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Spurs and the FA
Cup – Final
Spurs and The FA Cup
(Part 1)
Finals 1901 - 1962
Tottenham have won the FA Cup on eight occasions
and in 1991 when they last won it by defeating Nottingham Forest in the ‘Gazza’ Final, at the time, it made them the club with the
record number of wins in the competition. In spite of twenty one years
of failing to add to that total, they remain third in the winners’ list
behind only Manchester United and Arsenal who dominated the competition for a
period of thirteen years from 1993 to 2005. Spurs first FA Cup success
came back in their non-League days, less that twenty years after the
formation of the club by the group a schoolboys gathered around a lamp post
on Tottenham High Road.
Non-League Spurs Triumphant
1901 Final v Sheffield United (Crystal Palace) Draw 2 - 2 Brown (2)
The non-League 'giant-killers' had reached the
FA Cup Final but no-one expected them to win again. An attendance of
114,815 watched as Spurs took on the experienced League team who took the
lead after twelve minutes. Spurs were under a lot of pressure but took
control of the game and equalised through Sandy Brown thirteen minutes later,
heading in from a free-kick after a foul on Kirwan.
Brown put Spurs ahead five minutes after the
interval with a goal which involved all five Tottenham forwards as he fired a
shot in off the bar.
However, a dubious refereeing decision gave
United an equaliser one minute later. George Clawley,
the Spurs goalkeeper, fumbled a shot but when challenged managed to scramble
it clear for a corner as signalled by the linesman. However, the
referee awarded the goal that never was. From this point the game
drifted to a draw and a replay.
Two nights after the Replay, cinematic newsreel
shots showed that the ball had not crossed the line and the United equaliser
should not have counted.
Final (Replay) v Sheffield United (Bolton) Won 3
- 1 Smith, Brown, Cameron
Only 20,740 were present for the replay at
Bolton Wanderers’ ground, partially due to the cost of travel as the railway
company had refused to make reduced price offers available to the fans.
Spurs took the initiative in the replay and took the game to United but they
found themselves behind five minutes before half-time. The United goal
had been against the run of play but for the final minutes of the half Spurs
had to defend desperately to ensure they didn't fall further behind.
United's physical approach was making it
difficult for the more intricate play of Tottenham but after the interval
Spurs continued to dominate and equalised after 55 minutes through John
Cameron. Twice after this Brown had the opportunity to put Spurs ahead
but the goalkeeper denied him. Spurs then took the lead when winger Tom
Smith scored fifteen minutes from time. Brown ensured victory with a
header from the third of three quick corners, with seven minutes
remaining.
Brown had become the first player to score in
every round of the Cup, scoring 15 goals. On the final whistle joyous
Spurs fans invaded the pitch and at the presentation, the captain, Jack
Jones, received the trophy adorned with blue and white ribbons. Prior
to the presentation the wife of a Tottenham director had attached the ribbons
to the trophy, thus starting a tradition that has been maintained to the
present day.
When the team returned to London at 1.00am the
next morning, the fans who had been waiting for three hours, gave them a
tremendous reception as they paraded from South Tottenham station to the
ground.
Tottenham had brought the FA Cup to London for
the first time and while they appeared to be making a point for southern
teams over their more dominant northern opponents, the Spurs team was
comprised of five Scots, three Welsh, one Irishman and three English men, all
from north of the Trent.
Team: Clawley; Erentz, Tait; Morris, Hughes,
Jones (Captain); Smith, Cameron, Brown, Copeland, Kirwan.
Winning in the Rain
1921 Final v Wolverhampton Wanderers (Stamford Bridge) Won 1 - 0 Dimmock
Spurs had won promotion to the 1st Division a
year earlier and in their first season back in the top flight finished sixth
but it was in the FA Cup that they were to display their best form. The
Final against Wolves who were in the 2nd Division was played in very wet
conditions with pools of water all over the pitch at kick-off. Spurs,
however, weren’t prepared to allow the conditions to dictate their style of
play as they continued to play with the ball on the ground trying to make use
of their wingers as they had done throughout the Cup campaign.
