Spurs and the FA
Cup
Semi-Finals
- 1901 – 2001
It is now six years since Spurs reached the FA Cup
semi-finals, Chelsea
once again being an insurmountable object as they were in 2002. In their 125 year history Spurs have
reached this stage of the competition on seventeen occasions although it is
sixteen years since they progressed to the Final. Of those seventeen semi-finals, Spurs have
won on nine occasions and for most of those successes the result was well
deserved with Spurs winning comfortably.
However, of the eight unsuccessful attempts to reach the Final, there
has often been a sense of injustice as Spurs have been at the wrong end of
some dubious decisions.
As a Southern League side Spurs had progressed to
the 1901 FA Cup semi-final having disposed of the Cup holders, Bury, and the
only other surviving non-League side, Reading, in previous rounds. First Division, West Bromwich Albion at Villa
Park were Spurs next opponents while Sheffield United
and Aston Villa contested the other semi-final. Although the game was like a home game for
Albion, Spurs took thousands of spectators to the Birmingham
venue.
The Spurs’ hero was Sandy Brown who scored all four
goals as Spurs won comprehensively. Brown had scored in every round of the
Cup and now had a total of twelve goals in the competition. Spurs were very
much the under-dogs and all of the Spurs’ players deserved credit for this
performance. Although the game was
scoreless at half-time Spurs had more of the play and from the time that
Brown headed the first goal just after the restart from a centre by John
Kirwan, there was no doubting the result. He scored twice more in the next
twenty minutes – his second from a corner, the third was a shot from thirty
yards and the fourth, five minutes from the end, after a passing movement
took Spurs the length of the pitch.
Following a replay Spurs discovered they would be
meeting Sheffield United in the Final to be played at Crystal
Palace.
Twenty years later, just back in the 1st
Division, Spurs faced Preston North End at Hillsborough in their second semi-final. The two clubs had previously met in the Cup
on two occasions, including the 1st Round tie in 1901 when Spurs
went on to win the Cup for the first time.
Now, the two clubs were opponents in the top flight and although
Preston were in the bottom half of the League to Spurs sixth position, the
northern club had been successful in both League games earlier in the
season. Spurs had had moments of good
fortune in their early progress in the Cup but on this occasion it seemed to
desert them. It took two goals from
Bert Bliss in the second half to ensure Spurs’ victory – scoring the first
with a typical drive and then converting a pass from captain, Arthur
Grimsdell. A mix-up in the Spurs’
defence allowed Preston
to pull a goal back but Spurs were never under any threat. The game could and should have been wrapped
long before Spurs scored their first goal.
In the first half they had two goals disallowed – the first after Jimmy
Banks scored but the referee gave Spurs a free-kick for a foul on Jimmy Seed
and then a second following a scramble in the Preston
area was disallowed for some unknown reason.
Early in the second half Spurs should have had two penalties – firstly
for a foul on Banks and then when a Preston
defender handled but neither impressed the referee.
Spurs’ opponents in the Final at Stamford
Bridge
would be Second Division Wolverhampton Wanderers who had defeated another
Second Division side, Cardiff
City
in a replay.
The following year and Spurs suffered their first
semi-final defeat, Preston
gaining revenge for the previous year’s defeat in controversial
circumstances. Spurs were favourites
to win and played in that manner throughout the first half and went a goal up
through Jimmy Seed. Preston
looked a beaten team at half-time but in the second half were re-vitalised
and equalised. Spurs came back into
the game and looked to have scored when a shot from Bert Bliss beat the
goalkeeper and was on its way into the net.
At this point the referee stopped the game to attend to an injured Preston
player. He decreed that he had blown
the whistle before the ball entered the net and disallowed the goal. To add insult to injury, the player wasn’t
even injured. This decision
demoralised the Spurs players and Preston
went on to score the winning goal. In
the Final Preston lost to a disputed penalty, awarded for a foul committed
outside the area, but that is of little consolation to Spurs.
It was another twenty six years before Spurs were
to grace a semi-final again and it was as a 2nd Division side that
they met 1st Division Blackpool at Villa
Park. They had
defeated 1st Division Bolton and then 2nd Division
clubs, West Brom,
Leicester and Southampton to reach this stage. For over an hour Spurs were the equal of Blackpool
who were the strong favourites with Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen in
their side. However, it was Spurs who
went ahead when Len Duquemin got the final touch in a goalmouth scramble for
his eighth Cup goal of the season.
