Peter John Taylor was a very direct and skilful winger, who had great pace to his game. From Rochford, Essex, the former Southend United player who once played a South-East Counties League game for one of Spurs’ Youth sides during the 1969/70 season, would join Spurs on a permanent deal from Crystal Palace in a £400,000 transfer, in 1976. A player with a real eye for goal, Peter Taylor (he made 123 Football League appearances for Spurs. Not including cup competitions) was a really fine all-round winger, who also had good defensive qualities to his game. He was a very important player during his second season at Spurs, as he helped them to win promotion from the old Second Division, following their relegation to that division during the previous season. Taylor was at Spurs for over four years as a player, before leaving to go to Leyton Orient in the November of 1980. He would later play for Oldham Athletic (on loan), Maidstone United and Exeter City, before gradually going into management. Peter has had a long career as a coach and as a manager in the game. He has managed clubs such as Gillingham, England (as caretaker-manager) Leicester City and Crystal Palace, during his managerial career. Until fairly recently he was in charge of National League South side Welling United. However, I recently had the great pleasure and privilege of interviewing Peter Taylor about his time at Spurs.

What are your earliest footballing memories?

Peter: I was born in Rochford, near to Southend, but I always supported Tottenham. Although I can’t remember how I got there, I went to White Hart Lane once to watch Spurs play a game against Wolves, and so I supported them from very, very early on. My earliest memories of football were just playing every day and going with my mates over to the field to play with a football. 

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

Peter: Well it’s amazing because when I was a schoolboy I had a trial there, and so all of the teams that I eventually played for turned me down as a schoolboy to sign for them, Tottenham included. I played in a trial game at Spurs, and I always say to people that I think that I had a big excuse to not be successful in midfield in that game, as I was in midfield for the trial team at Cheshunt. And in the midfield for Tottenham was Steve Perryman and Graeme Souness, and to be honest with you you can’t get much better than that, and so it didn’t surprise me that maybe I didn’t play well that day. But I eventually played one game in the South-East Counties for Tottenham, and as I say I had trials for Crystal Palace and also for Southend United, and I eventually played for them and had a good time there. When I joined Spurs from Crystal Palace, it was after a very good cup run that we had had at Palace, and we had nearly got to the final of the FA Cup in the 1975/76 season, but we lost in the semi-finals. I thought that I was going to be transferred to Leeds United, but then that fell through and then all of a sudden I was back at Palace. I then got a phone call from Crystal Palace, saying that Tottenham had agreed a fee for me. I was desperate to play for Tottenham, because they were the team that I supported, so it was a wonderful move for me.

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

Peter: I absolutely idolised George Best, because I thought that not only was he a fantastic crowd pleaser who had done some amazing things, but he also worked extremely hard at tracking back as a defender. A lot of people probably don’t see that in his game, but I thought that he was a very, very exciting player, and so he was the one who I always wanted to be like, as I thought that he was the real deal. But as I say I supported Tottenham, and one of the games that I watched there was against Spurs and Wolves. And Cyril Knowles was playing for Tottenham, and Peter Knowles was playing for Wolves. I remember that one of the Tottenham players had kicked Peter Knowles, and his brother Cyril wasn’t impressed. And that just shows you how competitive the game is.

Who were your greatest influences at Spurs?

Peter: I appreciated Keith Burkinshaw signing me on, and I really respected that. I think that I’ve played with the best captain ever in Steve Perryman, and I think that Steve was an unbelievable captain for the players, and also for the manager as well. I think that Steve would have helped Keith on certain things and with tricky decisions and styles of play, and so on. I remember once that Steve put me right once, after Keith Burkinshaw had left me out against Leeds United away. And I couldn’t really believe it if I was to be honest, and so I said that to Steve. Steve said to me that I hadn’t played anywhere near the standard of play that I could do, in the last month. And that really made me open my eyes and I thought that if Steve can tell me that, then it must be right.

