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Spurs and the FA
Cup – 6th Round
Can Spurs Add to
the Memorable FA Cup Moments at Stamford
Bridge?
Chelsea in the 6th
Round, Chelsea at Stamford
Bridge – that wasn’t
what I’d been hoping for when Steve McLaren and Terry Venables made the draw
on the afternoon following the win over Fulham. In less than twenty four hours the euphoria
of that win had been dampened by the realisation that Spurs had to visit the
Billionaires of West London. Plymouth
Argyll at White Hart Lane
had been more what I had thought of but we’ll keep them for the semi-finals.
With Chelsea in mind the
obvious starting point for a review of Spurs in the FA Cup 6th
Round is Stamford
Bridge in 1982. Spurs as Cup holders were drawn against 2nd
Division Chelsea who had defeated European Champions, Liverpool,
in the previous round. A memorable
game with Spurs in an all white strip with yellow socks and as the game
progressed everything clicked for them. Chelsea
had taken a first half lead but gradually Spurs started to show their
superior class with Glenn Hoddle giving a master class of ball control. It was only a matter of time before Spurs
would score and it came when Steve Archibald poked the ball home after the Chelsea
goalkeeper failed to hold a Hoddle free-kick.
Spurs immediately stepped up a gear and within ten minutes were 3-1
ahead. The
second goal was a masterpiece. Hoddle
and Hazard cut through the Chelsea
midfield with an exchange of passes and, after Hazard's flick had left them
wrong-footed, Hoddle crashed a 25-yard drive past the goalkeeper.
Hazard then confirmed Tottenham's superiority with a coolly taken drive and
although Chelsea
pulled a goal back Spurs coasted home on a wave of possession football. The performance was even greater as the
match was played on a bare pitch with a very uneven bounce.
A similar performance and
result on Sunday would be very, very satisfying.
In 1901, with fewer teams in
the competition, Spurs had already reached the semi-finals but in 1921 they
were drawn at home against the FA Cup holders, Aston Villa. Having had a favourable draw in the earlier
rounds, this was the first occasion they had met opponents from the 1st
Division. The clubs had met at the
similar stage (4th Round) a year previously when a Tommy Clay own
goal had taken Villa through. This
time, Clay and Spurs took revenge and triumphed when right winger, Jimmy
Banks, scored midway through the first half, following a run by left winger,
Jimmy Dimmock. In his book, Jimmy
Seed, the influential Spurs player of the time describes how Banks saved his
blushes with the goal. Seed admits
that on occasions, in big games, he would ‘freeze’ and in this game as
Dimmock crossed the ball, that’s what happened. However, Jimmy Banks sized up the situation
and hit both Seed and the ball as best he could. The ball hit his knee and ended up in the
Villa goal. A freak goal and another
piece of good fortune to take Spurs closer to success.
That match was watched by a
crowd of 51, 991 spectators at White
Hart Lane but it falls well short of the record
attendance for the ground which was achieved in 1938. On 5th March, 1938, Spurs’
record crowd of 75,038 spectators witnessed the team lose by a single goal to
Sunderland. At that time Spurs were in the 2nd
Division while Sunderland were from the 1st
Division. However, a controversial
refereeing decision denied Spurs an opening goal. A Colin Lyman shot beat the
goalkeeper but Jack Gibbons following up to make sure the ball went in,
handled and although the referee gave the goal, a linesman flagged for
handball and the goal was disallowed.
However, in 1961 the roles
were reversed and the 6th Round game took Spurs to Roker Park to
meet Sunderland who were in the 2nd Division and their young team
came closest to ending that season’s all conquering Spurs team’s dream of the
‘double.’ By the end of that game
Spurs were hanging on for a draw.
Cliff Jones had given Spurs the lead after nine minutes with a header
from a partially cleared corner. Bobby
Smith hit the post just before half-time, but then the famous ‘Roker Roar’
lifted the home team and they equalised at the start of the second half. Sunderland
pressurised Spurs to the final whistle and tested them to the limit but where
weaker teams would have succumbed Danny Blanchflower galvanized Spurs who held out
for the replay.
It was a relieved Spurs team who prepared for the replay the following
Wednesday and having escaped with a draw, they made no mistakes this time. Sunderland
had had their day and now it was time for Spurs to show their superiority.
Fans had queued for ten hours to get in and they saw Spurs sweep majestically
into the semi-final. Spurs were three ahead by half-time with goals from Les
Allen, Bobby Smith and Terry Dyson.
After 65 minutes Dyson scored his second and five minutes later Dave
Mackay completed the scoring. Burnley
awaited in the semi-finals.
In 1962, Spurs had to meet
Aston Villa. Spurs had beaten them 2-0
at Villa Park the previous season in the 5th
Round and with home advantage recorded the same score this time. In a typical cup-tie, in slippery
conditions due to constant rain, Spurs hit the post twice during the first
half, with shots from Terry Medwin and Jimmy Greaves. However, Villa defended resolutely and the
game remained scoreless but sixty seconds in the second half changed all
that. In the 47th minute,
Danny Blanchflower scored with a low shot and one minute later, Cliff Jones
headed home a cross from Greaves.
Second Division, Birmingham
City were Spurs 6th
Round opponents in 1967. A visit to
the Midlands saw Spurs held to a goal-less
draw as the home team battled heroically to ensure Spurs could not play their
natural game. The Spurs defence also
had be alert to thwart Birmingham
and Pat Jennings had to make a number of important saves. In the replay, order was restored and Jimmy
Greaves threw off the shackles that had been imposed on him in the first game
to score twice in the second half.
