A Spurs schoolboy youth player from under 9’s level to under 16’s level, Tony Hazard played for Spurs at youth level during the 1990s and 2000s. The son of Spurs legend Micky Hazard, midfielder Tony Hazard unfortunately wasn’t offered a scholarship by Spurs, and he left the club at under 16 level. Hazard would later play for Sevenoaks Town in the non-League, after having been on trial with some other clubs. I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of talking to Tony about his time at Spurs. 

What are your earliest footballing memories?

Tony: One that stands out was when my dad was on TV, and we were watching and he went to charge down the goalkeeper. He thought that the goalkeeper was going to kick the ball but he basically did a trick on him, and so watching football that always sticks out in my mind. But playing football it was with a lot of the players who went to Spurs with me in our team, and we were beating teams like 8-0 and 9-0, and playing good football for Somerset Amberry. So I really enjoyed playing when I was younger.

What are your earliest memories of your time at Spurs and how did you come about joining the club?

Tony: There was a guy called Robbie Stepney, and I think that he watched my club team. And I think that about eight of us actually signed for Spurs and stayed there until we were about 16. At first there was no competitions or playing against other teams, as it was just all training until about a year later when we would play other teams. I always remember that Watford would be a good game but one that really stands out to me was playing Crystal Palace, and I actually had a really good game. Although I scored an own goal, missed a penalty and gave away a penalty but I did have a really good game, and so that game will always stick out in my mind.

Did you have any footballing heroes/inspirations and if so who were they?

Tony: There were two people that I would always watch or certainly try to play like. One was Paul Scholes, and my dad would always say to watch him as he always had a picture in his head before he received the ball. I don’t think that he was one of the best players ever, but David Beckham was somebody that I always used to try and use his technique to try and kick a ball. He had a very unique technique and I sort of tried to copy that technique. So Scholes and Beckham were always the two players that I watched as a youngster, particularly Scholes as he was my favourite footballer throughout, and I was sad when he retired. So those two players were the ones who I used to watch, and with Beckham I always wanted to have that same technique that he had.

 Could you describe to me what type of player you were and what positions you played in during your time at Spurs?

Tony: I was mainly a central-midfielder, but I think that I was mainly a centre-back when I first went to Spurs. I always respected my dads views because he was always truthful in what he said, and he said that I reminded him of Glenn Hoddle on the ball, and I could make a pass even though I wasn’t the dribbling type of player. But like Scholes I had a picture in my head of what I wanted to do with the ball before I received the ball, and so when I received the ball I just wanted to be more creative. In terms of playing those through balls and moving the ball quickly, so I would basically say that I was more of a defensive midfielder who liked to create from a deep lying position. 

Who were your greatest influences at Spurs?

Tony: David Ginola was always one and I’ll never forget watching Ginola, and I never had the movement that he did because of my height as I was very tall. So I wish I was more flexible and could drop a shoulder kind of thing, but growing up at Spurs there weren’t many players to really choose from. Another one was Steffen Freund, as his mentality and attitude to football was what I thought that you needed as a footballer. If you have that attitude then the fans will love you no matter what, and they loved him. He wasn’t a fantastic footballer but he never gave up, and I think that should be everyone’s attitude. So I would say Freund for his attitude but Ginola as a footballer at Spurs. 

Were there any players at Spurs who you would watch closely to try and improve your game or look to learn from?

Tony: I had a spell at centre-back at Spurs and I think that Ledley King was definitely a player who I thought that if he didn’t have his injuries then he could have been one of the best, and so he was a player that I would definitely watch. But we were never a good team when I was growing up, so there wasn’t many great players. But I was trying to be a midfielder and so there weren’t many great players at Spurs in my time that I would watch closely. I think that’s why I decided to watch Paul Scholes.

What was your time at the Lilywhites like on the whole?

Tony: It was probably the best time of my life. Even if my dad hadn’t have played for Spurs, my mums side of the family are all Spurs fans and season ticket holders, and so I would have been Spurs no matter what. Just having the opportunity to put on that shirt and play for them and also play against teams which even at a young age that you know you dislike, such as Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham, you treated it as though the games meant a lot. Even though there were no leagues or anything it still meant to me that I don’t want to lose to this team, but I would say that it was definitely the best time of my life. If I could go back and do it all again then I would.

What prompted you to leave Spurs and could you talk me through your career after you left the Lilywhites?

Tony: I was there for eight years and throughout most of it I would always say that I was a starter for at least six years of it. At about 13/14 I had a massive growth spurt which really affected my running, and I became tall and really not agile enough. So I was going in an hour before training three times a week to do fitness work but when I was 16 it was still affecting my running, and so I ended up being on the bench a lot. But I was quite unlucky as well because we had a manager who I did eventually win over as he had put me on the bench, and I would come on with ten minutes to go in games, before it went up to 20 minutes and then 30 minutes. So I started to win him over and start matches but then he left, and then the next manager came in and it was straight back to square one and I was on the bench again, and I wasn’t really playing. So I would say that it was a bit of both, as maybe I could have done a bit more when I wasn’t training, to work on my running, but also it was a bit frustrating to win a manager over and then after he left you were back on the bench again. So I would say that I was partly unlucky but also there was a part of me not doing enough. So Spurs eventually let me go at 16, and as Spurs was all that I sort of dreamed of I sort of stayed out of football for two years as Spurs was just me. Once I was released I had a few letters come through the door from teams like Barnet, Bristol Rovers and Plymouth. But I chose not to and I stayed out of football for a couple of years, but I played for Broxbourne Borough’s Under 18 side when I was 18, before I went on trial with Dagenham & Redbridge. But I couldn’t stand it as their motto was give it to the full-back and just hit the ball down to the line.

I think that I was at Dagenham & Redbridge for about a month when I left, and then I went to Maidenhead on trial for their reserves. I really enjoyed it at Maidenhead as they sort of preached the same style of football that I’ve always been brought up to, which is the passing game and keeping the ball on the floor. As a midfielder that is what you want and you want to be involved and pass the ball around, and that is what they did. They wanted to sign me but they just couldn’t give me any money, and so travelling to Maidenhead from where I lived was like an hour and a half drive everyday. So with training and match days it just made it not really practical for me and I actually didn’t even have a car at the time either. I then just helped my dad out at Sevenoaks Town as their Under 18 team had been promoted to the first team, and so me and Ricky just wanted to give them some more experience. And so that was where my footballing career stopped.  

Having to leave Spurs must have been very difficult for you. How did you find that?

Tony: Even though I knew that it was coming because I was on the bench and that also the club only keep on eight players at the most, then I knew that I was going to be released. But it was still a massive disappointment and I remember that when I got told that I still got watery eyes, and it’s weird that I knew that it was going to happen but I was still devastated by it. As a kid all I had known was playing for Spurs, and today I still think about it and how things could have been different. But I wouldn’t have changed anything about my time at Spurs, as it was the best time of my life.

What was the greatest moment of your footballing career?

Tony: There’s two that stick out for me. One is scoring against Arsenal when I scored a really good goal, and I had the ball played into me and I just lobbed the keeper. Then when I was 16 there was a tournament which I think was called the Nike Cup, and all of the Premier League teams and a few Championship teams were involved. So you obviously got to play teams that you wouldn’t normally play, but we got to the quarter-finals against Newcastle and we were 2-0 down and then we got it back to 2-1. Then in the last minute of the game we had a free-kick. The player didn’t hit the free-kick properly but it went along the floor and came straight to me and I sort of pretended to shoot and let it go through my legs, and it sort of fooled the keeper and went in, and we managed to pull it back to 2-2. Because that tournament had a bit of an incentive to go out and win and that you knew that if you lost then you were out as it was always just friendly matches sort of, as a youngster. So to play in that tournament and have that incentive to go out and win and then have the feeling of winning or getting knocked out, that really inspired you to not let the team down. So that tournament was definitely my favourite of my playing career.