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

Peter: Even when I came in at Tottenham, Jimmy Neighbour was the winger, but he eventually went to Norwich the week that I signed for Tottenham. I always liked the way that Jimmy used to take players on, but I think that I was a little bit of a different winger than him, because I think that I used to score more goals. But I loved the way that he used to always go at players. Then going back a few more years, the late Jimmy Greaves was an absolute artist. I always used to say to my old Spurs teammate John Duncan, that he finished a bit like Jimmy Greaves. As to me Jimmy Greaves he used to put it in the net, and he never hit the ball with much power, but he always used to score. I thought that Jimmy Greaves was a fantastic player, who was an off the shoulder player who could dribble past people. And I think that he would have been a very exciting player today. 

Could you talk me through your memories of your first team debut for Spurs in a Football League match against West Bromwich Albion, in the October of 1976?

Peter: I was so pleased when the move went through, and I knew that the first match was against West Brom. I knew that we weren’t the best of teams at that time, because Keith was changing a few things and we were struggling a little bit to stay in the division. So I knew that it wasn’t going to be us creating loads and loads of chances, and so I knew that the forwards were going to be defending as well to make us a solid team. But we went 2-0 up that day, and I think that Chris Jones might have got the first goal, and I got the second goal. I remember that the ball came across at me from the left hand side, and I stopped the ball with my right foot, and I hit it into the goal with my right foot. So although people think that I was a left footed player, I did used to use both feet. So I was really, really pleased to score a goal on my Spurs debut, but unfortunately we didn’t hold on as I think that West Brom scored after that, and then they had the confidence to go and get another three more goals.

Could you talk me through some of your favourite memories, or ones which stand out from your time at Spurs?

Peter: Well my favourite memories were some of the performances, and also playing for Tottenham and getting the crowd shouting your name, nicely. I’ll never, ever forget memories like that or things like that, because it makes you quite proud that they respected your play, and I was really, really happy with that. When we got promotion the year after I joined Spurs, we knew that it was a tough year, the first full year that Keith was in charge, and unfortunately for us we got relegated. And like most good teams and clubs it is a wake up call, and if that’s happened then that means that you’re not good enough, and that you need to get better. I think that we did and I think that we played some fantastic football in the old Second Division, and we scored lots of goals and I think that a lot of people became Tottenham supporters that year. Because I think that they really enjoyed the way that we played, and we played from the back and we ran the ball out from the back. We got lots of goals, crosses and chances, and so that was lovely. Then when we drew 0-0 against Southampton in the final game of that season, that got us promotion. 

That night after we had won promotion, the whole team went down to Truro to celebrate, because I think that we went to open someones ground near there, after the Southampton game. But going back, I’ve had the pleasure of playing with some fantastic players, and to have the pleasure of playing alongside Glenn Hoddle, who is the best player that I’ve ever played with, I was so lucky. Because as a winger Glenn could find you whether you were 100 yards away, or two yards away, as that’s how good his passing was. So he was fantastic, and I’m delighted to see how well he’s done as a manager and as a pundit as well. Also, playing alongside Ossie Ardiles was fantastic, and I thought that he was an incredible and very clever player, who was always found space, and he always found the ball. And as I mentioned earlier, Steve Perryman is in my opinion one of the best captains that anybody could wish for, and he was probably a very, very underrated player, who should have played more for England. But he was a respected club man, and is still very respected by the players that played with him.

Could you talk me through some of your memories of that memorable promotion winning season of 1977/78 with Spurs?

