Spurs on FA CUP 6th Round Day - No 40

By Dave P
March 12 2005

Its FA Cup 6th round time and our opponents today are Newcastle United at St James Park. Never an easy tie at the best of times and our record against them in the FA cup does not make for pretty reading. Having drawn them six times we have managed only 2 wins. We have drawn twice in the other 4 ties but lost all of them in the end. The only two times we have beaten them were in the fourth round in 1935 when on the 26th January George Samuel Hunt scored twice in front of 61,195 fans at White Hart Lane as we won 2-0, and then again on 21st February 1987, again at White Hart Lane when Clive Allen won the 5th round tie with a penalty in front of 38,033. Our most recent meeting being in the season the 3rd Round was played in December and the less said about that the better as after a Steffan Iverson Goal earned us a 1-1 draw at the Lane, the trip to Newcastle on 23rd December was a disaster. No repeats of that today please.

The first time we reached the 6th Round as it is today was in 1930 when we lost 6-1 to Huddersfield Town, The team of that era. From 1936 we reached the 6th round in three successive years losing out to Sheffield United 1-3, Preston North End 1-2 and Sunderland 0-1 in 1938. It was not until 1948 that we won a 6th round tie at the Dell against Southampton by one goal to nil only to lose 3-1 to Blackpool in the Semi Final at Villa Park. 1953 also saw us progress to a semi Final at Villa Park against Blackpool after an epic 6th Round tie against Birmingham City. The first game at White Hart Lane on 28th February 1953 ended 1-1 with Les Bennett scoring. The replay at White Hart Lane on 4th March ended 2-2 with Les Bennett and Len Duquemin getting on the scoresheet. A second replay was then held at Molineux on March 9th and this time we wn 1-0, the goal coming from right winger Sonny Walters.

Another famous 6th round victory was on 7th March 1993 at Maine Road when even a pitch invasion from the City fans couldnt stop a Nayim Hat-trick (and a Steve Sedgley goal) gaining us a well earned 4-2 victory cheered on by around 8000 travelling Spurs fans. A cup run that had started that year against minnows Marlow Town and ended in defeat by some other small side from Finsbury Park.

1995 and the sixth Round saw us travel to Anfield as underdogs and who can forget the jubilation as Jurgen Klinsmann made it 2-1 with minutes (or less) left on the clock. Teddy Sheringham having scored the first. Pity we didn't bother to turn up for the Semi Final at Elland Road as Liverpools neighbours Everton ended our dreams for another year.

1999 paired us in the 6th round with Barnsley on 16th March, a game played on a tuesday 10 days after the original match was postponed because of snow in the Barnsley area. Once again a superb goal from a world class player, ex Newcastle United Frenchman David Ginolas' mazy run capped with a fine finish to earn a Semi Final slot against his former club at Old Trafford.

2001 and an away game at Upton Park and one of Sergei Rebrovs best performances in a Spurs shirt gave us a 3-2 win, Rebrov getting two of the goals with the third from Gary Doherty. Once again that annoying little club from down the road saw to it that we went no further than a semi-final at Old Trafford.

Now for a run through of the Cup winning years,

1901 and we beat Reading 3-0 in a replay after a 1-1 draw in the first game in what was the then third round quarter Final.

1921 and a 4th Round Quarter Final at Home to Aston Villa, 51,991 supporters saw us gain revenge for the previous seasons cup exit to Villa at the same stage of the competition. Jimmy Banks scoring the only goal of the game.

1961 and our quarter final opponents on 4th March were North East side Sunderland. 61,236 witnessed this 1-1 draw at Roker Park (Cliff Jones scoring for the Spurs). The replay at White Hart Lane drew a crowd of 64,797 as we won 5-0, goals coming from Dave Mackay, Bobby Smith, Les Allen and a brace for Terry Dyson.

The following year (1962) we got drawn at home to Aston Villa, A game 64,000 saw us win 2-0 with Danny Blanchflower and Cliff Jones scoring.

On to 8th April 1967 and away to Birmingham City and a 0-0 draw. The replay was at White Hart Lane four days later on 12th April and 52,304 witnessed a convincing 6-0 victory. Jimmy Greaves and Terry Venables scored two each and Alan Gilzean and Frank Saul scored the other two.

1981 and an all ticket game against a team that are now in the Conference, Exeter City. The west Stand had been demolished but we still had a crowd of over 40,000 that day as we won 2-0. The goals coming from the unlikely source of Paul Miller and Graham Roberts.

1982 and an away tie at Stamford Bridge. Micky Hazard, Steve archibald and Glen Hoddle seeing us through to a 3-2 win over Chelsea.

And finally to 1991 and a sixth round game at home to Notts county. 2-1 with Nayim and Paul Gascoigne providing our goals.

Our sixth round record has been a fairly mixed bag, We have travelled north in the past and won through, even though it has sometimes required a replay. We have travelled north as underdogs and won with late goals as we did in 1995 at Anfield. Away from home we have won 9 sixth round ties and only lost 6 whilst at home it is 5 wins and 5 losses. Heres hoping we can travel north once more in search of 6th round FA Cup glory and earn a place in a semi-final at Cardiff.

Come on you Lillywhites.