Spurs took early control with Arthur Grimsdell and Bert Smith dominant and ensuring that the
forwards had plenty of opportunity on the ball and it seemed that it would
only be a matter of time before Spurs scored. However, in spite of a
few close calls, Wolves got to the interval on level terms.
The rain stopped at the commencement of the
second half and Wolves began to show their worth but on sixty five minutes
Jimmy Dimmock scored the goal which secured the win
for Spurs. He picked up a pass from Bert Bliss and eluded two defenders
who were close and from twenty five yards out at the angle of the penalty
area he fired in a shot which zipped across the slippery surface and past a
despairing goalkeeper’s dive and into the corner of the net.
A minute later Jimmy Banks almost added a second
but was brought down on the edge of the box, with the free-kick going
wide. Spurs continued to create chances to increase their lead but in
the final minutes as Spurs tired in the heavy conditions Wolves started to
exert some pressure and Alex Hunter, in goal, was called upon for the first
time to rescue them. Spurs held on and the FA Cup returned to London
for the first time since their 1901 success.
Team: Hunter; Clay, MacDonald; Smith, Walters, Grimsdell
(Captain); Banks, Seed, Cantrell, Bliss, Dimmock.
The ‘Double’ Success
1961 Final v Leicester City (Wembley) Won 2 - 0 Smith, Dyson
Many teams had failed at the final step in their
pursuit of the ‘Double’ and Tottenham were determined not to fall in to that
category. They had won the League a few weeks earlier but their form
had taken a dip and they had missed out on setting a new record for the
number of points won as they lost two of their final three games, including
defeats at Burnley and at home to West Bromwich Albion. Leicester City
had finished sixth in the League and had the distinction of being the first
team to defeat Spurs at White Hart Lane that season, achieving a 3 - 2
success in February.
The 1961 FA Cup Final didn't live up to the high
expectations of the pre-match hype. Bobby Smith played despite an
injury problem but it was an early injury to Len Chalmers, the Leicester full
back which had the greatest bearing on the match as Leicester found themselves effectively reduced to ten men, although the
injured full back hobbled on the wing. Spurs had started brightly and
could have scored in the opening minutes but then they let Leicester have
more of the ball leading up the injury after twenty minutes when Les Allen
and Chalmers collided.
Tottenham now had the advantage but couldn't
find a way to goal. Cliff Jones had a first half 'goal' incorrectly
disallowed for offside but it wasn't until twenty minutes from time that they
eventually went ahead. Allen and Terry Dyson set up Smith who turned
and shot past Gordon Banks. Seven minutes later, White dispossessed
Chalmers and passed to Smith who crossed to the far post where Dyson headed
home to secure Tottenham's 'Double' triumph.
Team: Brown; Baker, Henry, Blanchflower (Captain), Norman, Mackay; Jones, White,
Smith, Allen, Dyson.
The 'Double' had been achieved and although the
Final hadn't been a classic, the team had done what was required of
them. The players had produced many exhilarating, quality performances
during the season but with the high level of expectation and pressure on the
team, on this occasion it was a matter of the job had been completed as they
became the first team in the 20th Century to win the elusive ‘Double’ as 1st
Division Champions and FA Cup winners.
Spurs Supreme
1962 FA CUP FINAL v Burnley (Wembley) Won 3 - 1 Greaves, Smith, Blanchflower (pen)
Tottenham’s ambitions at the start of the season
had been to win the ‘Treble’ adding the European Cup to their ‘Double’
success of the previous year. They had missed out in the League
finishing third, four points behind Ipswich. They lost in controversial
circumstances to Benfica at the semi-final stage of
the European Cup and now faced Burnley who had finished second in the League
in the FA Cup Final.
Tottenham and Burnley were regarded as the two
best footballing sides in the country and there
were high expectations ahead of the game. To add further pressure
before the Final Jimmy Greaves had predicted that he would score an early
goal which he duly delivered after three minutes. Bill Brown’s kick was
flicked on by Bobby Smith and Greaves was on his way towards goal. He
seemed to have lost the ball but recovered to beat his defender and slot the
ball past the Burnley goalkeeper. It was the prefect start for Spurs
and had Burnley playing catch-up for the rest of the afternoon.