Peter: We had some fantastic games, as well as a couple of not so good ones, but we did have some fantastic games. I remember the game against Bristol Rovers, at home, which was Colin Lee’s debut and he scored four goals. He was playing alongside Ian Moores, who was his partner up front, as we played like a 4-4-2 formation that day, and Ian got three goals that day. So it was an incredible performance and every time that we got a chance we scored and so that was an outstanding day for us, which we enjoyed. There’s been times when I’ve been at the end of a 7-0 or 8-2 loss, while playing for Tottenham. So you’ve got to enjoy games and results like the one against Bristol Rovers. And I think that the things that I enjoyed most from that season, was the way that we scored goals, and the way that we played attacking football. There were times that we played a defensive-midfield and there were times when we played a very attacking midfield, and there were also times when Steve Perryman played as a double centre-half. And that is something that you never believed was going to happen. All of the forwards went forward and never stopped overlapping, and we scored plenty of goals. So the most important thing was to get back into the top league, but to do it the way that we did was terrific.

So we really went for it in games, and a lot of the credit for that has to go to the manager, Keith Burkinshaw. He had been relegated the season before, but he showed the following season what a positive manager he was. 

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

Peter: To be honest with you, the only frustration that I had, which not a lot of people do know, is that I had a pelvic injury. I always say to people that my main threat on the pitch was my pace, and over ten to 15 yards I was very, very quick. It was an injury that doesn’t probably even happen now, but it was a pelvic injury which meant that my pelvis was moving, and was causing me groin problems, which meant that I couldn’t move the next morning. So all of a sudden they decided to pin the pelvis, to get me playing again, but I felt that a little bit of it was me, and a little bit of it was the management thinking that I was never going to be the same player ever again. So I think then that I wasn’t in the plans to play every week, which was why I left in the end, but I wish I had have stayed at Spurs longer and also given the injury longer, but you can’t have everything. I’ll never forget my time at Tottenham, because as I say it’s the club that I support and I felt as though I did alright for them, although I could have done better, but a lot of that was the pelvis problem, I think. As I think then people would have seen a bit more from me.

What was the greatest moment of your footballing career?

Peter: As a footballer it would be playing for England. And to get that opportunity as a Third Division player was great, and hopefully I was rewarded for putting in some hard work on my game to try and be a better player. But if it’s not actual footballing and it’s actually the managing side, then it would be managing England, and I never dreamt that that opportunity would happen to me. It was fantastic also for Glenn Hoddle when he was named manager in 1996, and that was when I first got involved in the FA, coaching the Under 21’s with Glenn. But then you get that opportunity, and I knew that it was only going to be for one game, but it’s on my memory bank, and no one will ever change that. 

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

Peter: Well I did share a pitch with George Best, when he was at Fulham and I was at Crystal Palace. My final game for England was in a bicentenary tournament in Los Angeles, and Pelé and Bobby Moore, and I then played the last 20 minutes of the match. And so I was on the same pitch as Pelé, and I don’t think that you can ever better that, and in that game he was still very, very good. And so to be able to say that you were on the same pitch as Pelé, that is something that I’ll take all day long.

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

Peter: I played against Ron Harris a few times against Chelsea, and you didn’t want to mess around with him. He was a steady player, but to be fair I don’t think that he ever really tackled me that strongly in a game, and I don’t know whether that was me being clever or if he just didn’t fancy tackling me that strongly. One of my old managers – Ken Knighton, who played as a full-back at Hull City, was such a tough player. And so I thought that he was one of the toughest players that I ever played against, but I’d say that the best left-back that I ever played against was Kenny Sansom. He was a youngster at Crystal Palace when I was there, and then he eventually got into the team, and I got transferred to Tottenham. But he carried on and had 80 odd games for England, and what a career he had. 

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

Peter: I think that the closest one for me was always Steve Perryman, because I knew Steve from playing for England Under 23’s, in four or five matches before I joined Tottenham. So he was probably the closest one that I knew at Tottenham, and even now he is one who I keep in touch with the most. I speak to him every other week, and I go and watch him when he does his after dinner talks, and so even though you’re not with your ex-teammates every day, you’ve still got that good friendship. 

What was former Spurs manager Keith Burkinshaw like to play for at Spurs? And just how big an influence did he have on your footballing career?

