Memory Match

MARTIN CHIVERS TALKS TO ANDY GREEVES ABOUT OUR VICTORY OVER LOKOMOTIVE LEIPZIG IN THE UEFA CUP SEMI-FINALS IN 1974.

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The 1973/74 season was something of a mixed bag for Bill Nicholson’s Spurs. In the old First Division, a perfectly symmetrical record of 14 wins, 14 draws and 14 defeats saw us finish 11th in the table while we suffered early exits from both domestic cup competitions, with 1-0 defeats to Leicester City in the third round of the FA Cup and Queens Park Rangers in round two of the League Cup.

It’s fair to say the class of 1973/74 kept their best form for the UEFA Cup that campaign as we beat the likes of Grasshoppers, Aberdeen, Dinamo Tbilisi, and FC Cologne to set up a semi-final meeting with Lokomotive Leipzig of the former East Germany.

“We had a good run in the UEFA Cup that season… we didn’t lose any matches home or away en route to that semi-final and we beat some very good sides along the way too,” says Martin Chivers, who scored five goals in seven UEFA Cup appearances that season prior to the semi-final. “I can remember assistant manager Eddie Baily telling us just how good Cologne were but we managed to beat them 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

“Prior to that, the Dinamo Tbilisi away game (third round, second leg) was quite an experience. It was the only time in my career I wore gloves so I didn’t take the skin off my knuckles as the pitch was rock hard! My old friend Ralphy (Ralph Coates) scored in that game as we drew 1-1 there, then won 5-1 at home in second leg.”