north, we didn't get to many home matches, and started going to the Lancashire away games.

We waited by the coach before and after the game and Peter Crouch was doing well for England at the time, so he stood out.

Afterwards, my partner pointed out one of the Spurs youngsters stood away from the crowd - it was Gareth Bale.

He was tiny! He hadn't played and nobody really went over for his autograph and he was picked up by two people, probably his parents. 

Who would have thought he would become the world's most expensive player!

Spurs 2-1 West Brom - Premier League, March 2006 By Spurs boy (via Ja606.com)

Curtis Davies opened the scoring and we left it late to get back in the game.

Robbie Keane chipped an equaliser and then Mido scored only for it to be disallowed as Jermain Defoe had been brought down in the box seconds beforehand. 

Mido was furious! Keane scored the pen.

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