Peter: I really enjoyed playing for Keith, and I liked his training as well, because a lot of his training was based around teams. He used to like 11 v 11 games at Cheshunt, and although clubs didn’t do that so much, I liked it because I really enjoyed the practice matches. They were always competitive and so they were always a test, but Keith also wanted to play from the back as well. So that meant that there was more chance of getting the ball to my feet, and getting the ball when you’re getting good service made it more enjoyable to play in Keith’s team. Also, he didn’t restrict me making runs, and I’ve watched a lot of the old videos, and I’m always in the box. So if there’s a cross coming into the box from the other side of the pitch, then I got into the box to try and score a goal, and at no point did he restrict me on that, and he actually encouraged me to get into the box. Whereas a lot of other managers were more worried about the shape of the team, if you lost the ball. Keith is a good man and a very honest Yorkshireman who tells you how it is, and in some ways he was too honest with me. But that is exactly how he was, and I respected that and I got used to that. 

How would you have described yourself as a footballer, during your playing days?

Peter: I think that I was positive on the pitch, and I think that I was exciting, although   I don’t think that I did as well as I should have done. I should have been a bit more consistent, but I always wanted to be positive with the ball and to take people on with the ball, and to try and get behind players to try and get a better opportunity to score a goal. I think that the supporters respected how I played, but maybe on the consistency side maybe people didn’t think that I was as consistent as I should have been. I say to young footballers now, to not have any regrets at the end of your career and to give it everything that you’ve got. I think that I gave it everything that I had, but I still have a few little regrets that I should have done a bit better. 

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

Peter: The only reason that I left Spurs was because I thought that Keith wasn’t thinking of me being the first choice anymore. I was still confident that I should have been the first choice, and so I said to myself that I’d go to Leyton Orient after they wanted to sign me. So I thought that I’d go there and do well, and try and get fit again, and then try and get another move. And in the end it worked, because I went to Leyton Orient and started off really well, and I think that I scored in the first half a dozen matches. Norwich were showing a real interest in me, and I thought that I was going to go there, but Leyton Orient weren’t listening, and in the end I broke my leg. But that was the only reason that I left Tottenham, but if Keith had have said to me that it might have taken six months because of my pelvic injury to get back right, then I think that I would have stayed there, at Spurs. But I didn’t feel that that was how he felt. After Leyton Orient I carried on playing and I went to play for Maidstone, which was in the National League as it is now, and we won that. So I still played at a good competitive level.

Gerry Francis was the Exeter City manager, and so I joined them for a while, which got me back into the Football League. I didn’t really enjoy that though, and so I went back to Maidstone, and I just carried on playing. I got my first managerial job in 1986 at Dartford, and I played for four years and then went to Enfield, where I was player-manager for a year. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I was learning all the time about coaching players, and then Steve Perryman asked me to be his assistant at Watford in 1991, and I had two fantastic years there of coaching and learning. So that was the start of my managerial career.

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

Peter: Very much so, and I’m delighted at how they are doing now. I had nearly four years at Tottenham, and it’s a wonderful football club. I’m delighted at the team that they’ve got, and I think that with this manager that he’s got a different mentality into the players, and I think that he’s going to toughen them up. So I still support Spurs and I want them to do well, and as memories go I’ve got fantastic memories of my time at the club, and the people there. I absolutely love the place, and I hope that they carry on improving. 

Westminster born former Spurs Academy player Jamie Reynolds is a talented and determined footballer, who can play in midfield or at left-back. Very good at getting forward with the ball, at linking-up with the winger on his side of the pitch as a left-back during his Spurs days, and at creating chances for the forwards, the now 22 year old footballer is also a tenacious player who is strong in the challenge. Formerly with Chelsea as an Academy player, prior to joining Spurs, Jamie Reynolds often played in midfield during his first season as a scholar with Spurs. However, he played much of the following 2017/18 season at left-back. He was an important member of the Spurs Under 18 side during the 2017/18 season, and in my opinion he did really well. However, Jamie unfortunately picked up a bad injury in an Under 18 Premier League South game away to Norwich City, late on during that season. He had an operation following that injury, and would later have two further operations during the following 2018/19 season. He returned for the first time however, during the October time of the following 2018/19 season, with the then Spurs Under 23 side, but after playing some games for them during the remainder of that season he was unfortunately released by the club at the end of that season.

