Spurs on this day - no 18 in an occasional series

By Dave P
November 12 2004

No Spurs v Arsenal games on this day (13th November) so a slightly different theme again and this time it's new managers first home games against Arsenal.

No Spurs v Arsenal games on this day (13th November) so a slightly different theme again and this time it's new managers first home games against Arsenal.

Using the same managers as we looked at in the previous article we start with Frank Brettell. His first home game against Woolwich Arsenal was a United League fixture on 14th April 1898. This match was played in front of a then record crowd of over 14,000 (some records quote the crowd as high as 15,000) and they witnessed a 0-0 draw.

Moving on now to our longest serving manager Peter Mcwilliam. His first home game against Arsenal was on 19th April 1913 in League Division 1. This was played out in front of 20,000 and ended 1-1. Our Goal that day being scored by Billy Minter. Billy played 339 games for Spurs scoring 155 goals after having been an amateur on Arsenals books. He went on to manage the club from 1927 until 1929 when he became Assistant Secretary, a position he held until his death in 1940 having served Tottenham for 32 years.

Arthur Rowes first home match against Arsenal came on 23rd December 1950. Nearly 55,000 saw us win the game 1-0 with an Eddie Bailey goal. Eddie Bailey, nicknamed 'the cheeky chappie' made 381 first team appearances for Tottenham (including Friendlies) netting 90 goals. Now we all know that Eddie Bailey was Bill Nicholsons long serving assistant/coach, joining Bill as his assistant in 1963, which gives me a tenuous link to our final game of this article.

Not a manager and not his first game at home to Arsenal, but he has been here as a coach for a while now having been a youth team coach, reserve team manager, first team coach and now Martin Jols assistant. Chris Hughton will have good reason to remember the first division game that took place here against Arsenal on 4th April 1983. Over 43,000 were in the Lane on that day (Myself and others from this board included) to witness us hammer them 5-0 with 2 goals apiece for Chris Hughton and Mark Falco and the other goal coming from Alan Brazil. A memorable occasion indeed and I am sure one that Chris will have fond memoris of.

Here's hoping he will have good reason to remember today.