Who was the greatest player that you have had the pleasure of sharing a pitch with? 

Tony: I actually managed to share a pitch with Gareth Bale when he was at Southampton as a left-back, but our right-midfielder always managed to get the better of him. I always remember him as he had a lovely left foot, but our right-midfielder always sort of got the better of him, and when he signed for Spurs our right midfielder got kept on and they had a conversation where he said that he really didn’t like playing against him. I also played against Theo Walcott at Southampton, and I don’t think that he ever made it but there was a player for Fulham called Billy. And he was an aggressive player who I used to love playing against as I loved the aggressiveness and the tackles. Jake Livermore was a year younger than me and he made it and was in my team at Spurs, but Spurs rated him so much that they put him into our year.

How big an influence was your dad – Micky Hazard. On your footballing career? 

Tony: Massive! Without him I don’t think that I would have been anywhere near being a footballer. When I looked at the other coaches at Spurs it looked like the main thing that mattered was winning the games rather than improving young footballers. At that age my dad never cared about the result, he just wanted everyone to play well and to play the right style of football. My dad had a massive impact and I don’t think that anyone would have been able to train me the way that he trained me, although it was easy for me to answer him back and I was a nightmare sometimes. But I would never have been the player that I was without him, and the one thing that he says that he regrets was working on my running more, but again that was down to me. And I could have done that by myself and in my own time, but in terms of the footballer that I was I would have been nothing without my dad. I always thought that I was a step ahead of other players on the pitch and that was down to him and his training sessions, and what he would do. Whatever team that he managed whether he was at Spurs or Crystal Palace, they would normally go unbeaten throughout the season. That was all down to him and his style, and how he would help you in each individual position and where you needed to be. He always liked diamonds on the pitch and so if you had the ball then there would always be somewhere for you to pass, because there would be diamonds and triangles all over the pitch. So if anyone got managed under him then they would probably say the same, because he was an unbelievable coach. And so I would not have been the player that I was without him.

Could you talk me through some of your favourite memories or ones which stand out from your time in the various Tottenham youth teams?

Tony: Definitely the Nike Cup which we spoke about, but there was another time when we went to Italy on tour and we played against AC Milan and Chievo Verona, and that was like a massive bonding session between everyone. As we went with the group below us as two teams, and there was more incentive to go out and win matches and it felt real. There was also a time that we beat Arsenal 5-1 and I was on the bench, but it was 0-0 when I came on. I played probably the best match that I’ve ever played and I used to love playing against Arsenal, and I miss it so much be honest. When I watch those games on TV now I just want to be out there playing against them, and it infuriates me when you see the players just strolling around in those games. Another memory was getting to play at White Hart Lane with about 200 people watching us play. 

Who was the toughest player that you ever came up against?

Tony: Definitely the player for Fulham called Billy, who I played against. Because of the way that he was as he was like a Scott Brown type player who would do everything to frustrate you, but you’d enjoy the battle and you’d shake hands afterwards, and it would all stay on the pitch. I must say that when Theo Walcott was playing as a striker at Southampton, he was really good. Because of his pace he got in behind everyone and would always cause us a lot of problems. I also really enjoyed playing against Aston Villa. 

Were there any players at Spurs who you were particularly close to?

Tony: Before joining Spurs I played with a lot of the players at Somerset Amberry such as Cian Hughton who I was really close with, and also there was Matt Wells who I went to secondary school with, and also Nick Chrysanthou, and we still play golf together. I felt that I was close with everyone and that we were all sort of good mates. 

What would your advice be to the young Spurs players of today as they look to break into the first team?

Tony: Don’t get distracted by anything outside of football and if you’re not training then train at home. The only way to get good at things is to practice, practice, practice. Just because you’re at Spurs it doesn’t mean that that’s it, and I don’t think that that was my attitude but when I wasn’t training then I was just sat at home doing nothing. Use that time by being in the garden and doing one touch passes against the wall, as anything helps. Anything that you’re not good at or could get better at, you need to work at. Don’t get distracted by silly things and just work and work, as your work will eventually pay off. I’d love to go to a professional club and try and teach young players, and try to guide them in the right way.

After all these years how do you look back on your time at the Lilywhites and is Spurs a club who you still hold close to your heart?

Tony: Massively. I’ve got a season ticket and I’ll never not stop supporting Spurs even though I was released by the club. I still went to the games and supported them and I go to away games as much as I can afford, and even European away games. I would say that part of my problem as a youngster was that I preferred going to the games rather than playing football. Spurs are never going to go from my heart, and I was lucky enough to have my dad play for them, but I’ve also got four or five generations on my mums side of the family, so supporting Spurs is not just because of my dad. But Spurs are here to stay throughout my life and nothing will change that. 

An exceptionally agile goalkeeper for a big guy, Patrick Anthony Jennings’ (O.B.E.) outstanding all round ability as a goalkeeper made him a hero to so very many fans of football, and a hero he continues to be to so many, regardless of the team which they support. Born in Newry, Northern Ireland, in 1945, Pat Jennings grew up in the Chapel Street area of Newry and was a talented GAA (Gaelic football) player and basketball player during his youth. Not to mention the fact that he was also a very talented goalkeeper in the sport of football, Jennings played for his local teams Under 19 side as an 11 year old! For a man who never dreamt of playing football for a job because he never thought that it was possible, Jennings would enjoy a very long career in the game, and one which very many goalkeepers would have loved to have had. Having played for local clubs Newry United and Newry Town during his youth, the Northern Irishman was spotted by a number of clubs playing for a Northern Irish youth team in England. Among those interested were Watford and Coventry City, but Pat opted to sign for Spurs legend Ron Burgess’ Watford in the May of 1963. He played just over a season for the then Third Division side, and in his only full season at the club he played every competitive game during that season. Spurs came calling in 1964 and young Pat signed for Bill Nicholson’s side in the June of that year. Bearing in mind that the furthest away from home that Pat had been was Derry, prior to coming to England for that first time, it was totally understandable that he took a little bit of time to adapt to Spurs (he made his competitive debut against Sheffield United in the August of 1964) at the beginning, having jumped two divisions in the process.

Success soon followed though, and the man who would replace double winning great Bill Brown in goal, was soon a hugely important member of the Spurs first team. His many outstanding saves wowed and endeared him to the Tottenham faithful, and during an over 13 year association with Spurs as a player in his first spell with the club, the Ulsterman helped to contribute to the many successes which Spurs enjoyed during that period. Starting with the 1967 FA Cup final against Chelsea, where Pat made some important saves as Spurs won the game 2-1. He also scored a goal against Manchester United from long range, as Spurs won the 1967 FA Charity Shield. Additionally, Pat was also a member of the Spurs sides which won the 1971 and 1973 League Cup’s, and also the 1972 UEFA Cup, as well as playing a massive part in helping the club to avoid relegation to the Second Division on one occasion during the mid 1970s. Pat stayed at the club until the summer of 1977, when he was sadly no longer wanted by the club at the time, despite his many years of phenomenal service to Spurs. A move to Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town came very close to happening, but ended up breaking down. So Pat decided to cross footballing rivalries in north London and join Arsenal in the August of 1977. And the man who would win 119 international caps for Northern Ireland (he played in two World Cup finals for his country) helped Arsenal to win the 1979 FA Cup final. He is also somebody who despite playing for both Spurs and Arsenal is so greatly appreciated to this day, by both sets of supporters. Pat Jennings was awarded an MBE in 1976, which was later upgraded to an OBE ten years later.