Time ticked away and Spurs were within four minutes of their first
Wembley final when a pass from Matthews found Mortensen. He set off on a thirty yard run, past four
defenders and shot from a very acute angle near the goal line. The shot
caught Ted Ditchburn unawares and Spurs were totally deflated. Into extra time and Mortensen scored twice
more to ensure Spurs’ Cup dreams ended at Villa
Park. That
result so demoralised Spurs that they won only two of their final twelve
League games and missed out on a possible promotion by finishing in eighth
place.
Five seasons later, Spurs had an opportunity to
gain revenge on Blackpool when they again met in the semi-final at Villa
Park. This
time both clubs were in the 1st Division and this was seen as a
last opportunity for the ‘Push and Run’ side to achieve Cup success. It had been a long road to the semi-final
for Spurs who had played eight games to reach this stage. They had needed replays to beat Tranmere
and Preston, then one game saw off Halifax
but the 6th Round tie with Birmingham
City
went to three games. This time Blackpool
with Matthews and Mortensen still a force to be reckoned with, took an early
lead but early in the second half Spurs levelled through Len Duquemin. Spurs were now in control and the game was
heading for extra time when with seconds remaining Alf Ramsey attempted a
back pass to Ted Ditchburn. As he did
so he slipped and the ball fell short allowing the Blackpool forward to step
in and put the ball past Ditchburn.
Only time remained to kick off again and Spurs would have to wait a
little longer for a final at Wembley.
Blackpool went on to win the Final against Bolton
in the famous ‘Matthews’ final.
Villa Park
was becoming a bogey ground for Spurs where FA Cup semi-final games were concerned. In 1955-56 they again had the misfortune to
lose there at the penultimate stage – this time to Manchester
City. It was a refereeing mistake that helped to
prevent Spurs achieving that first Wembley final. Spurs were a goal down but in the final
minutes were battling for an equaliser.
The captain, Danny Blanchflower had moved centre half, Maurice Norman,
forward into the attack as he had done successfully in the previous round
against West Ham. In the dieing
moments winger George Robb was through on goal and about to score when the Manchester
City
goalkeeper, Bert Trautmann, caught hold of his legs. A goal or a penalty, Spurs should have
scored but somehow unbelievably the officials saw nothing and Spurs had once
again fallen short. ‘What if’ Spurs
had scored – they could have taken the game into extra time and gone on to
win but the repercussions of the defeat went further than expected. Manager, Jimmy Anderson was unimpressed
with Blanchflower’s decision to make changes to the team during the game and
in the ensuing row Blanchflower resigned as captain and did not take on the
role for another two seasons.
After such a period of disappointment, Spurs were
about to embark on a sequence of seven successive semi-final victories
stretching over thirty years. At the
fourth attempt, it was the ‘Double’ team of 1960 that was to lay the ghost of
Villa Park. Drawn to play defending League champions
Burnley a tight game was expected as Burnley
had recovered from a four goal deficit to earn a draw in the League game at White
Hart Lane earlier in
the season. The semi-final tie saw
Spurs take the lead after half an hour and went further ahead when Bobby
Smith scored his second in the second half. This deflated Burnley
and Cliff Jones added the third before the end. Spurs were on their now way to Wembley for
the very first time where they would find Leicester
City
trying to prevent them completing an historic ‘Double.’
A year later Spurs overcame Manchester United at
Hillsborough at the semi-final stage of the competition as they endeavoured
to retain the trophy. Goals from Jimmy
Greaves, Terry Medwin and Cliff Jones ensured that Spurs won comfortably and
returned to Wembley to meet the team they defeated in the previous year’s
semi-final. Greaves and Jones gave
Spurs a two goal half-time lead.
United scored with seven minutes remaining but Medwin ensured Spurs’
victory, scoring three minutes later.
The 1967 semi-final saw Spurs return to
Hillsborough to play Nottingham
Forest. Both teams were in the top three of the
League and Spurs were on an unbeaten run that stretched back to
mid-January. In a very close game
Forest started the better and Cyril Knowles cleared off the line early on but
then after half an hour Jimmy Greaves scored with a great volley from twenty
five yards that went in off the post.
