Tottenham On This Day: Jimmy Greaves Debut For Spurs
By Logan Holmes
Newspaper photograph of Jimmy Greaves’ first Tottenham goal, signed by the player. [Photo: Logan Holmes]Tottenham On This Day
16th December, 1961 – Jimmy Greaves Scores a Hat-trick on his debut against Blackpool at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham Hotspur 5 Blackpool 2
Scorers: Greaves (3), Allen (2)
Team: Brown; Baker, Henry; Blanbchflower, Norman, Mackay; Medwin, White, Allen, Greaves, Jones
Programme for Tottenham v Blackpool in Devember, 1961. Jimmy Greaves’ Tottenham debut. [Photo: Logan Holmes]A comfortable victory was made special by the debut of Jimmy Greaves. Signed for £99,999 from A.C.Milan, Greaves announced his return to English football with a hat-trick, the first of many for Spurs.
After a difficult time in Italy and having to wait several weeks for clearance the much awaited debut went to plan as Greaves scored Spurs’ first goal with a flying scissors kick that Greaves still regards as ‘one of his most spectacular goals’. Another Greaves’ goal and one from Les Allen had Spurs three ahead by half-time.In the second half Blackpool pulled two goals back but Greaves completed his hat-trick and Allen scored his second.
Jimmy Greaves was to become Spurs’ greatest ever goal-scorer and a true Legend of White Hart Lane. He tops the Spurs’ all-time goalscoring list with 266 goals in all competitions. He scored many memorable goals and scored Spurs opening goal in the 1962 FA Cup Final against Burnley and got two in the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup against Atletico Madrid.
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