After a very good spell with Arsenal, Pat returned to Spurs in the August of 1985, where he was one of the backup goalkeepers to the great Ray Clemence, although he would play a number of games for the Spurs reserve side. He finished off his club career with a short loan move to Everton towards the end of the 1985/86 season, as backup to Bobby Mimms, after Neville Southall was injured, as Pat was preparing for the 1986 World Cup with Northern Ireland (he signed non-contract forms with Spurs for that tournament, to be able to play). Just like in all of his footballing career, Pat performed with class, and he represented his country so well in Mexico. It brought to an end a wonderful playing career, but this would open another door for Pat, one as a goalkeeping coach, something that he never had in his footballing career. Jennings was Spurs’ first team goalkeeping coach when Ossie Ardiles was manager of the club in the 1990s, and he would later become a goalkeeping consultant for the club during the same decade. Goalkeeping coaching roles at Northern Ireland and also Oxford United followed, before Pat returned to his beloved Spurs in a coaching capacity. And at the age of 75 he still works for the club on a part-time basis, as Academy goalkeeping consultant, and he is a familiar face at Hotspur Way. So greatly respected by the young goalkeepers that he coaches and has coached in the past, Pat is also greatly respected by the outfield members of the Spurs youth teams. I remember once that Pat arrived to watch an under 18’s match at Hotspur Way and he was standing a little further back than the rest of the spectators. The Spurs under 23 side were making their way across to another pitch for their afternoon training. Each member of the squad came up to greet Pat, and their genuine respect for a true great of the game was clear to see.

As a goalkeeper Pat Jennings was one of the very best. He was a big, well built and physical goalkeeper, who was confident and very vocal on the pitch, despite being softly spoken off it. His positional sense was unrivalled, while the composure which he showed in challenging situations was remarkable. Dominant and very good from crosses and corner kicks, Jennings could command his box very well, and he would often come out with ease and gather the ball with one hand! A determined and very competitive footballer, Jennings could read and anticipate situations like Spurs legend Steve Perryman would as an outfield player. In addition, he was also a fine kicker of the ball and as John Pratt mentions below, he also had good control with the ball at his feet. He was so fast on his feet and former Spurs man Wayne Cegielski recently told me that Pat used to win all of the sprinting races at Spurs. But Pat’s reflexes were absolutely sensational and perhaps his greatest attribute, as old video footage will prove. Jennings literally had no faults to his game whatsoever as a goalkeeper, and like all goalkeeping legends he is respected and admired by supporters of all clubs. As a youngster I never got to see Pat play live, but for a very long time I’ve always been aware of Pat, and the legend that he is in the game, especially as my dad is also Northern Irish, and Pat is his footballing hero! As I’ve got older and when I was at school I really used to study old videos of Pat as a goalkeeper. I used to think to myself how did he make that save? And how did he anticipate where the ball was going to go? As it was moving at such pace. Two of my Spurs heroes are two players from Northern Ireland who I never got to see play live, but who I have grown up watching old videos and reading books on – Pat Jennings and Danny Blanchflower.

To this day Pat Jennings still loves Spurs and the fact that he is still working fo the club to help their promising young goalkeepers, just proves that. He has been associated with the club as a player and as a coach, for over 40 years. And the supporters of this great club still adore him to this very day. 

Some memories/thoughts on Pat Jennings from former Spurs players and staff members that I’ve recently talked to:

Peter Corder (former Spurs youth and reserve goalkeeper during the 1980’s): My time at Tottenham as a youth and reserve team goalkeeper was between 1983-86. During this period, I was very fortunate to have the great Ray Clemence to watch in the first team. In my last season at the club, Pat Jennings returned to train and play in reserve games in preparation for the 1986 World Cup Finals. I can remember when Ray introduced me to Pat and we shook hands, it suddenly dawned on me that stood before me were arguably two of the best goalkeepers to have played the game of football and both were Tottenham goalkeepers. Whilst Pat’s return actually did me no favours as I was unable to play any further games in the reserves as these were shared between Tony Parks and Pat, the experience of watching Pat in training and in reserve games was an opportunity to try and learn more about the art of goalkeeping. Pat was always willing to talk and pass on advice.

Charlie Freeman (former Spurs youth goalkeeper, who was at Spurs as recently as 2019): Friday’s were always one to look forward to, the main reason being Pat would take us goalkeepers for a session, always filling us boys with nothing but confidence and advice from his personal experiences, Pat is an all round legend to sum him up! The training sessions he put on were always tough and he had us all working hard! But equally fun and it was great to be taking shots from him!

Roy Brown (Playing once for the Spurs first team in a competitive game, Roy Brown was at Spurs during the 1960’s): I realised that he was special and I would never take his (Pat Jennings) place, so after eight years at Spurs from a 15 year old Brighton schoolboy to Spurs reserves, I asked to leave to get first team football.

Steve Outram (a Spurs youth player during the late 1960s and early 1970s): I was in awe of Pat, he had a real presence about him. We would be cleaning the boots in the boot room and Pat alway came through with a friendly “ good morning lads ”. He was a true proffessional and always encouraged us younger players. A true gentleman, and I never understood why Spurs let him go. A true great!

Thomas Dudfield (former Spurs youth player during the early 1970s): The man with the big hands, and a heart even bigger. Big Pat is a legend!

Robert Walker (Spurs’ former Northern Ireland scout): As a young boy Pat played mostly Gaelic football until local side Newry Town FC asked him to sign on the dotted line, to begin what has been an incredible career. Pat spent two years at Newry before arriving in N17 (via Watford) where the big man became a genuine Spurs legend. The best thing of all about Pat is that he never lost his humility or forgot where he came from. Always had time to talk to the fans and who else could have played for Spurs and then sign for Arsenal, and get a standing ovation from the Spurs crowd when he came back to play at the Lane. A true legend and in my humble opinion Northern Ireland’s greatest ever sporting ambassador.

Martin O’Donnell (former Spurs youth player during the 1960’s): I first came across Pat Jennings in 1963. I went to the Little World Cup Final, which was held at Wembley Stadium. It was a mini World Cup competition for Under 18 teams, and Pat was in goal for the Northern Ireland team that had reached the final and were playing the England team, and the score I think was 4-0 to England. I think it could have been a lot more but for Pat Jennings the Northern Ireland keeper. He was at the time on the Watford books having joined them as a youth from his local club in Newry, Northern Ireland, I was an apprentice at Tottenham Hotspur when he signed for the club in 1964/65. He was an amiable guy who always had time for you, and he used to call me “ Big Fella ”. He had enormous hands and once he had settled in it wasn’t very long before he made his debut in the first team, and would come out for corners and pluck the ball out of the air with one hand. It was breathtaking! He was an outstanding goalkeeper who shone throughout the early/mid sixties, and he went onto become in my view the best goalkeeper in the world. His move to Arsenal was sad because I believe there was an issue with regards to giving him a wage increase and a longer contract. 

I have bumped into Pat on occasions at Spurs home games as he does the hospitality with the older players, and he is good friends with Phil Beal, who is a long standing friend of mine. Pat plays golf regularly and is a member of the Variety Golf Club of Great Britain, who meet up once a month and do a tremendous amount of charity work.

Gerry McKee (Spurs’ former Northern Ireland scout): Friday afternoons and running out of school to travel to Newry with a family friend (Paddy McCarthy). Paddy drove a coal lorry for a local distributor and each Friday collected the coal from Fisher’s in Newry. I would stand on the back of the lorry and just stare up at Pat’s family home wondering was he there. That was in the late 60’s. Later in the mid seventies he was credited almost single handed as he kept us in the first division. In 1987 Pat was an ambassador for International Youth Year and the YTP scheme I was managing had raised some funds for charity, we invited Pat to make the presentation on our behalf, he accepted, that was the first time I met him face to face. The presentation was to the local Hospital Mother & Baby Unit and unknown to us Pat, I believe was Honorary President of that Charity. I remember driving him home to Newry that night in thick dense fog and rather than jumping out of the car in relief he asked me to hold on while he got some autographed photographs. Later on during the period I was scouting I was fortunate to meet him on several occasions and latterly in my role with the Irish Football Association I have been to several presentations where he has been in attendance. I have seen him at McDonald’s events where children by the 100s line up for autographs and he patiently and diligently treats every child the same from first to last and I am sure that has been the case throughout his career. 

