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1984, Anderlecht, Spurs and the ministry of glory

5 min read
by Vass Koni
That night in 1984 is shrouded in mystic and glory, we all know the images and video clips that go with it, but quite a few of us weren't there or even alive when it happened. Vass is one of those lucky (old) enough fans to have been there that night. His memories are glory.

The forthcoming Europa League fixture against Anderlecht cannot help but conjure up memories of the 1984 UEFA Cup Final played over two legs home and away. This of course was in a time before neutral grounds staged one off finals and back when the UEFA cup tournament was actually the pre-cursor to what is now the Champions League without the need for group stages. Back then if you finished 2nd, 3rd or 4th you entered the UEFA Cup tournament which is testament to how hard a competition it used to be to win.

The first leg was just a vague and blurry recollection for me. I wasn’t part of the fortunate few that made the trip to Belgium as I was still fairly young; and as the game was not even televised live as far as I can recall (we had to wait for the midweek sports highlights programme that evening) I went off to play football instead to keep me occupied, breaking off from time to time to sneak to the car and catch some radio commentary.

All I remember about that game is that Paul Miller had put us ahead with a header only for Anderlecht to equalise with a scrappy goal. That is my sole recollection of that leg, although getting a 1-1 draw after the first leg to take home to WHL put us in such a great position.

Game day for the second leg came and it meant me booking a day off work. There’s no way I would have been able to contribute anything useful for my employer that day. The nerves would have had me likely replicating a Monopoly chance card all day and ensuring a “bank error in your favour collect £xxx” which would have proved costly for me and my bosses.

To kill time a friend and I played the popular 80s pastime of snooker and got to WHL for about 3pm for the 7.45pm KO. These were the days where you could still pay at the turnstile, despite the early hour, there was already a line forming, so that sunny afternoon we joined the Paxton Road queue and sat on the pavement reading programmes, sharing conversations until the turnstiles opened at about 6pm. Times were very different.

[linequote] Just as the very first strands of realisation that had Ossie missed started to form, the ground shook, emotion swept across us, players, fans and everyone invested in our club went mental[/linequote]

When the game started there was Spurs, in white, under the lights in a European game with the WHL crowd making a once in a lifetime experience kind of noise, but the game didn’t go to plan at first.

Anderlecht took the lead. Silence settled over the ground, but then you could hear the collective intake of breath. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This can’t be right. We won’t let this happen. Pause. Wait a moment. Let’s go. Sing up. The stadium roared and the WHL engine ignited back into action.

I’m sure we pummelled them after that. It felt like we did anyway, but the longer it went on without us scoring the more anxious everyone got. Then late in the game the ball fell to Ossie just a couple of yards out.

We were sure this was our moment. This was the goal, but it wasn’t. It hit the bar, how was that possible? Just as the very first strands of realisation that had Ossie missed started to form, the ground shook, emotion swept across us, players, fans and everyone invested in our club went mental. Good old Micky Hazard had the presence of mind to put the resulting cleared ball straight back in to the penalty area and Graham Roberts pounced. Chest, jink, knock, back of the net. Surely we would go on and win it now.

Extra time was an agonising stalemate and so on to penalties. With Ray Clemence injured, it was young Parks in goal, confidence wasn’t too high. The penalties started.

Roberts first, 1-0. Then they missed their first penalty. That’s it then. All we have to do is keep scoring and we’ve done it. Falco, check; Stevens, check; Archibald, check; now it’s up to you Danny. Everyone braced themselves for the almighty cheer that would go up when this one hit the net and we’d win the cup.

[linequote] I was there on one of the most glorious nights that WHL has ever seen and oh how I wish we can all see some more nights like that again soon[/linequote]

It never came. Danny Thomas had his head in his hands by the penalty spot almost inconsolable. Their keeper had guessed right. Unlike today though where some fans might likely be spewing expletives at the player, on this occasion the crowd sung together “there’s only one Danny Thomas” in a show of defiant unity and both Roberts and Archibald gave him a gee up and got him back to the centre circle.

That was me done. The emotion that was bursting to get out on that kick subsided and I was flat. I thought we’d blown it. I totally lost track of the fact that if Parks saved the Anderlecht 5th penalty that we’d still win, as I was wrapped in my thoughts he only went and bloody saved it!

Eidur Gudjohnsen’s dad fluffed it and the ground erupted even louder than before and it took me a split second to realise and I was so happy I cried tears of joy. I still to this day regret that split second delay in realisation detracting from me joining at the same precise moment the spontaneous euphoria that everyone felt. But hey, I can live with it. I was there on one of the most glorious nights that WHL has ever seen and oh how I wish we can all see some more nights like that again soon. Inter Milan in the Champions League not so long ago was great but it didn’t even get close to that UEFA Cup Final night.

So I just wanted to thank that centre back pairing of Roberts and Miller and the heroics of a stand in goalkeeper, because moments of glory can throw up the unlikeliest of heroes. And whilst Anderlecht visiting again will certainly bring back some memories, I doubt though that it will conjure up the same feelings of that wonderful night in 1984.

“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the cups at WHL.”

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

Vass Koni

2 Comments

  1. Dubai-Spurs
    21/10/2015 @ 12:25 pm

    I was a teenager then. Watch the game at WHL live on TV….. amazing night. COYS

  2. Nick
    29/10/2015 @ 2:37 pm

    Great read :) I was at both legs – 14 at the time. We got marched in the pouring rain to Anderlecht’s stadium and had to sit up on a wall right at the back of the stand, as we’d had our tickets stolen on the boat over – and had fortunately managed to get some more on the day.

    I can still feel every bit of the tension you describe in the 2nd leg as I read this; it just seemed like it was never going to happen – then enter Graham Roberts; what a legend. I could barely watch the penalties – the last few I did through barely separated fingers – but I remember going absolutely mental when Parks saved the last one. And then several choruses of “Arsenal… Can you hear us on the box?” :)

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