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orn in Coupar Angus, Perthshire on October 22, 1938,
Alan Gilzean says he was “fascinated by the English
FA Cup” growing up. Such was ‘Gilly’s’ interest in
the competition, he admits the chance to play in it
was one of the reasons he signed for us from Dundee in 1964,
around the time of his 26th birthday.
“To get the opportunity to play for Spurs in the 1967 FA Cup
Final against Chelsea at Wembley... well, all of my boyhood dreams
came true at that moment,” said Alan, who stands eighth on our
list of all-time goalscorers with 133 strikes in 439 appearances
between 1964 and 1974.
The Scottish international appeared in all but two of our FA
Cup matches during his time as a Spurs player, netting 16 times
in 41 matches in the competition. On May 20, 1967, he took to the
Wembley pitch wearing our number nine shirt for the first-ever
final between two London clubs in the tournament’s history.
“It added to the occasion the fact it was an all-London final,”
reflects Gilzean, who scored four goals in seven FA Cup matches
en route to the showpiece occasion that year. “Nobody wants to
lose, especially in a cup final and to be up against another London
team...that just made you even more determined to win.
“We were generally in control of the match against Chelsea.
Jimmy Robertson put us one up just before the break, with an
effort from outside the penalty area that flew into the back of
the net. Then we scored the other side of the break through Frank
Saul. It was only when Bobby Tambling got one back for Chelsea
WEMBLEY
MEMORIES
Each matchday, Andy Greeves speaks to a former Spurs player
about their memories of Wembley Stadium during their career.
This evening, Alan Gilzean looks back at the three cup final
victories he was a part of for us at the ‘Home of Football’.
MEMORIES
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR V APOEL FC
B
Alan (right), Mike England, Frank Saul and Cyril
Knowles celebrate with the FA Cup in 1967