Stephen William Pitt made his competitive first team debut for Spurs at the age of 17 years and 26 days, making him at the time one of the youngest ever first team debutants in Spurs’ history. From Willesden in London, Steve Pitt joined Spurs as an apprentice in 1963 for the 1963/64 season following a time on trial with the club, after being recommended to Spurs by their chief-scout Dickie Walker. Steve had played for the London Schools side during his youth, but he would adapt to life at Spurs really well during his first season at the club. Pitt scored 13 goals in the South-East Counties League from 23 appearances in the South-East Counties League in 1963/64, with only centre-forward David Tobitt scoring more goals for Spurs’ youth team in that league (18), that season. Steve Pitt was a winger with exceptional pace and quick feet. Steve, as he was described to me by an old teammate, was a natural winger who was very tricky and skilful with the ball. In fact the same former Spurs teammate of Steve’s told me that me that Steve reminded him of Jimmy Robertson in his style of play. 

Steve would progress really well in his first couple of seasons at Spurs. A creative and direct winger, with a real eye for goal, Steve scored a lot of goals for the Spurs A team after progressing up into that side from the youth team (in one season Steve finished as the top scorer in the Metropolitan League – 1967/68), and also for the reserves during his time with Spurs. Steve was without doubt a real prospect at Spurs during the 1960’s, and at 16 he was selected to travel with the Spurs first team to Israel during the mid 1960’s for the John White Testimonial game, against the Maccabi club of Tel Aviv. Steve actually provided an assist for one of the goals, which was scored by Alan Gilzean in that testimonial game. Not long after that game, in the August of 1965, Steve was selected to start for the Spurs first team in a home first division game against Blackpool at White Hart Lane, shortly after his 17th birthday. This must have been one of, if not the biggest occasions of Steve’s footballing career. He was playing alongside greats of the game, such as Jimmy Greaves and Dave Mackay, and by all accounts in that match Steve had a good game despite being up against Jimmy Armfield.

That game against Blackpool would be Steve’s last for the first team, despite excelling for the A team and doing well for the reserves also, in subsequent seasons. He was a great prospect at Spurs during the mid 1960’s, and it’s just a real pity that because of just how difficult it was to get into the first team at Spurs during the 1960’s, that Steve didn’t get another chance to play for the first team. He was great friends with former Spurs first team player Jimmy Pearce at Spurs, with both signing apprenticeship forms in the same year, as well as former apprentice Jimmy Walker. I had the the great pleasure of interviewing Steve Pitt earlier this year about his time at Spurs, and I must say that he is an absolutely top man, and one of the nicest ex-footballers that you’ll ever meet! Now enjoying his retirement, Steve has great memories of the Spurs days. Steve, along with Jimmy Pearce and also Paul Shoemark were just some of the former Spurs youth team players who were considered to be top prospects in football during the mid 1960’s era. And Steve managed to write his name into the Spurs history books during the 1960’s.