Down but not out, Burnley set about retrieving
the situation and played some lovely passing football without really
troubling the Spurs defence, although when they did create any chances, Bill
Brown was equal to the task. As the half wore on Greaves saw Adam Blacklaw save a powerful drive and the goalkeeper had to
be alert to a dangerous cross from John White which he clawed out from under
the bar.
Burnley finished the half on the attack but
without reward. In the early moments after the interval they continued
to press and equalised on five minutes when Bobby Robson poked the ball past
Brown from a cross from the right. Burnley thought they were back in
the game but within thirty seconds Smith had cut their celebrations short.
From the kick-off White took the ball down the left and centred towards Smith
who got to the ball ahead of the defender, turned and hammered a shot into
the net.
Burnley were deflated
and try as they might they couldn’t get back into the game. Eight minutes
from time, Spurs earned a penalty when Terry Medwin’s
shot was handled and the coolest man in Wembley stepped up to ensure he would
lift the FA Cup for a second time - captain, Danny Blanchflower
sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Spurs had retained the F.A.Cup,
only the second club to do so since the beginning of the 20th century. and secured a place in Europe which was to bring further
success the following year.
Team: Brown; Baker, Henry; Blanchflower (Captain), Norman, Mackay; Medwin, White, Smith, Greaves, Jones.
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Spurs and the FA Cup
(Part 2)
Finals 1967 - 1991
Spurs Win First All-London Final
1967 FA Cup Final v Chelsea (Wembley) Won 2 - 1 Robertson, Saul
Cup Finals can sometimes throw up unexpected
heroes and so it was for Spurs with their two goals coming from Jimmy
Robertson and Frank Saul. The eagerly anticipated first all London FA
Cup Final was an anti-climax and Chelsea failed to do themselves justice with
their performance. Tottenham were comfortable throughout and did what
was required of them. Greaves found himself
closely marked by Ron Harris and so proved less effective in front of goal
while Spurs prevented Charlie Cooke from having an influence on the game.
Joe Kinnear had a
starring role, attacking from the right full back position as Tottenham
became the dominant team. Towards the end of the first half, Alan Mullery picked up a quickly taken free-kick and ran
towards the Chelsea goal. The defenders, mindful of Greaves, backed off
allowing Mullery time to shoot. The ball was
deflected to Robertson who hit it first time and scored.
In the second half Spurs continued to be in
control and added a second when Saul received the ball from Robertson.
With his back to goal, he turned and shot and scored. 'Glory! Glory!'
to Spurs.
Chelsea managed a late goal when Jennings
misjudged a cross but the Cup had been won by Tottenham for a fifth
time. That made it five FA Cup Finals for Spurs and five wins. It
wasn't the most memorable of Finals or performances by Tottenham but they had
done what was required of them and Dave Mackay lifted the trophy and his
third FA Cup winners medal.
Team: Jennings; Kinnear, Knowles; Mullery,
England, Mackay (Captain); Robertson, Greaves, Gilzean,
Venables, Saul. Sub: (unused) Jones
Ricky Villa Wonder Goal!
1981 FA Cup Final: v Manchester City (Wembley) Draw 1 - 1 (aet) Hutchinson (og)
In a game that was rather dour, Manchester
City's non-stop commitment and effort denied Tottenham and they took the lead
through Tommy Hutchinson after half an hour. It was a disappointing
display from Spurs who couldn't get their game going and with twenty minutes
remaining Ricky Villa was substituted. The lasting memory is of the
Argentine forlornly and slowly making his way past the Wembley stands to the
dressing room - dejected and disappointed with his contribution to the
game. However, eleven minutes from time, good fortune favoured
Tottenham. They were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the penalty
area and when Hoddle struck it, Hutchinson in trying to defend it only
succeeded in deflecting it into his own goal. Tottenham had been given
a second chance.
Replay: v Manchester City (Wembley) Won 3 - 2 Villa (2), Crooks
For the replay, manager, Keith Burkinshaw, made a brave decision to include Ricky Villa
as many had expected him to be dropped after his poor display on the
Saturday. However, having been given a reprieve, Villa immediately set
about proving the manager correct by scoring the opening goal after eight
minutes, a good strike as the ball fell to him in the penalty area. The
lead was short lived as three minutes later City equalised with a well struck
shot from the edge of the box. In a game that was much more open than
the first match, City went ahead with a penalty early in the second
half. Tottenham battled on and equalised with a goal from Garth
Crooks.
