Spurs on Boxing Day - no 25 in the series

By Dave P
December 26 2004

Spurs on this day - Boxing Day - Opponents Norwich City

We have played Norwich City twice before on Boxing day. The first meeting on the 26th December was in 1992 whan 19,413 supporters saw a rather dull 0-0 draw at Carrow Road. Two years later we again played at Carrow road and on this occasion we ran out 2-0 winners with goals from Nick Barmby and Teddy Sheringham.

Tottenhams earliest Boxing day matches were friendlies and the very first boxing day match took place in 1883. We played hosts to a team just called Oak and won the game 6-0. Unfortunately as is often the case for these early games teams and scorer details were not recorded. Still at least we have a score for this one as a year later we played a friendly match against Grove. The score was not recorded and my records only show that the score was in fact disputed. Probably all too drunk from the day before and eager to get down the pub.

In 1896 on Boxing day we played The Vampires, twice. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Once again there is no record of either score but could you imagine getting todays pampered professionals to play the same opponents twice in one day?

It was usual for teams to play on Chritmas day and then Boxing day against the same opponents, and usually the same opponents each year as well. For example between 1898 and 1907 we always played Southampton for our Christmas fixtures. It was also fairly common to win the home game and lose the away match. These matches on Christmas day and Boxing day were only moved if either day fell on a sunday as no football was ever played on a sunday until relatively recently. This was the case if we move forward to 1955 for example. Our opponents that Christmas were Martin Jols old club, West Bromwich Albion. We played them at home on Boxing day and won the match 4-1 with Goals from Maurice Norman, Johnny Brooks and a brace from Len Duquemin. On the following day (the 27th) we lost the away match 1-0. Johnny Brooks scored 51 times for Spurs in his 179 competetive matches before moving to Chelsea as part of the deal that bought current reserve team coach Clive Allens father Les Allen to spurs in 1959.

Now when I think of boxing day fixtures I am always reminded of the old terrace chant 'We will fight for ever more, because of Boxing day' I am of course talking about the boxing day fixtures with Woolwich so I went looking for the results of these games and was surprised to find that we only actually played them on the 26th December three times losing all three. 1983 we lost the home fixture 4-2. Graham Roberts and Steve Archibald getting our goals. 1979 we lost away 1-0 and then you have to go right back to 1911 whan we lost away 3-1 with Billy Minter getting our Goal. So why the memories in particular of Boxing Day. Nothing to do with the football of course.

Those Woolwich games also point out the sad fact that is borne out by examining our Boxing Day games in days gone by. that fact being that we haven't won that many of them. That is something we need to put right and to do that starting at Norwich would be very welcome indeed.