Martin Chivers Returns from Injury (1969) Know Your Tottenham History

On 9th August, 1969 Tottenham’s first match of the new season took them to Elland Road, Leeds – never an easy task at any time and so it proved once again as Spurs lost 3 – 1. The match marked the first League match that Martin Chivers played following the serious knee injury he sustained the previous September in a home match against Nottingham Forest. Chivers had played in the two preseason friendlies in Scotland but had failed to score and this was going to be the proof of his fitness.

The season had made an early start as the World Cup was to be played in Mexico the following summer and the Football Association wanted to give Sir Alf Ramsey and the England team as much time as possible to prepare as they attempted to retain the trophy.

Leeds United 3 Tottenham Hotspur 1

Scorers: Bremner, Clarke, Giles (pen)              Greaves

Leeds United had won the 1st Division title the previous season, losing only two League matches. Spurs finished sixth, a long way behind (22 points – in the days of two points for a win). Visiting the defending Champions on the opening day of the season was a difficult start and Bill Nicholson played an extra defender, young full back Tony Want in an attempt to curb the Leeds threat. Spurs went behind in the first half when Billy Bremner scored following a corner. In the second half Allan Clarke scored for Leeds as Spurs failed to defend a high ball and intercepted a headed pass back to Pat Jennings by centre half, Peter Collins.

Jimmy Greaves started the move which led to him pulling a goal back for Spurs. He picked the ball up inside his own half and went on a run, he passed to Alan Gilzean who beat his man and took it on towards goal. When he played it back to Greaves he burst into the Leeds penalty to leave five defenders helpless as he scored from ten yards. With two minutes left Leeds were awarded a penalty for handball against Collins who was having a difficult match. Johnny Giles completed Spurs’ misery and sent Jennings the wrong way.

Martin Chivers didn’t score against Leeds and although he did score in the next match, a 4 – 0 home win over Burnley, it was some time before he regained full fitness and confidence. He was left out of the team at times but after the departure of Jimmy Greaves he started to develop a partnership with Gilzean and Martin Peters which was the start f something which would prove very successful for Tottenham in the next few seasons. He finished the season as Spurs’ joint leading goal scorer with 11 League goals (Greaves also had 11, eight in the League and 3 in the Cups).

Tottenham recovered from the defeat at Leeds to win six and draw one of the first ten games of the season, including a 3 – 2 win at Highbury when Chivers, Gilzean and John Pratt but in the next match they lost 0 – 5 at Derby County where Dave Mackay was leading the team with great distinction. Tottenham made an early exit from both Cup competitions and although they completed the ‘double’ over Arsenal with a one goal win in the season’s final match, they eventually finished a disappointing 11th in the 1st Division. The other talking point from the season was the shock departure of Jimmy Greaves to West Ham United with Martin Peters coming to White Hart Lane. It was a transition season as Nicholson restructured his team for another assault on trophies in the early 1970s.

Team: Jennings; Beal, England, Collins, Knowles; Want, Mullery,  Morgan; Greaves, Chivers, Gilzean.

#knowyourtottenhamhistory  8th August, 1981

#knowyourtottenhamhistory  7th August, 1999