As a goalkeeper for me Pat has no equal he has gone from Newry to Watford to Tottenham and then missing in action for a few years!! Acknowledged in his prime as the best in the world by his peers. I was privileged to live in the era that he played and got to meet my hero and was never disappointed.

Paul O’Donoghue (former Spurs youth player and professional during the early 2000s): Pat Jennings was as an absolute legend around the place. He worked with the goalkeepers, and all our lads who worked with him used to say how down to earth he was. He had a sort of iconic feel to him. Tall, longish hair with sideburns and a deep voice that when he said something to you, you were mesmerised. I remember in a training game we were up against the first team and I done okay, and he came up to me after to let me know I done well. I felt ten foot tall after that.

John Pratt: Pat joined Spurs as a pro from Watford in 1964, and I joined in 1964 as an amateur. For someone who didn’t have a particularly good time when he first came to the club he later on proved what a shrewd buy he was from Bill Nicholson, and he’s a great lad but someone who could always look after themselves in situations in a quite dignified manner. As a goalkeeper in my opinion there’s no one better. Ray Clemence was a big mate of mine, and he was unfortunate that the England manager at the time used to pick Peter Shilton, and Peter Shilton was a great shot stopper but Ray would come and catch the ball and come for crosses. Whereas Peter hugged his line a bit more, but if you combine the pair of them together then Pat is the personification of all those in one, and those two players had about 200 international caps between them! Pat was just fantastic, and any ball that went over your head as a defender you knew that he was going to come and catch it. One of the unjust things is that two of the best players to have ever played the game i.e. Pat Jennings and George Best never got the opportunity to play on the big stage much. I think that Pat played at a World Cup twice and I don’t think that George played in a World Cup, and that’s what people judge people by which is ridiculous! Older people talk about Lev Yashin and Ron Springett and Peter Bonetti, and all of those are fine goalkeepers, but when you’re talking about the cream of the cream that was Pat. 

If we were defending a corner at Tottenham I would stand by the near post just out on the six yard line, and if the ball would go over my head then Pat would catch it and throw it to Alan Gilzean, and then Alan would lay it off to me and I’d mess it up and we’d start all over again! But there was one occasion where the ball went over my head and I don’t know what possessed me but I shouted “ keepers ”, and the next thing I knew after I had started to run there was Pat lifting me up with his hands around my throat and with the ball underneath his arm. He said “ I’ll tell you when it’s the keepers. You don’t need to shout. ” And when people say was Pat quick? Well he was electrifying, and we had Jimmy Greaves, Martin Chivers and also Jimmy Neighbour who was also very quick, but Pat was one of the quickest. There’s a board on the wall which was called a Sargent’s jump and it went up to ten foot, and Pat went about two foot over that! People say to me would he manage in this day and age? Well he had good enough control with the ball at his feet to be able to do that and that would have solved that problem, plus the fact that he wouldn’t give you the ball in dodgy situations. I couldn’t speak any highly of the man and I’m fortunate to have him as a friend.

Micky Hazard: He was simply the best. My everlasting memory of Pat at Spurs is as a 16 year old apprentice and virtually weeks after I’d joined the club full-time, and Peter Shreeves was taking a training session. Pat came across after the first team had finished training to ask for some extra goalkeeping work, so about ten of us who had been training with Peter put on this training session with Pat. Obviously the shooting practice became very tiring for Pat, as he had to dive and either save it or let it in, or whatever. With ten of us getting ready to take shots it became very tiring, and so he let some in as once you had scored you could go in to lunch. I was one of about three of us left out there and he’d let about five or six go in so they could go in and have their food, but then he just kept the rest of us out there all day! We were just hitting shots at him, into the top corner, bottom corner and you name it he was just making save after save after save. Until in the end he could save no more as he was just so tired! He was simply the best and also one of the most unorthodox goalkeepers that I’ve ever seen. I mean I’ve never seen a keeper come out to catch a ball with one hand but he did, and he was just simply the best and in my opinion one of the best two keepers that I’ve ever seen along with Gordon Banks. They were both just sensational keepers who were worth a lot of points during the course of the season.

Pat really was a special, special, special goalkeeper. And more importantly he is just a really wonderful human being, and a gentleman.

Eddie Clayton: I played with Ted Ditchburn, and my debut (against Everton in 1958) was his last game I think. Spurs then bought Bill Brown but before that Johnny Hollowbread also played. With Bill Brown and also Pat Jennings you just felt so comfortable with them in goal, and you knew that you were in safe hands and they were both goalkeepers who you could rely on. Pat Jennings was probably just as good as Gordon Banks, but I thought that Pat was just a terrific goalkeeper. I think that he was 18 when he came to us, and he was a very quiet and shy guy, but like Gilzean, Blanchflower and Mackay, Pat Jennings is a great.

Steve Perryman: Pat Jennings was the classiest man I’ve ever met in my 50+ years in football, in training, matches, travelling, in hotels, with supporters, charity events or socially in person or our phone calls to discuss latest events he’s been totally professional in all his actions + deeds. A calm thinker with a huge amount of common sense but an intense competitor and performer on the field of play where he was most comfortable. Pat never put his self forward first or to the front, unless for a good cause, someone else’s good, that he’s regularly involved with. I’ve heard experts on TV re football opinions and Pat has more knowledge backed up with experience, tinged with a large amount of humility in his (large) little finger than all those pundits put together. I’m extremely proud to know that I eventually passed his appearance record at THFC but, not stupid enough to know also that I wouldn’t have got anywhere near his eventual career total in terms of League + International matches. A truly wonderful family man + professional footballer with class in every action or step he takes. He eats, breathes + acts with pure class.  

Ricky Hazard was at Spurs as a schoolboy youth player from under 9’s level to under 16’s level. The son of Spurs legend Micky Hazard, Ricky was born in Enfield and he joined Spurs in 1994, and would play for the club at schoolboy youth level until 2001, when he wasn’t offered a scholarship by the club. After taking a break from playing football, the midfielder returned and would end up playing for the likes of Sevenoaks Town and Hoddesdon Town in the non-League. I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of speaking to Ricky, as he looked back on his time at Spurs.

What are your earliest footballing memories?

Ricky: it’s not a good one but I would say the 1993 semi-final against Arsenal, and I remember that there was an Arsenal fan holding onto the back of a bus singing “ donkey won the derby ”, because Tony Adams had scored the winner. My mum said to me at the time “ even though you’re only a child you can swear if you like? ” So I think that going to watch Spurs at Wembley in that game, even though we lost, is my earliest memory.

What are your earliest memories of your time at Spurs and how did you come about joining the club?

Ricky: I was scouted by a guy called Robbie Stepney. I had played for Broxbourne Rangers/Somerset Amberry, and Robbie Stepney scouted me and asked to me come to Spurs, and I had always wanted to play for them. And I was about nine or ten when I was scouted at Broxbourne Rangers.

Did you have any footballing heroes/inspirations and if so who were they?

Ricky: I loved Klinsmann when he came to Spurs and also David Ginola was one of my favourite players, so they were who I watched growing up. But I also used to like watching the old videos of my dad’s side with Glenn Hoddle as well. As a kid, seeing Klinsmann and Ginola as the first sort of players that I saw live at Spurs, I thought wow! And I just loved them.

 Could you describe to me what type of player you were and what positions you played in during your time at Spurs?

Ricky: I was skilful and as a youngster I was a dribbler, and I became sort of a goalscoring midfielder. Although as I went on and as my career went on, I sort of dropped deeper, but definitely growing up as a youngster I was a skilful dribbler who would score goals from midfield.

