TOTTENHAMHOTSPUR.COM(^51)
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR V APOEL FC
the result before I arrived home because if
we won supporters would escort me and if
we lost she'd hear the police sirens!"
He departed Nicosia in 1989 and went
on to manage a host of non-league sides
including Gateshead, Workington, Newcastle
Blue Star, Whitby Town and Blyth Spartans.
He also had spells in charge of Northern Irish
sides Glentoran and Ards as well as League
of Ireland team Sligo Rovers.
Ex-Everton trainee Dave Esser became
one of APOEL’s first overseas players when
he was signed by his former Rochdale
manager Mike Ferguson in 1982. Esser
scored five goals in 24 Cypriot league
appearances during the 1982-83 season
prior to a move to Swedish team Karlskrona.
Our former striker Ian Moores’ move
from Bolton Wanderers to APOEL in 1983
came two years prior to Newcastle United
and Liverpool legend Terry McDermott
joining the Nicosia club. McDermott – along
with Moores – became a key component in
manager Tommy Cassidy’s side that won the
Cypriot title in 1986. The former England
international made a total of 50 league
appearances for the team known as the
‘Legend’ between 1985 and 1987, prior to
retiring from playing.
Scottish winger David Kenny spent
10 years of his playing career in Cyprus,
representing the likes of Apollon Limassol
and Aris Limassol between 1983 and 1993.
The ex-Celtic, Dumbarton and Partick Thistle
player also turned out for APOEL during
the 1987-88 season, as the Nicosia club
secured qualification for the UEFA Cup
through a second-place finish in the Cypriot
First Division.
Gary Owen – one of England Under-21’s
most capped players – signed for APOEL
from Swedish side Hammarby IF in 1988. The
ex-Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion
and Sheffield Wednesday man featured in 16
Cypriot First Division matches prior to his
retirement a year later, scoring four times.
Sierra Leone-born, Haringey-raised
Chris Bart-Williams moved from Ipswich
Town to APOEL in September, 2004. The
former England Under-21 midfielder made
19 league appearances in the Cypriot First
Division for the club, who finished runners-
up to Anorthosis Famagusta during the
2004-05 season. He moved to Maltese
side Marsaxlokk at the end of the campaign
before retiring from playing in 2006.
Our former trainee Dean Gordon was
briefly a team-mate of Bart-Williams’ at
APOEL, having joined from Grimsby Town in
March, 2005. The left-back’s stay in Cyprus
was a short one and he was released by the
club a few months later, having featured
in just eight league matches. The ex-
Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough player
subsequently spent some time in New
Zealand with the likes of Albany United,
Auckland City and New Zealand Knights and
played non-league football in England for a
while before retiring in 2009.
Elsewhere, a host of other British players
have plied their trade for clubs other than
APOEL in the Cypriot First Division. Crystal
Palace legend Dave Swindlehurst was on
the books at Anorthosis Famagusta during
the 1985-86 campaign while Craig Hignett
- who played for Blackburn Rovers in their
2-1 League Cup Final victory over us in 2002 - spent a season with Apollon Limassol in
2005-06.
Former Scotland international Mark
Burchill played 42 Cypriot First Division
matches for Enosis Neon Paralimni between
2010 and 2012, scoring seven times while
London-born midfielder Kenny Dyer – once a
member of our youth academy – represented
the likes of Ethnikos Achna and Nea Salamis
Famagusta during the 1990s.
There are number of British players in
the Cypriot First Division currently. Ex-
Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and
Nottingham Forest striker Matt Derbyshire
plays for APOEL’s Nicosia rivals Omonia,
having signed for them from Rotherham
United in 2016. Ex-Hibernian trainee Alastair
Reynolds is on loan at Nea Salamis from
fellow Cypriot club Apollon Limassol. He
also spent part of the 2015-16 season on
loan with Ayia Napa.
Tommy CassidyChris Bart-Williams