The Lane (9)

The series that ran last season on social media now drawn together to celebrate White Hart Lane and its vital part in out clubs history. The events at the ground that helped shape the club we know today.

This time we have goal galore, a Prime Minister, some memorable meetings with Arsenal and a player that would never play for us again. As well as a few Christmases to remember.

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19th December 1959, The Saturday before Christmas and the smallest Lane crowd of the season (32,824) watches Spurs beat Newcastle 4-0 as they go top of the table.

19th Dec. 1931 and due to fog the game with Oldham is nearly called off as the gates only open 20 minutes before kick-off. 11,375 still attend as Spurs win 3-2. O’Callaghan scores twice and Hunt gets the other.

21st Dec. 1940 – Jack Gibbons has a good Christmas as hits four hat tricks V the same team with a month. On this day he scores a hat trick V Clapton Orient as we win 9-0 in the Football League South. Our biggest win in the Wartime period. Then on the 27th he will score another hat trick against Clapton as win 7-0 in the away game, but played at WHL. Then to start the year off well in the 4th of next month he scores another hat trick at home to Clapton in the London War Cup. And again on the 11th Jan yet another hat trick V Clapton Orient away as we win 9-1.

22nd Dec. 1962 Dave Mackay (top) scores his only Spurs hat trick as we draw 4-4 with West Ham. The other goal came from John Smith stepping in for  Blanchflower, Its John's  only goal for Spurs

23rd Dec. 1950 there are calls for the Arsenal game to be moved to Wembley so everyone who wants to see the game can. Spurs make it clear that wont happen and win at WHL 1-0 (Arsenals third defeat in a row) with an Eddie Baily goal as Spurs move towards their First Division Championship triumph.

Left - Jack Gibbons, seen here in 1938.

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23 Dec. 1970 The League Cup semi final second leg sees us beat Bristol City 2-0 on our way to Wembley.
24th Dec 1960 Christmas Eve in the double season and we beat west ham 2-0, we will win the return away two days later 3-0.

25th December 1905 – Tottenham set a record for a Southern League game when they entertain Portsmouth in front of 33,000 and win 3-1. Chapman, Kyle and Carrick getting our goals. (In case you’re wondering the reserves were drawing at QPR).

Strangely Peter Kyle, described as ‘colourful’ and ‘temperamental’ scored 19 goals for Spurs and Chris Carrick 5 goals that season traveled to Bristol Rovers in the Western League and Spurs won 1-0 Kylie scoring.
Left - Kyle seen in 1906.

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 They were due to play Plymouth two days later but in the meantime the two were involved in an incident that has been described as a ‘misdemeanor’ and ‘a fracas’  Although no details seem to have survived, the only official description being ‘a breach of training rules.’ Upon their return to London both were suspended and neither played for the club again. 

Les Bennett

25th December 1911 – Tottenham win at home in a Division One game 5-0 over a team called Woolwich Arsenal.
25th Dec .1952 we beat Middlesbourgh 7-1. For our biggest win on Christmas Day. Les Bennett who spent part of the game hobbling with an injury still scores four, the Duke adds two and Eddie Baily gets the other.

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25th December 1956 – The last Christmas Day game at the Lane is a 6-0 win over Everton. Medwin 2,  Harmer (pen), Smith 2 & Stokes 1.

26th Dec. 1930 Tottenham 'A team' beat Arsenal - 15-1. GR Philips scores 8 times.
26th Dec. 1908 the first forty thousand plus crowd are at WHL to see Tottenham play Oldham in Div 2. We won 3-0.

26th Dec 1914 Bert Bliss scores four in a 6-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday. He will score five hat tricks for Spurs placing him in 9th place in the all time list.

26th December 1983 and Tottenham wear a sponsors name on their shirts for the first time at WHL in the game with Arsenal.

Left - Prime Minister Clement Attlee a VIP visitor to The Lane. 

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27th December 1920 – The gates are locked an hour before kick off with more than 54,000 in the ground. Mounted police are called it to disperse those still trying to gain entry. Spurs beat Newcastle 2-0 and the fans come on to the pitch and carry Jimmy Dimmock from the field.

27th Dec 1910 - Man City and their first trip to WHL sees Walter Tull score in a 1-1 draw.  The only other previous meeting was a win two years earlier away in the FA Cup.
28th Dec 1936 - Les Miller scores four times as we beat Blackburn 4-1. It’s his only hat trick for the club.

29th Dec 2007 Dimitar Berbatov (left) gets four against reading in a 6-4 victory,  his only hat trick for Spurs.

30th Dec 1950 Prime Minister Clement Attlee is at White Hart Lane to see us beat Charlton Athletic by a Sonny Walters goal.

31st Dec 1960 the last day of 1960 and the double season sees us end the year with a 5-2 win over Blackburn. Two goals each for Allen and Smith and Danny Blanchflower scores one.

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COYS
Keith Harrison.
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For previous articles in the series go direct to- http://www.indiaspurs.com/blog/the-inside-lane