026 white hart lane tottenham

(GROUND NUMBER 26)

Date of First Visit: 28th APRIL 1973

WHITE HART LANE, LONDON

WHITE HART LANE MAIN ENTRANCE---
AZ IT LOOKED IN 1973

 

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR  3 

NEWCASTLE UNITED  2  (John Tudor, Terry McDermott)

 

(OLD) DIVISION ONE

ATTENDANCE 21,721 (2,000 Toon fans)

 

"THE PARK LANE GEEZERS!"

 

 

In 1973 White Hart Lane waz probably the best leegue groond in London with cover on aall fower sides, which waz a rarely in them days ! (Arsenal's Highbury groond for example, anly had cover on three sides at the time!)

Before the match we'd heeded up 'the High Road' which had many bars dotted alang it, but yi had to be wary of the local 'skinheeds' who were notorious at that time and who were on the lookoot for any strangers to give a good kickin' te!

But the NUFC 'Leazes End Boot Boys' were there in force az well!--- in their traditional 'butchers coats' and 'Doc Marten steel cappers' and we got to the match unscathed az the locals backed doon from any confrontations! (very wise!)

The Toon hoyed this one away as we were leadin' two-nowt at half time. Wor forst goal after 21 minutes was scored by John Tudor when Pat Jennings in the Spurs goal failed tih hold a shot from 'Supermac' and Tudor rushed in tih prod the baal home for his 23rd goal of the season. Terry McDermott added a second, when he hit a right footed volley past the hapless Jennings and an easy victory looked on the cards.

(WRANG!)  Spurs hit back in the second half with a couple of strikes from Martin Peters tih level the match at two's each. Two minutes from time Toon full-back Frank Clark gave away a dodgy penalty when he was alledged to have pushed Alan Gilzean and Martin Chivers converted from the spot tih send the Toon yem pointless! (Typical!)

 

The Spurs fans were (understandably!) ower the moon and we were (understandably!) totally pissed off! havin' hoyed the precious points away!.

In those days aall clubs of course had 'ends' where their nutters used tih congregate, and wor 'norf Landan friends' were nee exception, with 'The Shelf' 'Geezers' on the 'East Stand' side of 'The Lane' (nuw replaced by (surprize!-surprize!) executive boxes!---Aaarrr!!) and the  'Park Lane Geezers' tih the left of 'The 'Shelf'.

 

Nuw the reason that ah remember the latter name in particular is because the Spurs fans had painted 'PARK LANE GEEZERS' on the perimiter waall of the old Gallowgate End in the late '60's.

It was there for years, and aa could'nt help wonderin' just why their 'art-work' had never been cleaned off?.

(Mebees somebody from 'The Toon' was a 'closet' cockeral perhaps??)

Anyway!---after the match we (despondently!) made wor way up the Tottenham High Road in mee 'motaa' and on tih the 'North Circular' and heeded back yem with nowt tih show for wor efforts.