Level with twenty minutes remaining either team
could have won but seven minutes later, Tony Galvin made a short pass to
Ricky Villa wide on the left just inside City's half. Villa set off on
a run which took him around and past the City defenders on into the
penalty. He continued his mazy dribble with team mates waiting for a
pass, until finally getting past the last defender he placed the ball beyond
the despairing keeper to score the winning goal.
That wonder goal not only won the FA Cup for
Spurs for the sixth time but it turned Ricky Villa into an instant Tottenham
‘Legend’ and provided supporters with a moment in their lives that they will
never forget, whether having been at Wembley or simply watching on
television. The joy of winning the Cup for Tottenham and it was all
about Ricky Villa.
Team: Aleksic; Perryman
(Captain), Roberts, Miller, Hughton; Ardiles, Hoddle, Villa, Galvin; Archibald, Crooks. Sub:
Brooke (unused)
Hoddle ‘Double’
1982 Final: v Queen’s Park Rangers (Wembley) Draw 1 - 1 (aet) Hoddle
At one point in the season Spurs were
campaigning for silverware on four fronts. They reached the League
(Milk) Cup Final losing to Liverpool after extra time, having been ahead
until the final minutes of normal time. They were beaten by a robust
Barcelona team in the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup and they
had finished fourth in the League when fixture congestion in the final weeks
of the season took its toll.
The FA Cup Final against 2nd Division, Queen’s
Park Rangers, managed by Terry Venables was now
their last chance of a trophy. Spurs team was missing the influential Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa -
Ardiles had returned to Argentina to prepare for
the World Cup finals while Villa was omitted because of the on-going
hostilities of the Falklands War.
Venables, the master tactician, set up his team to deny Spurs and the plan was
carried out to perfection by his players but it was restricted when his
leading goalscorer, Clive Allen, was injured in the
opening minutes. QPR stifled Tottenham’s creative midfield with man to
man marking but Spurs still had enough chances to have won with ease but
tiredness and injury were taking their toll on the players and they were
unable to make them count. When they did get shots on target the
goalkeeper kept them at bay with a number of outstanding saves, while Ray Clemence had been a virtual spectator in the Spurs’ goal.
The game headed into extra time and in the 109th
minute Glenn Hoddle struck taking a return pass from Graham Roberts.
Only now did QPR show an inclination to attack and with five minutes
remaining Terry Fenwick, another future Spurs player, headed the equaliser
when a long throw was flicked on to him at the back post.
Replay: v Queen’s Park Rangers (Wembley) Won 1 - 0 Hoddle (pen)
Spurs were unchanged for the replay but whereas
in the previous season the excitement and quality of the replay made up for
the tedium of the first game, this was not the case in the first half of this
replay. Spurs set out to gain an early advantage and achieved that aim
with a goal after six minutes. Graham Roberts won the ball in midfield
and set off on a powerful run towards the QPR penalty area where he was
brought down. A penalty and Glenn Hoddle sent the ball into the left
corner as the goalkeeper dived to his right.
Spurs were unable to add to their goal as the
game descended into a tedious midfield battle with neither side looking
capable of scoring.
In the second half, QPR showed their attacking
intentions and Spurs defence was under constant pressure with Ray Clemence having to make a number of vital saves.
Spurs attacking moments were restricted to the occasional breakaway as QPR
put everything into getting an equaliser. There were many close calls
but Spurs held out with last gasp defending and retained the FA Cup at the
end of an extremely long and tiring season. The QPR players had been
the heroes of the second half but with no reward. When the final
whistle blew Spurs had completed their 66th match of the season and captain,
Steve Perryman had led from the front for every single minute of those games
which had included a sequence of 19 matches in under
eight weeks from early April.
Team: Clemence; Perryman
(Captain), Price, Miller, Hughton; Hazard (Brooke),
Hoddle, Roberts, Galvin; Archibald, Crooks.