Who were your greatest influences at Spurs?

Ricky: My dad would have to be the main one, from playing and training with me most days as a youngster. He coached me at Spurs from the age of about 12 until 14/15, and so he coached me for about three years. I probably come across as biased, but I’ve never seen a coach like him and I remember when I was younger he would study the Ajax youth Academy videos, and how they would train. He would preach the passing game and his sessions were such an enjoyment, because everyone just liked playing a game really. But you used to enjoy the sessions which he put on and the one touch football and little triangles that we used to do. I’ve never played under a coach that did training sessions like him, and it was a joy to grow up with. It was actually when he left that I started falling out of love with football at around 14/15 really, and I stopped caring a bit as the enjoyment had sort of gone.

Were there any players at Spurs who you would watch closely to try and improve your game or look to learn from?

Ricky: I used to love watching Ginola but as I was growing up I don’t think that we were blessed with great players. But as a youngster I remember I always loved watching Ginola, but again my dad was one who I liked to watch, just to see how he played. He was just a good player to watch and to learn how to improve from, as he was a good dribbler himself.

What was your time at the Lilywhites like on the whole?

Ricky: In the early years I absolutely loved it, but I think because I got to Spurs at the age of nine, it became like a full-time job. I essentially lost out on a childhood, because my dad was quite strict about not going out and going to bed early. I would never get to see games on Match of the Day, because we had games on Sunday and there was training on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. So I’d never get to see Match of the Day as I’d be in bed, and I’d be straight home from school and I’d be going to training and back. By the time that I was 15 I’d sort of fallen out of love with it, and I’d had enough. It became like a chore rather than something that I enjoyed doing. The early years were great but towards the end and at about 15/16 I’d sort of lost interest in it a bit, which is a shame as later in life I realised how much I missed football. 

What prompted you to leave Spurs and could you talk me through your career after you left the Lilywhites?

Ricky: They actually released me anyway, but I had actually spoken to my mum and dad and said that even if I get kept on then this is not for me. I think that it is because I missed out on things, like my friends would go out and I wouldn’t be able to go out and enjoy myself with them, and I maybe just wanted to experience that side of life as I didn’t really enjoy football then. Some of the coaches that followed my dad, I didn’t like the way they played and I didn’t enjoy my football and so I just wanted to give it up and have a life with my friends. But later in life I realised that I could have done both, but I was young and sort of naive at the time. So I was about 16 when they released me and it was only when I was about 23 that I got back into football, and I started trying to play again, but then it’s sort of very hard to get back into. When I returned to football I didn’t play in any of the first teams at Barnet when I went there or Dagenham, as these were like trials. But I played in a lot of their reserve games and also at QPR, but then I ended up signing for Maidenhead in the Conference South, which I think they were in then. They sent me on loan to FC 

Leyton, who I think were folding as a club and they had promoted their youth team and so I was playing with a youth team. We were getting beat like seven or eight – nil every week, so that wasn’t the best loan time, and Maidenhead was a long journey for me, and it used to take two hours to get there and I wasn’t getting paid a lot of money to play there either. 

When I was about 28/29 I went to Sevenoaks and I played a season there before finishing at Hoddesdon. But playing in the seventh tier was actually where I really enjoyed playing my football. 

What was the greatest moment of your footballing career?

Ricky: I scored a goal from the halfway line at Sevenoaks after I had dribbled past four or five players, so I’ll always remember that. But a memory from when I was a youngster playing for Spurs was scoring against Arsenal with my left foot, I was right footed but I sort of became two footed in the end. But at the time I was about 13 and I can remember picking the ball up outside the box and shifting it onto my left foot, and then smashing the ball into the bottom corner against Arsenal, and I didn’t like them! So that is one of those moments that I’ll never forget, and even though it wasn’t for the first team I played for Spurs and scored against Arsenal! So that is one of the memories from my time at Spurs that I’ll always remember.

Who was the greatest player that you have had the pleasure of sharing a pitch with? 

Ricky: I could say my dad because he actually played as player-manager for Sevenoaks, where he actually came on in a game. But when I was at QPR there was a guy called Ákos Buzsáky, and I think that he was there when QPR got promoted to the Premier League, but he was very good. QPR had just sacked Micky Harford, who was the manager who I was sort of training under, and then when the new manager came in he sort of said that we haven’t got time to look at you, and they were also going to bring some other players in. But I remember doing some training and Ákos Buzsáky, who they had brought in was playing, and he was really good and a very tough player to play against, and one that always sort of sticks in my head. But I played with some really good players in my Spurs team as well, such as Paul Burton who was a great midfielder to play alongside, and me and him were the two centre-midfielders. That was when I most enjoyed my time at Spurs as we had quite a good partnership. But during my trial at QPR, I thought that I didn’t look out of place with the Premier League players and I’m doing a good job amongst them, and so I thought that I had a good chance of getting in. But then when the new manager sort of came in he straight away said that he was bringing his own players in, and he had no time to look at me and so he sort of let me go. After that I sort of stopped and it was a real sort of low, and I thought that is this really worth it? 

Could you talk me through some of your favourite memories or ones which stand out from your time in the various Tottenham youth teams?

Ricky: Scoring that goal at Arsenal would be one, but when we went on a tour to Keele University, Ajax were there. We played them in the final play-off round, and obviously they were famous for having an unbelievable youth team. I think that we recorded a one-one draw with them, but it was an unbelievable game of football that I’ll never forget, and in that tournament we also played against the likes of AC Milan. So playing against those sides as a youngster was amazing, but in another tournament we played a team in the final. But when we got to the final to play this team, we found out that they had been playing overage players (we were 13/14 at the time) and they had been playing 16 year olds and youth team players. So to play against all of them players who were so physically stronger was a great experience, and we sort of held our own against them even though we lost three- nil. But I do remember it because we were more than a match for them for most of the game, and these were players who were two/three years older than us. So I sort of remember those moments, but definitely playing against Ajax and AC Milan always stands out.

Who was the toughest player that you ever came up against?

Ricky: Although I only really played against him once I would probably have to say Ákos Buzsáky. But we played against Arsenal a few times, and they had a midfielder who I loved playing against and it was always a great battle, but I can’t remember his name. It was always a big thing when we played Arsenal, as it was always a battle between me and him in midfield, and I used to love playing in those games as well, and I used to relish it.

Were there any players at Spurs who you were particularly close to?

Ricky: David Kendall was one, as he used to live around the corner from me, and he didn’t get a scholarship, which was staggering as we all thought that he was going to go on and become a captain for England. But also Paul Burton and Dave Hicks were my closest friends I would say, as us three grew up together playing for the same club side (Somerset Amberry) and we all sort of joined Spurs at the same time. Somerset Amberry were a very dominant club side who used to win most things, and so growing up with them they were probably my closest pals at Tottenham.

What would your advice be to the young Spurs players of today as they look to break into the first team?

Ricky: Practice, practice, practice. Never give up and keep trying, as my biggest regret is that my attitude and passion came too late, and so I would say to make sure that you’re passionate and look always to listen and learn. As people are trying to help you.

After all these years how do you look back on your time at the Lilywhites and is Spurs a club who you still hold close to your heart?

Ricky: I look back on it with fond memories as it was great growing up as a youngster to play for Spurs, and I’ll never forget some of the moments it gave me as a youngster. Being able to score against Arsenal at the time for a young and passionate Spurs fan, has given me one of the best memories of my life. I’m still a season ticket holder at Spurs and I still absolutely love them.

Gavin Toussaint was a skilful and technically gifted forward (capable of playing out wide or up front) who played for Spurs as a schoolboy at youth level, having previously played for Chelsea. Toussaint would play up for Spurs’ youth team (under 17 side) on one occasion during the early 2000s, but unfortunately he wasn’t kept on by the club when it came to the time when they gave scholarships out to youth players. Gavin subsequently played for the likes of Grays Athletic and Waltham Forest in the non-League, and I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of talking to him about his time at Tottenham Hotspur.