Jamie has since gone on to play for non-League side Billericay Town, and also Cheshunt, who he is currently playing for. He helped them to win promotion to the National League South for the new 2022/23 season, and he is doing really well for Cheshunt. I recently had the great pleasure of speaking to Jamie, about his memories of his days at Spurs, as an Academy player. 

What are your earliest footballing memories?

Jamie: I remember playing for my local team, and I was probably about five years old. And I remember winning this tournament, and I scored a goal after the ball came off my hair from a throw-in, and the referee ended up giving the goal. So that is my earliest footballing memory.

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

Jamie: When I was playing with my local team, I was playing with people who were a year older than me. And the manager’s son was at a Tottenham development centre, and so after being scouted by a couple of clubs the manager, Gary Waters, asked the person at the Spurs development centre whether I could join as well, as he obviously thought that I was good. And so I got pushed further and further up after that. My earliest memory of being at Spurs, is actually my first game for them which was against Everton for the Under 6’s team. We won that game 1-0.

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

Jamie: Growing up I always wanted to be like Lionel Messi, but obviously that was a bit unrealistic. Then when I got a bit older and I started playing in the number ten position, I started to watch David Silva quite a lot. But as for heroes I didn’t have someone in particular, but I just idolised Messi. And so whenever he’s playing a game I try to watch him.

Who were your greatest influences at Spurs?

Jamie: Matt Wells is probably the biggest one, and also Michael Donaldson and Roger Miller, as well. My favourite year was with Matt Wells and Scott Parker as the coaches of the Spurs Under 18 side, and that was when I transitioned to the left-back role, but I wasn’t really playing left-back, apart from when I was out of possession of the ball. So I was really still playing in midfield. I was always injured, and so I never really got to play as much as I’d like, but during that season I got to play week in, week out. So I had almost a full season of playing, and I enjoyed playing for people that believed in me.

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

Jamie: I don’t want to sound like I’m being big headed, because I’m not big-headed one bit, but I just didn’t really feel like there was anyone who played like me. I did look at Tom Carroll when I was a midfield player at the club, because he was also a left footed midfield player, who was technically quite good. So I would say that I looked at someone like Tom Carroll.

During your time at Spurs as an Academy player, you played quite a bit with current Spurs first team player Oliver Skipp. What was he like to play with? And just how good was he in your opinion at that stage of his career?

Jamie: In my first ever game for Spurs against Everton, Oliver Skipp also played in that game, even though he is a year younger than me. The whole time that I was at Spurs growing up Oliver Skipp was always playing in my age group, and never playing in his own age group. So every time that he was on the pitch he was one of our best players. Even though he was younger than the rest of us he was still good physically, and technically he just got better and better. I can remember Bradley Allen really trying to help him to improve his technique, when we were both playing for the Spurs Under 15 side. But every game that I’ve ever played with Skippy, he’s always been one of the best players, and one who has always stood out.

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

Jamie: I’d have to say that it’s got to be either Marcus Edwards, Skippy or Tashan Oakley-Boothe. 

Could you talk me through some of your favourite memories or ones which stand out from your time in the various Spurs Academy sides?