Just before half-time Forest
almost equalised when a Knowles defensive header hit the post but Spurs held
on. In the second half Forest
continued to search for the equaliser but when Frank Saul caught a Forest
defender in possession he took the ball to the edge of the penalty area to
score with a great shot to put Spurs two up after sixty seven minutes. Forest
weren’t down and out and scored with ten minutes left but although they
searched for the equaliser, Spurs had further opportunities to increase their
lead. In the following day’s papers
the match was described as ‘pulsating’ and a game in which Spurs ‘earned
the right to meet Chelsea in the first all London Final at Wembley on the
strength of a highly skilled performance in a classic semi-final that had
moments of magic and tragedy.’
Although Spurs enjoyed Cup success at home and in Europe
over the next decade and a half, the FA Cup eluded them. It was in 1981 that they next reached an FA
Cup semi-final, under the guidance of Keith Burkinshaw. Spurs’ progress to this stage had been
steady and they were drawn to play Wolverhampton Wanderers at
Hillsborough. Everyone’s memory of
this game is the penalty that was awarded to Wolves in the dieing moments for
a tackle by Glenn Hoddle. This gave
Wolves the chance to equalise and take the game into extra time. The game remained level at 2-2 and a replay
was required. The fury of the Spurs’
players and spectators at the penalty decision is understandable as it was
wrong on two accounts – the tackle was outside the penalty area and Hoddle
won the ball cleanly without touching the ‘diving’ Terry Hibbitt. Spurs had taken the lead through Steve
Archibald after four minutes but Wolves equalised a minute later. Just before
half-time, Hoddle put Spurs ahead from a free kick, that could justifiably
have been a penalty. Spurs defended resolutely until the referee played his
part but then we would have missed the excitement of the replay at Highbury.
For some unaccountable reason the FA decided that
the replay would take place at Highbury which was of tremendous advantage to
Spurs. It was the perfect place for
Spurs to win an exciting replay.
Determined not to be deprived of their place at Wembley as they had
been the previous Saturday, Spurs were fired up for the game from the outset
and took an early lead when Garth Crooks headed the opening goal. Wolves came back strongly but couldn’t get
an equaliser. Then just before
half-time Crooks scored the second when taking a pass from Hoddle, he
finished with ease. Spurs were
celebrating and Ricky Villa sealed the victory with a great goal scored from
thirty yards. A great victory and a
stylish performance as ‘Spurs were on their way to Wembley’ again.
The following season as Spurs fought to retain the
trophy, the semi-final game took them to Villa Park where they met 2nd
Division, Leicester
City. It was a difficult game for everyone and
Ossie Ardiles played his last game of the season for Spurs as he returned to Argentina
to prepare for the World Cup. However,
there was the additional problem of the Falklands War and Ardiles was
constantly booed by the Leicester
fans. Spurs eventually wore Leicester
down in the second half when after 56 minutes Ardiles centred for Crooks to
score. Leicester
lost a player to injury and their ten men battled gamely but in the 76th
minute conceded a soft own goal. The defender with many options to clear
lifted his back pass over the goalkeeper’s head. This was a very comfortable semi-final
victory for Spurs who returned to Wembley for a second successive year to
meet Queens Park Rangers.
Spurs next semi-final was in 1987 and was to be one
of the easiest they’ve ever played at this stage of the competition. Watford with former Spurs player, Mark
Falco, in their team went into the game at Villa Park
with goalkeeping problems and had to call up an emergency keeper as their
regular keepers were injured. A 4-1
victory didn’t flatter Spurs who were three ahead with just over half an hour
played. After a competitive opening,
Steve Hodge scored when the goalkeeper parried a shot from Clive Allen after
eleven minutes. Two minutes later
another Allen shot was deflected past the hapless goalkeeper. Paul Allen added the third before the
interval and Steve Hodge scored his second midway through the second
half. Watford’s goal two minutes later
was only a consolation as Spurs proceeded to their eighth FA Cup Final
against Coventry City, their unexpected opponents.