What are your earliest footballing memories?

Gavin: My team is Man United and they are the first team that I actually saw play on TV, and they were actually playing Wimbledon. Because Man United won the game I think that I just started to support them, and as I say they were the first club that I saw play on TV, and obviously they’re a worldwide club as well. So that was my very first footballing memory and I’ve supported Man United ever since.

What are your earliest memories of your time at Spurs and how did you come about joining the club?

Gavin: First of all I was actually at Chelsea before I went to Tottenham (I was there for six or seven years), and I obviously wasn’t going to be offered a contract there. So I then went to Spurs, and I was over at Tottenham for two seasons and then for the very first training I was signed on to schoolboy forms, which obviously takes you up to the scholarship stages. I wasn’t really one of the favoured players there and it was a case of me trying to prove myself, which I did time and time again. But what I can say is that I had good experiences at both Chelsea and Tottenham, and I played at all of the stadiums and stuff like that and been on tour in Europe, so I had good experiences of travelling with the team. So I can say that I was there as an Academy player, but I suppose that I was unfortunate in some ways.

Did you have any footballing heroes/inspirations and if so who were they?

Gavin: One of my favourite players is Brazilian Ronaldo and I’ve not seen a better striker than him in my lifetime. Obviously I supported Man United in the era where you had Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs, Andy Cole and obviously Beckham and Scholes, but I think that Eric Cantona was probably the main one from watching Man United. But then worldwide you had Ronaldo as I said and also Ronaldinho, and now Lionel Messi is my favourite player, but I also like Neymar and Pogba and Martial. So there’s quite a few players that I can kind of relate to and just like their style of play, but Brazilian Ronaldo was the first one. 

 Could you describe to me what type of player you were and what positions you played in during your time at Spurs?

Gavin: I’m left footed and I was a striker and as I got older I played more as a number ten, but because of my height (I’m 5’6/5’7) and because back then there was a shortage of left footed players, so they used to play me out on the left wing. When you’re younger you think well I don’t play there so why am I not being given a chance where I want to play? And I was technical and skilful as a player, and in this country they like players who run a lot and are hard workers and don’t get me wrong everyone has to work hard, but the technical attributes are the main thing. I think that’s what worked against me as Spurs had two strikers at the time, one was called Andy Barcham and the other was called Danny Jones, and so both of those players were not better than me technically but the coach at the time liked them. So I had a very European style of play about me and as I said they played me out on the left wing, and that kind of worked against me in a way because when you’re younger you sulk a bit and think why am I not being given a chance? You also had Charlie Daniels who would later play for Bournemouth, and he was playing behind me at left-back and then when it came to picking the players for the scholarships, that’s when Mark Wright went to left-back, and Charlie Daniels actually moved up to left-midfield. So that was how I got moved out of the team, and in my opinion it was a joke to be honest with you and on ability alone I should have definitely been one of the players who got taken on. I can remember doing work experience and part of that was to practice being a scholar, and so at the time I went to train with the under 17’s and I showed everyday that I worked hard and could get better, and also showed that what I had to offer. 

The then manager of the under 19’s at the time was a guy called Pat Holland and the manager of the under 17’s was Jimmy Neighbour. And when I was doing my work experience we played against the under 19’s, and the under 17 team had players like Owen Price, Michael Malcolm and Joe Watson, and so I was training with them and we played an under 19’s team which had players like Jamie Slabber and a few others. I was only a schoolboy but we (the under 17’s) played the under 19’s one time and I think that we beat them 2-1 and I actually scored one and created one, and I remember Pat Holland speaking to Jimmy Neighbour and saying who’s that? And he obviously said that’s Gavin and he’s come from the under 16’s, and then that was my first chance to play for the older age group because everyone says that if you play for the older age group then basically your going to be taken on. That was my opportunity and we played West Ham, and I started the game and played ok but it was more of a case of I wasn’t one of the favoured players, so it was more like a case of any excuse to kind of take me off. And so from there it was kind of an uphill task to convince them but I got released from the scholarship stages, and the biggest problem which I see in football a lot is the aftercare that I didn’t receive. These clubs build you up to be a professional but then when they don’t think that you’re good enough then they kind of leave you to it, and that’s kind of what happened to me. I had no real fallback option but at the time I had a chance to go to Burnley when they were in the Championship, but nothing really happened and I think that the club didn’t really push anything. Because I knew Mark Wright he got me some trials at Southend United and Rushden & Diamonds, but the problem is that the lower the level you go down the more it’s about the hustle and bustle kind of thing. 

Technically I was good enough but physically I wasn’t really ready yet, and it was a case where a lot of these players that they took on from these trials were all physically ready at the time. From there I just went down the leagues, and now I just play five-a-side football. 

Who were your greatest influences at Spurs?

Gavin: If I’m being honest with you then I probably wouldn’t say anyone, and I think that the only person that gave me encouragement as such was Pat Holland. I didn’t see much of him but he was the only one that kind of took the time and effort to say hi and stuff like that. In terms of players from the team I would probably say Phil Ifil and he obviously played for the first team as well, but because of the background that Phil has and the background that I’ve come from I related with him more than anybody else. But in terms of coaches and players I wouldn’t really say that there were too many great influences on me, to be honest.

Were there any players at Spurs who you would watch closely to try and improve your game or look to learn from?

Gavin: As I say I was a striker and so I looked at some of the players that they rated highly, and someone from the older age group was Michael Malcolm. Obviously when you’re younger you think that he’s a good player because the club are obviously building him up to be that kind of player. But then it was only when I started training with him everyday that I thought that I could reach his level, but in terms of technique I would say that I was ahead of him although he was more advanced than me at his age. So I kind of looked at him as somebody who is a year older to kind of look at to reach their level, because he was obviously taken on and given a pro. But I kind of looked at him and thought that I’ve got to better him, and then you also had Owen Price who was another one who was favoured, and he used to play on the wing which was where I was played. I looked at him and thought what is he doing for them to give him this sort of hype, and he liked to take on players and he was a bit more skilful as well. He was also confident which is what probably allowed him to do what he wanted to do, but as I say Michael Malcolm at the time was someone who I watched as he was favoured. But also there was Mark Yeates who was in the older age group, and I remember watching him play for the under 19’s, and he was a good player who was very good on the ball and also technical as well. So he was someone who I thought was the level that I needed to try and get to and obviously he played for the first team as well, but I would say him more than anyone was one of the top players, from what I saw, along with Michael Malcolm.

What prompted you to leave Spurs and could you talk me through your career after you left the Lilywhites?

Gavin: Well it wasn’t me leaving Spurs as it was basically them leaving me, more than anything. As I said I didn’t get offered my scholarship and luckily I’m a strong-willed person and I kept it together and thought that there is something else that I can do, even though my career had not gone how I had wanted to it. So after leaving I had to start again, and from getting released from Tottenham I went on trial with a couple of clubs such as Cambridge United, Southend and Rushden & Diamonds, but then that didn’t really work out. So then I ended up going to play for Grays Athletic, and then I just went down the leagues and I also played for Waltham Forest as well, but from there I just went down the leagues.

What was your time at the Lilywhites like on the whole?