Jamie: Making my debut for the Spurs Under 19 side in the UEFA Youth League against Monaco is one. I think that I played really well in that game. Even going to different countries all over the world was really good. Literally just last week me and my mum were listing all of the countries that I’ve been to. And I’ve been to so many different countries around the world, which I would never have visited if I didn’t play for a top football team. So I went to South Korea, where we had a really good tournament, and also we went to America as well. You are talking about unreal experiences. I remember that we went to Latvia and won a tournament, as well as a tournament in America that we won. Also, the day that I was told that I was getting a pro contract beats everything else, as I was on the highest high after being told that. I had been at Spurs since I was six, and it was something that I had worked for. To go through all of the age groups at the club made me so proud to be able to get that pro contract at Spurs, and that was a massive deal for me, and I was very proud of myself, and I was also very proud to be able to tell my family about it. I felt so good about everything, but then obviously everything went wrong just a couple of months later.

During that 2017/18 season Spurs’ Under 18 side was very good. You were a key player for Scott Parker’s side. What was it like to play for that side so often during the season?

Jamie: I think that we were one of the best teams in the country, tactically. It was such an enjoyable team to play in, as there was just so much fluidity in the team that you could just do what you wanted on the pitch. Because you just knew that someone else would fill in for you, and also know what to do when you weren’t there. So you had so much freedom to do what you wanted, but everyone had an idea of how to play as we got coached that way so much. But it wasn’t a boring way of coaching, as everything was enjoyable. Obviously it all paid off when we started winning games, and we became a really good team.

Who has been the toughest player that you have had to defend against, so far in your career?

Jamie: I’ll always remember playing against Arsenal at home, in an Under 18 Premier League Cup semi-final tie. I was playing against Bukayo Saka, who was playing on the right flank against me. He scored one goal and went past me a few times, and he beat me for pace. So he did everything in that game, as well as nutmegging me in that same game. So I would say that either him or Dujon Sterling for Chelsea would the two most difficult players that I’ve had to defend against, as he was rapid with the ball.

You often used to play quite a bit as a midfielder during your days at the Spurs Academy. How did your move to left-back come about?

Jamie: I started the first one or two games of the 2017/18 season in midfield. I don’t think that we really had a left-back, but we did have quite a few players who played at right-back. I think that because I’m left footed, that I got picked to play at left-back, but to be honest it suited me perfectly and I loved it. I think that because I knew Matt Wells so well and also as he knew how intelligent I was as a footballer, I think that he knew that I’d adapt well to it quite quickly. So him and Scott Parker gave me loads of clips of Oleksandr Zinchenko and the way that he played at Man City. And so I would see that players like him and also Kyle Walker would come inside with the ball into midfield, to make an outlet that way. So I think that they knew that I was able to handle it mentally and tactically. Obviously I wasn’t a defender before, so they did a lot of work on my defending. But I’ve got to mention that Matt Wells and also Scott Parker put in the time for me to learn that left-back role, and that season with them both coaches of the Spurs Under 18 side, that was my favourite season at the club.

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

Jamie: I’d say that it was a bit of a bumpy road. There were good times and also a lot of bad times. But everything that I did was something that I enjoyed, although if I could just take back some of those injuries then maybe things might have been a bit different. But obviously there’s no point dwelling on the past, and I don’t think that I realised how much I loved my time at Spurs until I was released. When I got released I realised then that that was the opportunity of a lifetime, and everything that I wanted. Now I’ve got to work from nine to five, and so you don’t realise what you have until it’s gone. But looking back on it I couldn’t have asked for a better group of lads at Spurs, and all of the team were really funny, and everyone got on really well. There were no real arguments or anything like that, as it was just a really good experience. 

What has been the greatest moment of your footballing career so far?

Jamie: It would be getting promoted last season with Cheshunt to the National League South. I think that it was because no one believed that we’d get promoted, and that really people were predicting us to finish in mid-table, but we got into the play-offs and we beat Bishop’s Stortford in the semi-final, to get to the final. Everyone doubted us but we still got there and got promoted.

Could you talk me through your career after you left the Lilywhites, so far?