‘Gary Mabbutt’s Knee’
1987 Final: v Coventry City (Wembley) Lost 2 - 3 Allen, C., Mabbutt
Spurs only failure in an FA Cup Final was in
1987 when David Pleat’s side who were firm favourites to lift the trophy fell
to Coventry City. Spurs were playing in their third Final in seven
years while it was Coventry’s first time at this stage of the competition.
As in 1982, Spurs had been in contention in the title race and the League Cup
only to fall short, finishing third in the League and losing in the
semi-final replay of the Littlewoods Cup but on this occasion there wasn’t to
be the ‘consolation’ of FA Cup success.
A goal after two minutes from leading goalscorer, Clive Allen who headed in a Chris Waddle
cross seemed to justify Spurs’ position as favourites. It wasn’t to be
and Coventry were level within seven minutes.
Gary Mabbutt restored Spurs’ lead before half-time
but Coventry equalised through a diving header from Houchen,
that’s the goal that appears regularly in photographs and video shots of the
1987 Final. After six minutes of extra time Coventry went ahead when a
cross deflected off Mabbutt’s knee and went over
Ray Clemence’s head. There was no way back
and Tottenham had lost their first FA Cup Final.
BBC Commentator, John Motson,
described the game as ‘the finest Cup Final I’ve ever had the pleasure of
commentating on’.
Team: Clemence; Hughton (Claesen), Mabbutt, Gough, Thomas; Allen, P., Ardiles
(Stevens), Hoddle, Hodge, Waddle; Allen, C.
Spurs Triumph Against the Odds
1991 Final: v Nottingham Forest (Wembley) Won 2 - 1 (aet) Stewart, Opp. o.g.
Terry Venables v Brian
Clough, Tottenham v the Bankers, Paul Gascoigne v a young Roy Keane were all
issues that this game brought to Wembley. Spurs preparations for the
game had involved negotiations over the club's future and a deal to sell
their star player to Lazio for £8.5 million.
Tottenham were again relying on the inspiration
of Gazza to bring them their eighth FA Cup success
and he was pumped up for the game - in the opening minutes his boundless
energy took him everywhere. Unfortunately, that was soon to become a
problem for Spurs and the player. Early on he made a rash tackle that
could have seen him booked and that might have
calmed him down but the referee showed leniency and Gazza
carried on, unrestrained. He made another bad tackle on the Forest
fullback, conceding a free-kick in a dangerous position but injuring himself
as well. From the resulting free-kick Pearce scored but Spurs were
doubly penalised when Paul Gascoigne fell to the ground, his injury worse
than realised. He was carried off on a stretcher and went to hospital
with a cruciate ligament injury which would
sideline him for a year and jeopardise the deal that was to save the club.
From all of these set-backs Tottenham managed to
recover but not until Gary Lineker had a goal
incorrectly disallowed and then have a penalty saved. It was looking as
if it wasn't going to be Tottenham's day. However, early in the second
half Paul Stewart powered into the penalty area from midfield and equalised
for Spurs. No further goals took the game to extra time and after four
minutes Tottenham got the winning goal. It was an own goal from former
Tottenham junior, Des Walker. He jumped with Gary Mabbutt
for a corner but only deflected the ball beyond his own keeper. It was
justice for Mabbutt who in 1987 had scored the
winning goal for Coventry in Spurs only FA Cup Final defeat. Mabbutt who had been with Spurs for nine seasons who
fought a constant battle with diabetes was a loyal servant to the club
and a real ambassador for Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs held on and Mabbutt
lifted the Cup to give them a then record equalling eighth win in the
competition. To date, that is Tottenham's last FA Cup Final win or
appearance.
Team: Thorstvedt;
Edinburgh, Howells, Mabbutt (Captain), Van den Hauwe; Allen, Gascoigne (Nayim),
Sedgley, Samways,
Stewart; Lineker
As Spurs embark on another FA Cup campaign it
would be a magnificent way to end the season if they were to make a further
visit to Wembley with Ledley King lifting the
trophy high into the London skyline.
'Glory Glory Hallelujah
Spurs go marching on.'
Spurs Writers’ Club: Tottenham The Glory Glory Game
Pre-order: http://www.spurswritersclub.co.uk/#/buy-the-book/4557790657
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