Terry's debut double!

Exactly 34 years to the day since making his Spurs debut in a home victory against Stoke City, former striker Terry Gibson was back at the Lane to co-commentate on...a home victory over Stoke City!

In an uncanny twist of fate, Terry was behind the mic for Sky Sports at White Hart Lane on Sunday as goals from Roberto Soldado, Mousa Dembele and Aaron Lennon gave us a 3-0 victory over the Potters.

Rewind to December 29, 1979, and a 17-year-old Terry – fresh out of school – was thrust into our first team by manager Keith Burkinshaw as we beat Stoke 1-0 on our own patch.

“It’s unbelievable,” said ‘Gibbo’, the former Manchester United forward, who was speaking pitchside before last Sunday’s victory. “I knew that I’d be coming here about a month ago and then it suddenly registered that it was on the same day as my debut.

“I remember my debut as if it was yesterday. I got kicked all over the place and I kicked them all over the place!

“We’d had a difficult time and I got the chance when I was 17 years and six days old. I’d been scoring a few goals in the reserves and the youth team and Keith, out of the blue, gave me a chance.

“It was a dream. I’m a Spurs fan and literally three or four months after leaving school I was playing in the first team with Ossie Ardiles and Glenn Hoddle, Ricky Villa, John Pratt, and Stevie Perryman.

“It’s not just a cliché – it really was a dream come true. At that young age I’d gone from the Shelf to the pitch in less than four months.

“The 34 years have flown by – I’ve got no idea where they’ve gone!”

These days, Terry works for Sky Sports as a co-commentator – mainly on the Spanish leagues. But with a break in the schedule in La Liga, the 51-year-old was assigned to our game at White Hart Lane.

“I do about 100 games a year but at Christmas, because we have a break in the Spanish league, they ask me to help out on the English games due to the number of fixtures that are around at that time of year.

“This week was the first time I’ve ever co-commentated at White Hart Lane exactly 34 years after my debut against the same opposition – so it’s a bizarre one.”