Terry Venables had scored two early goals and Alan Gilzean made it
three before half-time. Greaves’ brace
and a final goal from Frank Saul completed the scoring after the interval and
took Spurs to a meeting with Nottingham
Forest.
In 1981, the draw was
favourable to Spurs, a home game against Exeter
City from the Third
Division. Spurs couldn’t have been
more delighted and were looking towards the semi-finals and beyond. Surely, a team with Perryman, Hoddle,
Ardiles, Archibald, Crooks and Georgio Mazzon would have too much class for
the lower Division team. However, it
took two goals from the central defenders to take Spurs into the semi-finals.
Exeter
made Spurs fight all the way but two moments of Glenn Hoddle magic created
the goals for Spurs. Firstly, a Hoddle
cross enabled Graham Roberts to score his first goal for the club and then
from his free-kick Paul Miller scored after the goalkeeper had made a
mistake.
The two recurring themes from
the 1991 Cup triumph are Spurs’ worsening financial situation and Paul
Gascoigne. As the months passed so
Spurs’ future outlook grew bleaker by the day but the one bright spot was the
FA Cup and Paul Gascoigne’s ability to overcome injury worries and continue
to amaze with his outstanding performances.
The 6th Round opponents were Notts
County at White
Hart Lane and if Spurs were expecting an easy
victory over the 2nd Division side, they must have been in a state
of shock when County took the lead.
Nayim scored to bring Spurs level and then a winner from the one and
only, Paul Gascoigne, took Spurs to a semi-final tie against Arsenal.
Dismissal at the 6th
Round is particularly disappointing as supporters watch other teams progress
to the ‘big’ games of the semi-final and possibly the Final with all the
added expectancy and media coverage that accompanies these games. Reviewing Spurs’ games at this stage of the
competition, it is surprising to find that many have a claim to recognition,
including Spurs’ last 6th Round experience in 2005. That took them to Newcastle
and after conceding an early goal Spurs set about rectifying the situation
but a certain referee managed to deny Spurs’ claims for at least two
penalties and disallowed a goal which would have provided Spurs with the
chance to bring the game back to White
Hart Lane.
Undeserved defeat in such circumstances brings such frustration and
disappointment.
An unexpected hero emerged
from the five goal thriller at Upton Park in 2001 when Sergei Rebrov showed
why Spurs had spent their record transfer fee to sign him. His two goals and one from Gary Doherty
gave George Graham’s team a thrilling victory and another chance to play
Arsenal in the semi-finals. Everything
was up-beat at Tottenham after that win but behind the scenes all was not
well and within seven days Graham was gone with Glenn Hoddle to be his
eventual successor.
In 1999, the 6th
Round draw took Spurs to Barnsley where
they had lost in a 5th Round Replay twelve months earlier. This time a David Ginola inspirational run
and goal was sufficient to overcome the side that had suffered relegation at
the end of the previous season.
In 1993 Spurs had to visit Manchester
to play City and it was a memorable game, not just because Spurs won,
but because of the football that Spurs played, the hat-trick scored by Nayim
and the fact that the game had to be stopped due to a pitch invasion by the
City fans. City went into the lead but
Spurs were ahead at half-time through goals from Nayim and Sedgeley. In the
second half Spurs took control with Nayim scoring twice. Spurs had a goal
disallowed and direct from the free-kick City went the length of the pitch
and scored. This was the signal for the City supporters to spill onto the
pitch. The game was halted and the players left the pitch for thirteen
minutes while the mounted police restored order.
Wimbledon have often
proved a difficult side for Spurs to beat – they disliked their long ball,
high pressured play and often came off second best. However, in 1987 David Pleat’s side showed
their worth in a visit to Plough Lane and showed application and commitment
that took them through and the skill of Chris Waddle and Glenn Hoddle
provided the goals to ensure the
‘Diamond Lights’ were still shining for the semi-final tie.
Season 1955-56 was disappointing for Spurs in the League
but the team showed great endeavour in the Cup and their 6th Round
game against West Ham was one to remember.
At White Hart Lane
on a very heavy pitch Spurs came from 2-3 down to earn a draw after Captain,
Danny Blanchflower, moved centre-half, Maurice Norman, forward to assist the
attack. It worked and Spurs were
grateful to Tommy Harmer (pen), Len Duquemin and George Robb for the
goals. In the replay Harmer and
Duquemin both scored as Spurs won 2-1.
Three years earlier Spurs were involved in a three game
thriller against Birmingham
City at this stage of
the competition. They had already
played five games and in those days extra replays were arranged to determine
who went through rather than curtail the process with penalties as happens
today. The original match was at St
Andrews where Spurs earned a 1-1 draw with a goal from Les
Bennett. In the replay at White Hart
Lane Bennett again scored and with Len Duquemin ensured a 2-2 draw after
extra time. Spurs won the third game
with a goal from Sonny Walters and went on to meet Blackpool
in the semi-final.
In 1995 Spurs gave one of the truly memorable performances
of the decade in their 6th Round game against Liverpool. Having fought back at Southampton Spurs had
a visit to Anfield as their reward but it wasn’t a ground with many happy
memories for them and Spurs weren’t given much chance. Liverpool
took the lead late in the first half but Teddy Sheringham managed to equalize
right on half-time. In the second half
Spurs played much better and it looked set for a replay but with two minutes
remaining, Sheringham put Jurgen Klinsmann through to score the winner. A
great result for Spurs as they went on to meet Everton in the
semi-final.
Coincidently that victory over Liverpool and the win over
West Ham in 2001 took place on 11th March – Spurs are due to meet
Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 11th March – here’s hoping that
today’s players can take inspiration from those results against the odds and
bring further success on Sunday.
Logan
Holmes
http://tottenham-spur.blogspot.com/
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