In all the years of the FA Cup, Spurs and Arsenal had only
previously met in the competition on two occasions. Now, in 1991, they were to meet in the
semi-final. Such was the demand the
game was arranged for Wembley, the first occasion that a semi-final had taken
place there. Spurs were under
continuing financial pressure but their biggest problem prior to this game
was the fitness of their talisman, Paul Gascoigne. He had undergone a hernia operation
immediately after the 6th Round win over Notts
County, in the hope that he would
be fit for the semi-final. Four days
before the game he successfully played for an hour in a League game at Norwich
and was fit to play at Wembley. Spurs’
other difficulty was that Arsenal had only lost once in the League and were
looking to win the ‘double’. The
atmosphere at Wembley was electric and Gascoigne was at his most exuberant
best. Spurs were not expected to win
this game but Venables had them firing on all cylinders from the start. After five minutes Gascoigne scored from a
35 yard free kick that was hit with such power and accuracy that it left
Seaman clutching at thin air. As
Venables said afterwards, “Paul was probably the only player who could do
anything like that.” Five minutes
later Gary Lineker increased Spurs’ lead.
Arsenal didn’t know what had hit them but they managed to score before
half-time. Gazza played for only sixty minutes but left to an ovation –
‘Spurs Hero of Wembley.’ Shortly after
Gascoigne’s departure, his replacement, Nayim set up Lineker to score the
third to take Spurs to the Final.
All the players played their part in this memorable
victory as Arsenal were humbled by an inspired Gazza who ensured Spurs had a
fantastic victory. ‘St. Hotspur Day’- a day
never to be forgotten by Spurs’ fans around the world.
"He's
not going to have a go from there.... he is you know.... that is Schoolboy's
Own stuff!" Barry Davies, commenting on the semi-final
as Gascoigne lined up the free-kick and scored from 35 yards.
That was
Spurs’ seventh successive FA Cup semi-final victory but since that very
memorable and enjoyable day, Spurs have only had that sinking feeling where
those games have been concerned.
Although they have endured difficult times in the subsequent years
Spurs have still managed to reach the semi-final on four occasions. Two years later another visit to Wembley
was required when Spurs and Arsenal were again drawn together. Terry Venables’ team were left feeling hard
done by in 1993 when a refereeing decision influenced the result. Spurs were denied a penalty when Darren
Anderton was brought down in the penalty area in the first half. If Spurs had been awarded a penalty and
Arsenal reduced to ten men with over an hour to play the complexion of the
game would have changed. However, it
wasn’t and then with ten minutes remaining the Arsenal goal was scored from a
dubious free-kick although tighter marking by the Spurs’ defence could have
eliminated the danger. The ‘might have
beens’ could go on for ever but if Spurs had gone on to Wembley and won the
Cup, the subsequent dramatic and traumatic end of season events with the
fall-out between Alan Sugar and Terry Venables may never have occurred and
Spurs mightn’t have gone into a decade of decline.
Defeat in the
semi-final usually has some repercussions – in 1947 Spurs missed out on
promotion, in 1957 Blnchflower resigned as captain, in 1993 Venables and
Sugar fell out while following the 1995 defeat by Everton, Spurs lost Jurgen
Klinsmann who along with Teddy Sheringham had been such a vital part of
Spurs’ resurgence that season. The
season had started with Spurs banned from the competition as punishment for
the financial irregularities uncovered in the Sugar/Venables affair. It was only as the 3rd Round
approached that the decision was overturned and Spurs were re-instated. Progress to the semi-finals had brought
memorable performances at Southampton and Liverpool
and now Spurs were faced with Everton at Elland Road
as the final step back to Wembley. The
media were predicting a Spurs/Manchester United final but unfortunately
Everton hadn’t read the script. Spurs
were troubled by injuries on the day and Stuart Nethercott had to play as
emergency left back. Spurs simply did
not perform, little resembling the side that had played so well in earlier
rounds and produced such exciting football during the season. Everton started the better and took a two
goal lead. Klinsmann scored a penalty
for Spurs but two late goals sealed Spurs’ fate and added to their
embarrassment.
The result was a shattering blow to the fans and the club
but the further ramification was that Klinsmann later announced that he would
be leaving at the end of the season.