Gavin: If I was to give it a mark out of ten I would probably give its 3.5, and that’s because of my experience there. There were times when we went on tour and they were good experiences and you obviously do remember those times, but on the whole you could clearly see who were the favoured players and who weren’t. I was playing on the wing and they had Andy Barcham and Danny Jones who ended up playing like every game, but I ended up outscoring them from playing on the left-wing, which is a bit of personal pride for me. I remember when we played MK Dons and back then we used to play like three 20 minute half’s, and the first team that was picked was in their eyes the strongest team. Obviously I wasn’t part of it but they went 1-0 up and one of the strikers scored, and then in the second quarter they swapped the team around which meant that I came on and got to play upfront.  In the first six minutes I scored two goals in the game, and then about a couple of minutes later the coach goes to me and says that I think you’re finding it a bit too easy. I was thinking that didn’t make any sense, but he took me off and I didn’t play that whole second quarter, but then in the third quarter he brought me on for like ten minutes. My dad who is quiet and would just let me get on with playing, he actually spoke to my Spurs coach at the time and said what’s Gavin’s chances of playing up front? And the first thing that he said to my dad was that we’ve got two strikers of England national team recognition, meaning that the club were going to recommend them for England trials at that age, which was basically saying to me that I wasn’t going to be given a chance. Then as I say I had to prove myself, which I did but then when it came to that game where I scored two and the coach took me of I had basically embarrassed him in less than ten minutes. But as I say my time there was probably a 3.5 out of ten.

What was the greatest moment of your footballing career?

Gavin: I’d possibly say when I was at Chelsea when we went to France to play in a tournament, and I think that in the end we got beat in the quarter-finals, but I remember that before we got to the quarter finals we played Marseille and I scored the winner. And I played well and you can tell that you’ve played well when you’re getting praise from the coaches who were saying how well I’d played and stuff like that, and so on a personal level that is something that probably stands out in terms of playing for the pro clubs. 

Who was the greatest player that you have had the pleasure of sharing a pitch with? 

Gavin: There’s been quite a few and when I went to Amsterdam with Tottenham I can remember playing against PSG and I don’t remember the name of this player but he was a good player, and I’m pretty sure that he might have made it as a professional. We also played against Marseille and Samir Nasri played, and he was on another level and just so technical and good on the ball and you could see why he made it as a professional. We took a young team out there which was made up of the younger age group and some of the ones who I didn’t think were favoured. But when I was at Chelsea we went to a place called Keele University which is near Stoke, and all of the best teams in the country would go there and play in the tournament. And I remember playing against Everton and Wayne Rooney was playing and I’ve never seen someone so dominant on the pitch, and he was just too strong, too quick and too technical. I think that they beat us like 4-1 and I think that he definitely scored two and also had a hand in all of the other goals, but he was just someone who could do what he wanted to do, and he was just ridiculously good. I think that I went to barge him in the game and he didn’t even try but I fell on the floor and he was just that physical and good, and you could see then the career path that he was going to have. And based on that game alone I would say that I have never played against someone who was that dominant. There was also a player called Ryan Smith at Arsenal who was quite a good player, but there’s been quite a few players who I’ve played with and against who were good.

Could you talk me through some of your favourite memories or ones which stand out from your time in the various Tottenham youth teams?

Gavin: I think that the most notable one was when I got chosen to play for the older age group, and that was something that excited me because I had been there for two years and I’d never had the opportunity to play there. I thought that I was just going to be training when I was doing my work experience and then I would just go and play for my normal age group on the Sunday. But Jimmy Neighbour said to me Gav, you’re with us tomorrow (meaning on Saturday), and in my head I was shocked because I didn’t expect it but it was showing the kind of progression that I was having when I was training there full-time. I didn’t look out of place and I was one of the better players in training and obviously in the matches, and I thought to myself that no matter how good I would do, they still chose the other players. But at the end of the training session when the coach said are you with us tomorrow? I was happy because I thought that it was justified because of the work that I put in, in those two weeks.

Who was the toughest player that you ever came up against?

Gavin: Wayne Rooney was one, but I never really played against someone where I thought that I couldn’t get past them or they are just too good, as I never came on the pitch with that sort of mentality. Wayne Rooney was really good to play against but I would probably say Colin Kazim-Richards when I was at Chelsea, as he used to play at right-back and he was known as a tough tackling right-back, and so I was playing against him directly. Because he was a tough tackler you always had to be a bit wary, and he was quite quick as well and also difficult to get past, so I would probably say him.

Were there any players at Spurs who you were particularly close to?

Gavin: The two guys who I was close to were Phil Ifil and Harrison Tait, and the reason that I knew Harrison was because we both played for Redbridge District team. I was there before him but he came to Spurs on trial and got signed on schoolboy forms up until the scholarship, and we built up a bit of a friendship because we weren’t favoured players, and so I would say that the two players that I was close to were Phil Ifil and Harrison Tait. 

What would your advice be to the young Spurs players of today as they look to break into the first team?

Gavin: I actually work as a teacher at a school, and so my advice to any player who is aspiring to be a footballer or aspiring to break into the first team is to basically just have no regrets. Try and do everything that you possibly can to better yourself, and if I had my chance again then I would make different choices and I would just focus on football and nothing else. I believe that if you really want something such as being a footballer, then you’ve got to make sacrifices and try everything possible to make it.

After all these years how do you look back on your time at the Lilywhites and is Spurs a club who you still hold close to your heart?

Gavin: To be honest with you because of my experience there I don’t really have any affiliation with Tottenham, the same as with Chelsea. Chelsea was very similar to Tottenham in terms of my experience, but I would probably say that because I was at Chelsea for longer I have a bit more of a connection than what I have with Spurs. I joined Spurs at a stage where a lot of the players had been there for years and a lot of them were favoured players, so I don’t really look back there with any fonds memories and I don’t really look out for their results every week.

Matt Young was at Spurs from under 9’s level to under 16’s (formerly of Charlton Athletic) before leaving the club in 2010, after not being offered a scholarship by Spurs. A defender by trade, the Romford born player joined Southampton after leaving Spurs, where he played for their under 18 side and also the reserves/under 21’s, and Young would later join Sheffield Wednesday and while he didn’t play for their first team, he did go out on loan with Carlisle United for a spell. The defender has since played for the likes of Woking, Chelmsford City and most recently and as of last season Hampton & Richmond Borough. However, now running his own successful business where he works as a Mental Performance Coach, Matt is currently not involved in football in a playing capacity. I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of interviewing Matt Young about his time at Spurs.

What are your earliest footballing memories?

Matt: My earliest footballing memories were when I was about four or five years old, and my dad used to take me over to the local park which was Harold Wood Park in Romford. He used to take me over there and kick a ball around with me, and I also remember me and him approaching a couple of Sunday league teams about me playing for them.

What are your earliest memories of your time at Spurs and how did you come about joining the club?

Matt: I was at Charlton originally and I spent one year there before I left, and when I left at maybe the age of seven or eight a friend of mine who I played with for my Sunday team had just joined Spurs. When I left Charlton out of my own decision my friends dad got in touch with my dad and said that I’ll put a word in for your son at Spurs, and so he spoke to the Spurs under 9’s manager at the time (Russell Small) and he said bring him in for a trial. I went in for a trial and then away we go, and the training for the youth used to be in a little hall which was attached to White Hart Lane, and so there was a little court in there where we used to train. They were my earliest memories when I used to train in there with Russell Small, and then when I moved up to under 10’s Steve Grenfell was my manager. I used to go there to train every Tuesday and Thursday night, before later playing our games at Spurs Lodge at Chigwell, and then Myddelton House.

Did you have any footballing heroes/inspirations and if so who were they?

Matt: For me I only ever had two, and between the age of five and maybe 12 it was always David Beckham. Then from about 12 or maybe younger I moved position and started playing centre-back before I went to right back, and then it was always John Terry. So David Beckham and John Terry were always my idols.

 Could you describe to me what type of player you were and what positions you played in during your time at Spurs?

