Connections - Scotland 3

This time we look back to our second meeting with a Scottish club in European action. A true Tottenham legend comes south and sets two transfer records. There  are the caps won below full international level and some debut goals for Spurs  players.

We have a leaning towards encounters with Aberdeen and there is also a look at some international links involving Spurs. 
 

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Our second trip to Scotland in European action came in the second round of the UEFA Cup during the 1973/74 season.  We traveled to Pittodrie to play Aberdeen. Spurs were without Jennings, Knowles and Chivers for the game described as ‘lively, Spurs authority seemed beyond challenge.’ Tottenham went a goal up after quarter of an hour when Ralph Coates scored.  Spurs had Joe Kinnear carried off and Coates also departed injured. The game stayed that way until two minutes from time when the home side won a penalty after a Ray Evans foul. At one-all the second leg didn’t look quite as comfortable. Once again we took the lead, Martin Peters, but Aberdeen remained a threat. Jimmy Neighbour increased our advantage but the Don’s pulled one back just before the break. With the crowd a little nervous in the 71st minute Spurs brought on Chris McGrath. He scored from a Knowles pass to make the tie safer and then just before the whistle he glided past two defenders and scored his second. His first goals for the club and he made his international debut that following summer for Northern Ireland V Scotland. That Aberdeen game could have been a different story when early on the referee awarded a penalty to the away side but the Tottenham protests made him consult a linesman and a free kick to Tottenham was given instead.

Willie Young who would later join Spurs in 1975 was in the Don’s team. A tough no nonsense center half he made 88 appearances for Tottenham. He would most likely  have won international honours but he, with four other players, were involved in an incident in Denmark whilst on international duty and the Scottish FA banned them from the international team. The image below was just before he was sent off in the north London derby  when he took on most of the Arsenal team single handed.

We have played Aberdeen on two other occasions the first in August 1978 when they beat us 1-4 our goal coming from Peter Taylor.
Their manager that day was the newly appointed Alex Ferguson who was still in charge for the other occasion, again during pre-season in 1981 for a testimonial game when we won beating the Scottish champions by the only goal a penalty from Gary Brooke.

Both games took place at their ground. Another link to Aberdeen is Keith Burkenshaw our manager in the 1980’s was later there Director of Football.

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At Under 23 level John White, Jimmy Robertson 2 goals and Alfie Conn have represented Scotland whilst a Tottenham player. Jordan Archer has played at Under 21 level.

Steve Archibald joined us in the summer of 1980 from Aberdeen. At the time of his signing he was our most expensive played and it was also a record for a Scotland to England transfer.  At that point the had already made his international debut, scoring against Portugal. He played in 189 games for Spurs and scored 77 times before moving to Barcelona in 1984. He struck up a strike partnership with Garth Crooks that led to the team winning the FA Cup in his first season. Another Cup winners medal followed the next season and the UEFA Cup in 1984. He was also a runner up in the League Cup in 1982. Steve won 27 caps and 4 goals for Scotland, (22 and 3 at Spurs). He went to the 1982 and 86 World Cups and in 2009 joined the Scottish Hall of Fame. 

Top Image - Steve has just scored V New Zealand in the World Cup finals..

Just for interest did you realise that Scotland V England is the oldest international fixture and set world record attendance figures when the two countries met in 1908, 1912, 1931 and 1933. As well as a European international record gate in 1937. It also holds the highest attendance figure for any game played in the European Championships. The first Spur to play against Scotland was Vivian Woodward on 4th April 1903 when he scored. Several other players played after that but its worth noting that on 9th April 1921 just before the Cup final we had Bert Bliss make his only appearance for England alongside Jimmy Dimmock and Bert Smith making their debuts whilst the side was skippered for the first time by Arthur Grimsdell in only his fourth international.
 
Scotland has provided Tottenham with three managers, John Cameron, Peter McWilliams (twice) and George Graham. Graham joined us in 198 and stayed till 2001, winning the League Cup in 1999. Winning 49 of his 125 games in charge. 
 
If you know of any Scottish connections not featured in this series please let us know.
In part 4  we includie the story that our Scottish friends describe as the British Cup Winners Cup.

COYS
Keith Harrison.
t- Keith 16024542
f- peter shearman (old non de plume)
 
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Thanks - Bob Goodwin, England stats,