Tottenham 1990 FA Youth Cup Team: What Next After Spurs?

Tottenham: 1990 FA Youth Cup Winners [Photo: Logan Holmes]Tottenham Hotspur have won the FA Youth Cup on three occasions, the last time being in 1990 when Spurs had one of their most successful youth teams, winning three trophies that season. Being a member of a winning team in the country’s most prestigious youth tournament, however, is no guarantee to having a successful career in football.

May, 1990 FA Youth Cup Final (1st Leg)

v Middlesbrough (a) Won 2 – 1 Potts, Houghton

(2nd Leg) v Middlesbrough (h) Draw 1 – 1 Morah  [Tottenham Won 3 – 2 on agg.]

Team: (1st Leg) Walker; Smith, N., Hendon, Tuttle, Hackett; Hardwicke, Howell (Nethercott), Smith, K., Houghton (Fulling); Morah, Potts.

(for the 2nd Leg Lee Fulling started in place of Greg Howell who replaced him during the game. Nethercott replaced Morah)

Tottenham 1990 FA Youth Cup Winning Team

Tottenham’s youth team of season 1989-90 retained the South East Counties League Division for a fifth consecutive season, won the FA Youth Cup for the first time since 1974 and only the third time in Spurs’ history and defeated Arsenal in the Final of the Southern Junior Floodlit Cup, coming from a goal down after losing the first leg at Highbury to win 2 – 1 on aggregate.

This was the club’s most successful youth team, in terms of winning competitions, since 1970 when the youth team included Steve Perryman and Graeme Souness. The team was managed by Keith Waldon who regarded the team’s win over Manchester City at Maine Road in the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup as their best performance of the season. Spurs won 2 – and in Waldon’s words,

"The scoreline really flattered City. I thought we were far superior on the day. To beat City on their own ground and to do it so convincingly, was magnificent."

The manager was also very complimentary to the players while adding a word of caution that it was up to the individual players to continue to improve in order to fulfil their potential. He regarded Ian Walker and David Tuttle as the most outstanding players throughout the whole season for the fact that they rarely made mistakes and were very solid, holding the team together when things got difficult.