Jamie: I was injured after I left Spurs, but as I hadn’t trained at all I was doing rehab  sessions at Spurs. I was told that I could get maybe half an hour in a pre-season friendly with Ebbsfleet, because I was going to Fulham on the Monday, and I was going out to Portugal with them. I was doing really well at Fulham, and I remember that I got called in on the Friday, and I was told to keep doing what I was doing. They said that they had a contract for me to sign when I came back, and I was so happy. They told me to just stay fit, but then when we played Porto on the Saturday I did my quads, and so that was off the table. Then after that I went to Billericay, but I wasn’t there for too long, but I was training with Watford at the same time. They said to me that if they didn’t already have two left-backs, then they would have signed me. I was still at Billericay for another week or so, before I went to Sunderland. I thought that I did really well at Sunderland, and we played Manchester United at Old Trafford and we lost 3-0. But nothing ended up coming from that, and then after Sunderland I went to Cheshunt, and I haven’t looked back since. Obviously I want to be climbing back up the ladders and playing league football, if I’m being optimistic. 

I look back on things in my career so far, and I think what could have been. I think that I had so much unfulfilled potential that I didn’t really grasp. But obviously everyone’s got their own path, and my one is different to everyone else’s, but hopefully I get back to where I want to be. 

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

Jamie: Charlie Freeman was one. He was playing with me in my first game for the club against Everton, and even now I still keep in regular contact with him, and I see him here and there. So Charlie was probably my best mate at Spurs, but during the early days at Spurs Nnamdi Ofoborh and me were good mates, and I was also good mates with Olly Skipp, as well. Also, I’m in quite a bit of contact with Reo Griffiths. Reo didn’t get moved to the centre-forward position until he was in the Spurs Under 16 side, as before that he was playing at centre-back. But he’s a player who is strong on the ball and good with both feet, and he’s fast as well. So he is everything that you could want for a modern day striker, and in the 2017/18 season he was scoring goals every week, and he was also a leader on the pitch for our side, who would get people up for the games. Also, another player at Spurs who was a good mate of mine, was Tariq Hinds. I shared digs with him for two years, and while we weren’t that close before, us living together made us become very good friends. And we are still in contact now.

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

Jamie: Don’t let outside influences affect what you want to do, and I think that you should just practice, practice, practice. I don’t think that I did enough individual stuff. Off the pitch I was quite good in regards to injury prevention, but with ball work I think that you’ve just got to need to practice, practice, practice. Also, don’t be afraid to go up to coaches and ask to do extra work, or to ask them how to improve your game. At the end of the day you need to just stay motivated, as when I was injured it was hard for me as it was easy for me to get demotivated and I’d end up doing stuff that I shouldn’t be doing. I’d say that you need to find an environment where you’re not going to be distracted by outside things. If I could take it all back now, then I’d just focus on football rather than focusing on anything else. Also, just believe in yourself, as I didn’t have enough self-belief. So believe that you are better than the player you are trying to get in front of in the first team. Say if you’re an Under 14’s player playing in an Under 15’s match, then believe that you are better than the person who you are playing against.

It’s been over three years since you left Spurs. How do you look back on your time at the Lilywhites? And is Spurs a club that you still hold close to your heart?

Jamie: I always have been and I always will be a Spurs fan. When I was there and in and around the club, I didn’t support the club as much as I would do, if you know what I mean. As an Under 16 I would support Spurs and watch them week in, week out, but when I was actually at Spurs I feel like I didn’t support them as much as I could have done. But I’m a big Spurs fan, and I watch the games week in, week out now, and it’s a club that has made me the person that I am now. They brought me up as a footballer and I wouldn’t be half as good as I am now, if I was at another club. Especially when I was growing up, my height and stature would have meant that other clubs would have released me, but Spurs actually had the belief in me to keep me and to help me to get better technically. In the end I ended up getting a pro  contract, and so I’ll always love them for that. I can always say that at one point in my life, that I was at Spurs. So they’ll always be close to my heart.