A lifetime of Spurs devotion rewarded amid epic scenes
MY PASSION for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is bookended by two memorable week-night matches, separated in time by almost 38 years. The first arrived on Thursday, May 14, 1981, when I looked on as an awe-struck eight-year-old when Argentinian midfielder Ricardo Villa scored one of the best-ever FA Cup final goals to defeat Manchester City 3-2 in an action-packed replay.
Most of my friends at the time were either die-hard Liverpool or Manchester United followers, but I decided there and then that Spurs were my team, and I have never looked back.
Fast forward then to last Wednesday when, against the same opposition as in 1981, a game for the ages ended in victory on the away goals rule and a coveted place in the Champions League semi-final against Ajax.
The drama, both in that goal-fest of an opening and the late offside call against City, was off the charts, and one wonders what the outcome might have been if VAR hadn’t been in use to adjudicate on Fernando Llorente’s vital finish from close range in between.
Soccer often gets a bad reputation for being difficult to watch on television, but I have seen enough from my team from 1981 up to last week to guarantee that I will support them for ever more.
My extensive collection of Spurs programmes dates back to 1953, and after Wednesday’s game I dug out one of the most prized possessions as a reminder of the club’s proud history.
The forerunner of the Champions League was, of course, the European Cup, and back in 1962 the second leg of the semi-final was held in the old White Hart Lane on Thursday, April 5.
Benfica from Portugal, holders of the trophy and with the legendary Eusebio at inside right, carried a 3-1 lead from the first meeting and went on to advance 4-3 on aggregate despite goals from Bobby Smith and a Danny Blanchflower penalty which sealed a 2-1 home win.
That was the best-ever Spurs side, double winners in the previous season, and the eleven that featured against the stalwarts from Lisbon included six English players, two apiece from Wales and Scotland, plus the great Blanchflower from Northern Ireland.
Flying Scots forward John White had his life tragically cut short at the age of 27 in 1964 when he was struck by lightning while playing a game of golf.
Other household names from that team of 57 years ago included goalscoring genius Jimmy Greaves, Welsh wizard Cliff Jones, and attacker Bobby Smith.
Of course, I never saw any of those players in action but, similar to the great hurlers of the past such as the Rackards, Ring and Mackey, their outstanding deeds have been passed from one generation to the next and their feats will never grow old.
Some people choose to ridicule Irish folk who are keen supporters of an English football team, but I can never understand that mentality.
It would be a very dull world indeed if we confined our interests exclusively to people, teams and places close to home, and most folk I know have an interest in soccer across the water.
And that’s not confined to the traditional ‘big two’ of Liverpool and Man. United either as, without thinking too hard, I can easily reel off the names of people I know who support the likes of Leeds United, Everton, Wolves, Newcastle, and even Swindon!
I don’t think a defeat on the night has ever been celebrated as heartily by Spurs supporters as that epic 4-3 reversal last week.
Thank God for that 1-0 victory secured earlier at home, and for the outstanding form of Son Heung-min who has been magnificent all season, but particularly in the absence of our star striker.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has lived to regret his casual reference to Spurs as ‘the Harry Kane team’, and it only added to the sweet nature of the outcome to see his quadruple-chasing side knocked out while the latter was sidelined through injury.
Spurs versus Ajax is a last four pairing that should whet the appetites of all neutrals with an appreciation for the game.
I hope that my fellow fans around Wexford such as Mick Reade, Shea Tomkins and Willie Wickham enjoyed last Wednesday as much as I did, and please God there will be more to come. COYS!!