Hotspur Towers 18

With Tottenham Hotspur celebrating Ledley King’s career this week, this trip to the archives takes a look back at some of the other testimonials and benefit games featuring Tottenham over the years. Normally they are played as a reward for long service to the club although in some cases to celebrate an individual or for people whose lives and careers were cut tragically short or had fallen on hard times in later life. 

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John White was a member of the Double winning team and was one of the most talented players of his generation. He was tragically killed by lightning on a Golf course at 27 years of age. In November 1964 we played a Scotland XI in his memorial game at the Lane. The game was postponed for 24 hours due to fog but more than 29,000 turned up. His brother, Tommy, was under contract for Hearts but guested for us that night, and he scored for the Spurs. Playing for Scotland was Alan Gilzean who scored twice in his first appearance at Tottenham.

Another tragic loss was that of Peter Southey. Peter was an apprentice and made his first team debut at home against Brighton in August 1979. He had played in the reserves as a schoolboy. Peter was a full back and scored his first reserve goal with his first touch after coming on as a substitute in April 1978. He was later chosen for the England Youth team in the World Cup in Australia in 1981 playing twice.

In 1983 he was diagnosed as suffering from Leukemia, a bone marrow transplant failed and he passed away in the December. Peter was well liked and tipped by many to become a top professional. We played a memorial game in his name with Fulham with the proceeds going to Hammersmith hospital.

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2. Peter Southey

The first benefit game for Tottenham players I could locate was back in December 1899 when we played ‘The Players of the South’ in a game for J.L. Jones and R Stormont. In which they both played.
Both were members of the Southern League Championship winning side. Jones captained the Spurs side that won that title and the FA Cup the following year and was our first player to win International honours.

The following April we played a game for T.H. Bradshaw away to Thames Ironworks. Tom Bradshaw an England left winger had joined us for the 1898/99 season when he played 69 games and scored 19 times, including the winner V Sunderland in the FA Cup.
He fell ill and died at the start of 1900 aged 26.

The first international opposition in these games I could find was for Jimmy Greaves’s testimonial in 1972 when we welcomed Feyenoord. Other international clubs coming to the Lane include Bayern Munich (Phil Beal 1973) and Red Star Belgrade (Alan Gilzean 1974). In 1986 Ossie Adriles’s testimonial brought Inter Milan to the Lane and we had a guest player in Ossie’s old friend, Deigo Maradonna (1).

Representative sides have played their part. When we had a benefit for Willie Hall in 1946 it was against a FA XI. 

An England XI turned out for KeithBurkenshaw’s testimonial in 1984. One of the Spurs goals that night came from a Sampdoria player and former Arsenal legend, guesting for Spurs Liam Brady.

A Northern Ireland XI  played in Danny Blanchflower’s benefit game in 1990.

3. Maradonna in a Spurs shirt.

Prior to those early benefit game’s the first I could trace was away to London Caledonians for a W. Stirling in April 1895. As the only Stirling I can find in our pre-league days is a  ‘J’ and he only played five games I assume that this was a Caledonian's player.

Prior to the Jimmy Greaves game in 1972 Tottenham did not grant many testimonials. Over the next few years they did play games for a number of players including Pat Jennings, John Pratt, Steve Perryman, Terry Naylor, Glenn Hoddle, Paul Miller, Chris Houghton, Tony Galvin Gary Mabbutt and Joe Kinnear.

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Bill Nicholson of course had two testimonials (2).  the second against Florentina, who would also provide the opposition for the David Howells game.

Nicholson’s old team mate and later assistant manager Eddie Baily received a testimonial when we played Enfield in 1993. We also played a benefit for Jack Oliver former Chairman and President in 1901.

The year before we had played a benefit for former players
T. Smith and J McNaught.

Another player whose career was ended by injury was Danny Thomas whose  benefit game was discussed previously (3).

Cyril Knowles who was a member of the side in late 60’s and early 70’s who died at the age of 47 in 1991. Cyril was an outstanding left back and loved going forward and set up numerous openings for the forwards. When he returned to the Lane in his management days with lower league teams he was always welcomed with the chant ‘Nice One Cyril’ (4). He had a testimonial game in 1975 V Arsenal.

Then in 1991 there was a memorial game with the Spurs 1991 team playing ‘Spurs 1981’.  A curtain riser for this event was the 1971 teams of Spurs and Arsenal meeting.

As you can tell from the picture (right) it was still a NLD!  Peter Storey tackles Joe Kinnear while Martin Peters looks on.

A second game was later held at Hartlepool in 1993 where he was manager.

5. The Cyril Knowles memorial game

In 2002/03 we played DC United from the USA, first at the Lane and then later in Washington. The proceeds from the home game going to the Tottenham Tribute Trust which offers assistance to any former employee of the club and has done some splendid work. Just a year ago Spurs Legends played a game against a team of Scottish-Spurs fans in a John White memorial game to raise money for the Trust.  While writers such as Norman Giller donate proceeds from their Tottenham writings to the Trust.

With testimonials reserved for players who have given ten years service to a club and players on much higher wages these days the future of the testimonial may be limited. They are still a great chance for players to say goodbye, fans to celebrate a hero and for former players the opportunity to perform a few of their party tricks once more as everyone has a great night. Long may they continue.

Notes -1 - Connections,Argentina, 11/9/13
2 - Bill Nicholson, 19/1/14
3 - Hotspur Towers 8, 3/3/14
4 - Talking Tottenham 10, 22/12/13

Thank you, THFC, Hotspurhq, Phil Sour, Bob Goodwin,

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Keith Harrison, 164,
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