Matt: So when I was at Charlton I was a right-midfielder because of David Beckham, but I was always big for my age and I’m actually the same height that I am now since I was 15. So I was always big for my age and so I moved to centre-back at Spurs for the whole time that I was there, from under 9’s to under 16’s. It was only after Spurs when I moved to Southampton that I moved to right-back, so that was always my position, and I was very much a leader and I was very much a captain. I captained most of if not all of the sides that I was in, and I was very vocal and very demanding as a captain and as a leader as well, and so that was my way. I was always about the work ethic side of things and very much high on the attitude and the effort and hard work, and discipline. So that would be how I would characterise myself as a vocal leader.

Who were your greatest influences at Spurs?

Matt: From a playing perspective it was always Michael Dawson and I used to love Michael Dawson, and I used to take parts of his game and put them into my own game. Obviously he was playing in the first team at the time and so from a playing perspective it was always Michael Dawson, but from a coaching perspective I’ve had many great coaches there, but the main coaches who had the most profound effect on me were Steve Palmer and Bradley Allen. Ose Aibangee was also very good with me, and so those three all had a very big effect on me. But when I first started there was a guy called Roger Miller who ran a youth centre when I first started, and he was a massive influence on me.

Were there any players at Spurs who you would watch closely to try and improve your game or look to learn from?

Matt: So as I say Michael Dawson was always my inspiration, but I used to really study players when I was younger. I always used to look at the first team and generally it was Michael Dawson and Ledley King at centre-back, and I played more like Michael Dawson than Ledley King, but I used to really study Michael Dawson a lot. I also used to really like Younes Kaboul as well and I used to really like the way that he played, and he was a bit quicker than me but he was definitely someone that I also used to look at and think how can I put more parts of his game into my game. So they would be the two players I would say. 

What prompted you to leave Spurs and could you talk me through your career after you left the Lilywhites (so far)?

Matt: So I was 16 and going for my scholarship and I was a centre-back, and very basically I was 5’11 and the opinions of the powers that be at the time were that I wasn’t going to be tall enough to be a centre-back at Tottenham Hotspur. So that was it and they let me go for that reason, and I was there for seven years and then that was the end of that. Then leaving there at the age of 16 I signed for Southampton, and pretty early on during my time there they moved me to right-back. I had a two year scholarship and a two year professional contract at Southampton, so I played under Nigel Adkins and Mauricio Pochettino and Alan Pardew, and as I say I have been a right-back ever since that time and after leaving Southampton I went to Sheffield Wednesday where I spent a year. While there I went on loan to Carlisle United, and then I spent a bit of time playing for Dover Athletic and Kidderminster Harriers, and then I spent probably one of my best seasons as a professional at Woking in the National League, which was a really strong time. And since then I moved more into part-time football to play mainly in the National League South.

Having to leave Spurs must have been very difficult for you. How did you find that?

Matt: It’s funny because when I joined Spurs at under 9 level my manager was Russell Small, and he actually let me go after one season. So at under 9’s he let me go and that was very much a shock to me, so I went away and left the club and then when the new manager Steve Grenfell came in at under 10’s, someone got in touch with him and said that maybe I shouldn’t have left. So he actually got in touch and I signed for Spurs again and I stayed there ever since, so that was quite a shock for me. Then it came to under 16’s when they let me go, but I’m a resilient person because of stuff that had went on in my own life up until that point, so I have a resilience, desire and discipline to say ok you’ve let me go and this is upsetting, but let’s go. So I was very driven in that aspect.

What was your time at the Lilywhites like on the whole?

Matt: It was really, really good and I wouldn’t have a bad word to say as the coaching was phenomenal, and the facilities even at Spurs Lodge were really, really good. So I was at one of the most prestigious clubs in the world and I was there for seven years of my life as a young boy, and I was somebody who loved football and wanted to be a professional football player, and so being in that environment I couldn’t have asked for anymore. So on the whole it was absolutely phenomenal.

What was it like to play with Harry Kane for a number of years and from a young age. And what was he like then as a player?

Matt: So Harry was the year above me, but when you moved up into the under 15’s side the under 16’s were also part of the same team. So basically I used to play a lot with Harry as an under 16 when he wasn’t himself stepping up to play for the youth team. So I was a centre-back but Harry used to play as a defensive-midfielder, and he’s gone onto maybe be the Premier League’s greatest ever striker but playing with him as an under 15 and him being a defensive-midfielder he was always quite tall. But honestly he wasn’t the most eye catching at that time and I’m not saying that he wasn’t a great footballer at all, but he wasn’t the Harry Kane that we see today. But he was one of the lads and if I remember correctly he was quite vocal I think, and he was quite vocal on the pitch. But honestly did I see at that time or think at that time that he was going to be the Harry Kane that we see today? I think no. But I also didn’t think that he’d go onto be a number nine in the way that he has, so all credit to him.

What was the greatest moment of your footballing career (so far)?

Matt: Getting my professional contract at Southampton. I was 17 and the club had just been promoted to the Premier League it was a very tense moment because we knew that three weeks previous to that that there were going to be decisions made. So since the age of five that was what my goal to become a professional footballer, so that was definitely my greatest moment.

Who has been the greatest player that you have had the pleasure of sharing a pitch with? 

Matt: Playing with I would say Luke Shaw, as I played with him at Southampton (I also played with some unbelievable players such as James Ward-Prowse and Harry Kane) in many different sides, and he has absolutely everything and if he wants to be the best left-back in the world, then he can be. I played against Adnan Januzaj in a reserve match and he was a tough player to play against, and I played against Jesse Lingard, but I found Adnan Januzaj to be tougher to play against. So Adnan Januzaj is the one that springs to mind, so I’ll say him.

 Could you talk me through some of your favourite memories or ones which stand out from your time in the various Tottenham youth teams?

Matt: When I was an under 14 player we went to Qatar to play, which was really amazing to play on tour there. Then when I was an under 15 we went to America to play on tour which was amazing as well, and also when I played for the under 10’s I scored a last minute equaliser against Ipswich away, which was quite a big moment. So those are the three memories that spring to mind. 

Who was toughest player that you ever came up against?

Matt: As I said before it would probably be Adnan Januzaj and I came up against him twice, and I found him to be quite a tough player. I’ve played against some really tough players as well, such as international players like Romelu Lukaku who was a very good player to play against, so I would say either Adnan Januzaj or Romelu Lukaku.

Were there any players at Spurs who you were particularly close to?

Matt: From my Spurs days I was always close with Jack Munns and I still am now, and I also recently got back in touch with Kevin Stewart which is quite cool. Growing up I was also quite close with Jack Barthram, and so I was quite close with both Jack Munns and Jack Barthram, and as I say I’ve recently got back in touch with Kevin Stewart. So those are the players who I would say that I was close with. 

What would your advice be to the young Spurs players of today as they look to break into the first team?

Matt: I could go very generic and talk about attitude, but for me I feel that we live in a day and age of everything’s now, now, now. And if you’re not doing it now then you are doing something wrong, and I don’t believe that that is generally the case. I believe that in any youth setup across England that there are some incredible, incredible players and I’ve played against many of them, so I know how great they are. So for me, for any youth player trying to breakthrough I would say two things and one is to look at the team and see what you need to do in terms of what someone is doing in your position, and what you need to model and how you can add more value to that. Then two is to trust the work that you are putting in, and if you know the work that you are putting in is the right work then trust that and go with that, and don’t get swayed and don’t think that you should have it quicker than what you already do. Because as I say I feel that that is very much the day and age that we live in, so they are the two things that I would say to do.

After all these years how do you look back on your time at the Lilywhites and is Spurs a club who you still hold close to your heart?

Matt: Definitely! I naturally always look out for the Spurs results and always have a look, and I actually had the pleasure with my business as a mental performance coach to speak at Spurs, which was an absolute pleasure. So they are always a team that is close to my heart and I spent seven years at Spurs, and so it shaped me into the footballer that I have become. So I’ll always have fond memories of my time there, and of the coaches and the setup, and the platform that it gave me. And as I say it’s always a club that I’m looking out for and cheering on, unless they’re playing West Ham of course!