He had brought vitality to the club but with the team not being able
to offer him European football the following season he decided to return to Germany. This was an even greater blow to the Club
and one that they have been striving to recover from since that fateful day –
only in the past two seasons have there been signs of some early shoots of
recovery.
In 1999 Spurs under George Graham had already won the
Worthington Cup and were looking for a Cup ‘double’ as they took on Newcastle
United at Old Trafford. Progress to
this stage had been seen a comfortable victory over Watford, replays were
needed to see off Wimbledon and Leeds, the latter
succumbing to two spectacular goals from Anderton and Ginola at White
Hart Lane.
Ginola produced another ‘special’ to win at Barnsley and Spurs were
looking confident as they came to play Newcastle.
However, Spurs weren’t at their best
against the Tyneside club but the game turned on the hour when the referee
missed a blatant handball by the Newcastle
defender, Dabizas, as he struggled to head clear from a free-kick. The game remained scoreless and went into
extra time when from a similar situation Campbell was
penalised and Newcastle were
awarded a penalty. Shearer scored and
with Spurs deflated, added a second to end Spurs’ dreams of a second visit to
Wembley.
In 2001, Spurs had another opportunity to reach the FA
Cup Final but once again Arsenal stood in their way. In the entire history of the FA Cup, the
two clubs have only met on two occasions in earlier rounds of the competition
but of the four times they have both reached the semi-finals, they have been
drawn together on three occasions. The
background to the tie was Spurs’ change of manager. A week after Spurs’ thrilling victory over
West Ham United at Upton Park in the 6th Round George Graham was
sacked. David Pleat took temporary
charge while the club waited for Glenn Hoddle whose first game in charge was
the semi-final at Old Trafford. It
started brightly for Spurs with Gary Doherty who had been the hero of earlier
rounds with two important goals, giving Spurs the lead. However, Arsenal came more and more into
the game and it was only an outstanding display by Neil Sullivan in the
Spurs’ goal that kept the score to 2-1 for Spurs’ north London
neighbours. While Hoddle’s return to
Tottenham was welcome, the timing was not the most appropriate, before such
an important game and especially as the players had come together as a team
through the Cup run.
It is now six years since Spurs have progressed to an FA
Cup semi-final, Chelsea have again denied them with two spectacular goals to
pull them through a game that they were unable to dominate and they were
satisfied to leave White Hart Lane with a result. In truth, Spurs surrendered the tie at Stamford
Bridge when they failed to make
the most of the two goal advantage they had achieved at half-time. But that is the story of the FA Cup, season
after season – it brings dreams that ultimately go unfulfilled but on those
few occasions when it all falls into place they are the greatest moments and
create lasting memories that carry you through in hope for the seasons that
lie ahead.
For the Record:
1901 West Bromwich
Albion (Villa Park) Won 4-0 Brown (4)
1921 Preston
North End (Hillsborough) Won 2-1 Bliss (2)
1922 Preston
North End (Hillsborough) Lost 1-2 Seed
1948 Blackpool (Villa
Park) Lost 1-3 (aet) Duquemin
1953 Blackpool (Villa
Park) Lost 1-2 Duquemin
1956 Manchester
City (Villa Park) Lost
0-1
1961 Burnley (Villa
Park) Won 3-0 Smith R (2), Jones
1962 Manchester
United (Hillsborough) Won 3-1 Greaves, Medwin, Jones
1967 Nottingham
Forest (Hillsborough) Won 2-1
Greaves, Saul
1981 Wolverhampton
Wanderers (Hillsborough) Draw 2-2 (aet) Archibald, Hoddle
Replay Wolverhampton
Wanderers (Highbury) Won 3-0 Crooks (2), Villa
1982 Leicester
City (Villa Park) Won
2-0 Crooks, Opp. o.g.
1987 Watford
(Villa Park) won 4-1 Hodge (2), Allen P, Allen C
1991 Arsenal
(Wembley) Won 3-1 Gascoigne, Lineker (2)
1993 Arsenal
(Wembley) Lost 0-1
1995 Everton (Elland
Road) Lost 1-4 Klinsmann (p)
1999 Newcastle United (Old
Trafford) Lost 0-2 (aet)
2001 Arsenal (Old Trafford) Lost
1-2 Doherty
Logan
Holmes
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