Perryman is brewing up for final fling
missed out with Sheffi eld United. “Winning at Wembley is the best feeling in the world and losing is devastating,” he said. “I’ll be drilling it into the boys. We must not let that happen. “It will be a long 90 minutes, maybe 120 minutes and then perhaps penalties. Slavisa Jokanovic wants to manage in the Premier League, we want to play in it. “It’s no different for him and he will be the fi rst one to admit it. But we will be ready as a team, and he’ll be ready.” STEVE PERRYMAN is hoping that a journey that began with a repulsive cup of tea 15 years ago will end with a champagne Wembley celebration.
The Tottenham legend refl ected on being left with a bitter taste in his mouth as he looked forward to returning to the scene of the crowning moments of his career when Exeter face Coventry in the League Two play- off fi nal on Monday.
It will be the Grecians director of football’s fi nal game in a career that has spanned six decades since he broke into the fi rst team at White Hart Lane as a teenager.
It was at Wembley where he twice captained Spurs to FA Cup glory to cement his place in the club’s folklore.
He was the captain in 1981, when Ricky Villa weaved his magic against Manchester City, and then 12 months later when Spurs beat QPR.
And, fi ttingly, Wembley will also provide the backdrop for the swansong of the 66- year- old’s 15 years’ service with Exeter that did not get off to the best of starts when he fi rst visited the club’s training ground.
“The youth team coach [ Mike Radford] turned up and offered me a cup of tea and then started making it with this white UP FOR CUPPA: Perryman’s 1982 glory powder,” he recalled. “‘ Raddy,’ I said. ‘ I’m not driving three hours here for tea made with powdered milk’. “I wasn’t giving it the big ‘ I am’. It was said in jest but I’d driven past all these fi elds with all these cows into Devon – the county of cream teas – so it was strange. “If you are going to make a cup of tea in Devon, make the best cup of tea you can – that’s certainly not a cuppa with powdered milk.” Those high standards have helped inspire Exeter from the brink of fi nancial oblivion to the cusp of promotion. “If I see untidiness, laziness or arrogance here I can feel a bad result coming,” said Perryman. “Is that clever? No, I think it’s common sense. “It is discipline and the way you lead players, not only [ telling them] how to play but how to live, especially when they are in our house, our training ground.” Having played 866 times for Spurs and won six major honours plus an England cap, it is fair to say Perryman knows what it takes to succeed when it comes to football. He is calling it a day so that he can enjoy a long retirement but he is set to be followed through the exit door after Monday by Exeter manager Paul Tisdale. He is out of contract this summer and is expected to head to MK Dons after falling out with the club’s supporters’ trust.