Tottenham Hotspur: Memories of the FA Cup

There was a point not long after Tottenham Hotspur's opening goal in their 3-0 win against Cheltenham Town when a rendition of that famous Chas & Dave penned FA Cup song 'Ossie's Dream' broke out around White Hart Lane.

That familiar refrain of "Spurs are on their way to Wembley..." is a regular sound around the Lane and those select away grounds when Spurs are winning in cup ties. The relatively short time it was sung during the Cheltenham game was a reflection of the distance that still needs to be travelled to reach the FA Cup final, but all the same, along with the 35,672 in attendance was a show of a club still in love with the world's most famous domestic club competition.

Some of the most notable moments in Tottenham's history have come in their journeys to lifting the trophy. Their first win in 1901 made them the only non-league club to win the trophy since the formation of the Football League, while history was made once more sixty years later when Bill Nicholson's famous side secured the first double of the 20th century with a 2-0 defeat of Leicester City (their third FA Cup after winning a second in 1921).

The following year's repeat in the competition would set up Tottenham's triumph in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963, a brilliant 5-1 dismantling of Atlético Madrid making them the first English side to win a UEFA competition. In 1967 the first London derby to take place in the FA Cup final saw Tottenham see off Chelsea 2-1.

Ossie's dream came true in 1981, the 100th FA Cup final, as Spurs got the better of Manchester City in a replay. Ardiles' Argentinian compatriot Ricky Villa made the headlines: Having already scored the opener, he put Keith Burkinshaw's side up 3-2 with a tremendous solo effort. Burkinshaw pulled off a masterstroke in starting Villa just days after a poor performance in the original game had seen him stroll disconsolately back down the Wembley tunnel. Villa repaid his manager's faith in the best way possible.

1982 saw a replay victory again (over QPR), before Coventry City caused heartbreak in 1987. Gary Mabbutt, scorer of a crucial own goal in the '87 loss, got his redemption as he captained Spurs to the 1991 FA Cup. The story of that run to the FA Cup final, though, was of course Paul Gascoigne. The genius midfielder inspired Terry Venables' team with a series of superb performances, none more so than in the semi-final when his brilliant free-kick set Spurs on their way to a 3-1 win.

Since 1991 the FA Cup has remained out of Tottenham's reach; a number of agonising semi-final defeats have seen them go close but no further. Instead, they have had to watch as Chelsea, Arsenal and especially Manchester United have all but dominated the competition.

Even so, the FA Cup has continued to provide many great moments for staff and supporters alike. There have certainly been some great runs and matches that have stuck in this writer's mind.

My earliest memory of Tottenham in the cup came in 1994-95, my second season watching football and following Spurs. The third round 3-0 victory over Altrincham may have long left most supporters' memories in a season that created far more notable ones, but as an introduction to the competition it was a good one.

The day felt like a proper cup tie, not in it being an upset—Spurs saw off the non-league side with goals from Teddy Sheringham, Ronny Rosenthal and Stuart Nethercott—but in the atmosphere and sense of occasion. It was a cold day, and the falling rain shone under the floodlights against a backdrop of the encroaching night sky, an image made possible by the absence of the Park Lane stand which was being redeveloped at the time.

If that picture has remained in my mind, for the Altrincham players it was the opportunity to play against Jurgen Klinsmann. Prior to the game, there had been the usual pre-third round newspaper stories featuring a Robins player who was able to get his hands on the World Cup winner's shirt after the game.

It was what followed in the competition that provided some of the biggest highlights of Klinsmann's solitary full campaign with Spurs, though the German wasn't the only player to shine.

After thrashing Sunderland 4-1, Southampton took Spurs to a replay at The Dell in the fifth round. Saints went up 2-0 before Gerry Francis brought on Rosenthal in the second half. Rocket Ron scored twice to take the game to extra time before he completed his hat trick with the second of two superb long-range strikes on the night. Sheringham, Nicky Barmby and Darren Anderton completed the scoring in a 6-2 victory.

The quarterfinal defeat of Liverpool at Anfield was the undoubted highlight of the run as the Klinsmann/Sheringham partnership enjoyed its finest day with both of them scoring in the 2-1 win. It was not to be for Tottenham in 1995, though, as the expectation of Klinsmann's year at the Lane was ended by Everton in a disappointing 4-1 semifinal loss.

Tottenham's other semifinal exits came in 1993, 1999 and 2001. The latest came in the 2009-2010 competition, in a disappointing upset loss to a Portsmouth side that may have felt like a team of destiny...if only they could have gone on to win the final.

That season would of course be defined by Tottenham's ultimately successful chase for a Champions League place. But they too were so close to winning some silverware, benefiting from a draw that for once had them avoid Man United and Chelsea. The run that year was also a key tool in aiding the momentum that had been gathering in the league campaign.

Roman Pavlyuchenko, who had been out in the cold at Spurs for the first half of the season, used the cup to state his case for first-team football in style. With the fourth-round game against Leeds United 1-1, the cries around the Lane for the Russian's introduction had been growing louder when Harry Redknapp brought him on after 71 minutes. When Pavlyuchenko scored a brilliant taken goal four minutes later, the cheers were vociferous to say the least.

Jermain Defoe continued his own good goalscoring form that season with a hat trick in the replay at Leeds, while further goals from Pavlyuchenko helped Spurs to replay wins against Bolton and Blackburn. As was the case with the latter, good performances from Gareth Bale in the competition were used as a way of staking a claim for regular football at Spurs. The Welshman of course has not looked back since.

If the semifinal upset to Pompey was one of Tottenham's most sour cup experiences of recent decades, there have been many more positive ones to recall from the competition. The 4-0 thrashing of Fulham in 2007's fifth round was typical of Spurs at their best that season, with Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov scoring twice each.

In 2000-01, Tottenham beat West Ham United 3-2 as Sergei Rebrov enjoyed his best game for Spurs with two goals against their London rivals. Another game I recall fondly came in the third round in 1997 when Tottenham lost 2-0 to Manchester United. Spurs were severely depleted with injures, a not altogether uncommon occurrence at the time, but put up an extremely brave performance against a very strong United side. Neale Fenn and Rory Allen were two of the Tottenham youngsters of the day called up to take on the Red Devils.

Watford now await in the fourth round of this year's edition. A trip to Vicarage Road is not easy, but having seen Manchester United pull out a trip to Anfield to follow their defeat of Man City, it could have been much tougher. Though the focus will remain on the Premier League for Harry Redknapp's side, Tottenham Hotspur will be hopeful of creating more great FA Cup memories.