 In the latest look back in our salute to White Hart Lane across the years we discover the oldest known photo of the dressing room. We learn what the club said when it first opened the first West Stand. There is also the usual collection of images including pre-season training from a hundred years ago. This from the club programme from the Manchester United game, September 11th 1909 for the first Division One game played at White Hart Lane when the West Stand was opened. You can find the details of that game (1). ‘Everything possible has been done to perfect the arrangements in connection with the new stand for today’s match. If there should be any little defects, we ask the public to remember how much has had to be crowded into a short space of time, and to exercise a sweet reasonableness. Stewards, gatemen, officials, and directors, have all been drilled in their duties, and in order to ensure smoothness of working, there was something in the nature of a dress rehearsal for all of them yesterday. There is still a portion of the eastern side of the ground to be roofed in. There has been some delay in the delivery of the ironwork. Otherwise we might have had the improvement completed by today.’  Left - Thomas Leslie, in 1908. This gives a nice view of the new West Stand. This photo like most of the club at that time was taken by Jones the photographers in the High Road. Thomas could never break into the side and made 15 appearnaces at full back for Spurs. Below - From 1995. Top image - Dates back to when the ground was taken over during the First World War and used amongst other tasks to produce millions of gas masks and hoods.  There were 32,275 at The Lane for that 1909 game mentioned above. In a previous article we mentioned some record attendances at WHL. A few more records you might like, the best League Division One was 70,882 for Manchester United in September 1951. Whilst the neighbours visit in that competition attracted 68,821 in 1953.  Arsenal did attract the highest League Cup attendance, 55,923 in 1968. The Second Division record was for Southampton in 1950 as we won the title with 70,302. Benfica in the European Cup semi final 1962 is the biggest European crowd, 64,448. Below - January 2013  Above - The oldest known photograph of the Spurs dressing room. Believed to date from 1904. The chap sitting on the left is Tom Morris who we profiled recently. Tottenham have recorded aggregate crowds of over a million at WHL on five occasions. It was archived four seasons in a row as Arthur Rowe’s side won back to back Second and First Division titles.  Starting in 1948/49 to 1951/52. The other season was the Double year 1960/61. It’s fitting that the record of 1,165,667 was recorded as Tottenham won their first Championship in 195/51, with an average 55,508 for the season. Left - fans climbing the floodlight pylons at the north west corner.
 The two pictures above come from pre-season training in August 1920 and provides decent views of both ends of the ground. Left - Its 1981 and the old West Stand has disappeared to make way for the current version.
 The next two images are from the early 1960's showing the old ball court during training. Right - Floodlight action, 1982. A reader recalled those days when the gates were opened 20 minutes before the end of every game to let people leave and many more that had been locked out would squeeze in for those last few minutes.  Talking about the crowd another recalls ‘I think I’ve seen just about every colour and class in the ground at different times from punk rockers with chains hanging from every orifice to housewives discussing shop prices before the game and at half time breaking off only when the game started.’ left - From the 1960's  Martin Chivers and his thoughts on the WHL faithful. ‘The fans here are fantastic they always lifted me when I was playing I felt eight feet tall when I went out there.’ We continue our celebration of White Hart Lane in the New Year. Once again the title is taken from one of the ways the ground was referred to in its earliest days.
COYS Keith Harrison. t- Keith 16024542 f- https://www.facebook.com/keith.harrison.9659 You can my full archive at - View Full Bio
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