Do you remember the first time?

Everyone remembers the first time they saw their team live, right?

I do.  Just about.   I went with a friend and his Dad to see Spurs v Aston Villa at Villa Park. They were both Villa fans, as were most of my friends by now, so we sat in with the Villa crowd.  Well, I say sat, but back then, behind the goal it was actually standing.  Consequently, as I was only 11 years old at the time, I missed most of the match.

It was March 16^th 1991.  20 years ago.  Writing this it’s hard to believe it was 20 years ago.  I’m not old enough to have 20 year old memories. 

I have four clear memories of the match.

1) We went 3-0 down in the first half to a David Platt hat-trick.  The home fans were going crazy as they took an insurmountable lead fired in by their hero.  They even managed to stop singing ‘Ooh, aah Paul McGrath, say ooh, ahh, Paul McGrath’ long enough to celebrate.

2) I heard my first bit of football fans baiting an opposition player.  The Holte End all shouting ‘She fell over, she fell over’ as Gary Mabbutt bent down to tie his bootlaces.  Bless ‘em, what erudite and witty banter those midlanders are capable of.

3) We got a goal back through Paul Stewart.  Which is a shame, ‘cos checking my facts on the internet I see it was actually Vinny Samways.  Oh well, it was one of them.  I’ll remember it a Stewart, historical can record it as Samways.

4) We got a second back through Paul Allen. 

I remember being disappointed not to see Gary Lineker score, but did have the twin honours of seeing Ian Hendon’s debut, coming on as sub, and getting Gordon Cowans’ autograph before the game.  Better get that on eBay. Be worth a fortune.

Our line-up that day

Thorstvedt, Edinburgh, Van Den Hauwe, Sedgley, Thomas, Mabbutt, Stewart, Samways, Moncur, Lineker, Allen.  Subs Gray, Hendon

How times have changed in the Premier League.  In fact, back then it was the First Division.   9 out of the starting 11 were English, with a Norwegian and a Welsh Belgian (Weird eh?) completing the group.

Spurs were the fourth best London side that season, finishing behind Crystal Palace and Wimbledon.   Arsenal bore the rest of the league into submission, holding us to two goalless draws in the league, conceding only 18 goals and losing once during their march to the title.

We got the better of them during that awe-inspiring FA Cup Semi-final.  Gazza and two goals from Mr ‘no yellow card in my career’ Lineker saw us spectacularly through to that ‘year ending in a 1’ Wembley final.

Aside from the FA Cup matches, we won only one more match that season, Lineker notching 2 more in a 2-0 win v Southampton in April, in what was to be only our second league win of 1991.

I can’t remember much else about my first match, other than being disappointed that we didn’t drag ourselves back into it for a 3-3 draw.

My mate and his Dad took me to the corresponding fixture the following season.   Of that I have no memories at all.  It ended 0-0 and must have been a truly dull affair.  Which, knowing my memory probably means it was the most exciting 0-0 in history, probably involving 8 red cards and a cameo from Ossie Ardiles in goal.

Did anyone else's Spurs live experiences start off on enemy territory?   Did anyone have surely hideous experience of seeing the boys from the Lane in action for the first time at Highbury?