66 and counting - a special day for the Medwins

There were so many special days in double-winner Terry Medwin’s career at Swansea, Spurs and with Wales - but the one that really matters is away from football, and arrived for the 66th time on Tuesday.

Terry, now 87, celebrated his 66th wedding anniversary to Joyce with a glass of wine in the garden as we all continue to face the coronavirus in lockdown.

The pair are childhood sweethearts and married in April, 1954. Two years earlier, Terry made his debut for Swansea against Blackburn. Two years after their marriage, 1956, and Terry, already capped three times by Wales, made the switch from Swansea to Spurs.

“It’s great, 66 years now, actually, it’s 70 years since we started courting,” said Terry of his and Joyce’s latest milestone. “I had six sisters back then, so I started going dancing with my sisters down at the British Legion at the Mumbles, that’s where it started, more less. We’re childhood sweethearts. I used to meet Joyce at school in Swansea all those years ago.”

It was pointed out to Terry that all Spurs fans would just want to know how he was getting on. “I’m okay, I’ve had a few problems here and there, but you get on with it,” he said.

“I’m 87 now. You take what you’ve got to take and carry on. That’s it. I’m ticking over fine. I go out for a walk every day with Joyce, down to the Mumbles, near to where we live. That’s nice. The kids are here as well, lovely.”

A versatile forward who could play across the front line, Terry made 215 appearances in all competitions for us, scoring 72 goals. A member of the squad that lifted the double in 1960/61, Terry helped us retain the FA Cup in 1962 – he scored in the semi-final against Manchester United and played in the final win against Burnley - but his career was cruelly cut short after breaking his leg in a tour match in South Africa in May, 1963. He fought on for two years before retiring in 1965.

Terry was there for the Lane’s Finale in May, 2017, and we last spoke to him in person back at the Liberty Stadium ahead of a Premier League match against Swansea in October, 2015.

Here’s that interview...

Terry Medwin - interviewed in 2015...

Can you remember when you joined Spurs from Swansea?
Terry: “Yes, like it was yesterday. It was May, 1956. It was brilliant. I travelled over on a Saturday to look around the place. I met with Jimmy Anderson, who was manager at the time, but Bill Nicholson soon took over and things really took off for the club from there.”

How did you get on with Bill?
“Bill was an absolute gem, a true Yorkshireman and a lovely man as well. I didn’t really get any praise out of him though! I remember when we played Burnley in the 1962 FA Cup Final. I was working well with Cliff Jones, working hard to win back possession, not allowing Burnley to play. Bill had a right go at half-time! But he knew he could rely on us and we went on to retain the trophy.”

There were so many high points in the early 1960s under Bill, but any regrets?
Terry: “I’d have to say Benfica in the European Cup (1962). We had a couple of goals disallowed in the away leg and that really cost us. We played superbly in the return at home, won 2-1, should really have had another penalty and couldn’t find that third goal. That was a sad night. We all felt we could have won the European Cup.”

Your career came to a sad end when you broke your leg on our post-season tour of South Africa in 1963.
Terry: “We’d just won the Cup Winners Cup in Rotterdam and we flew from there to South Africa. We trained the next day, just a light one, ticking over and then flew down to Cape Town where the game was being played. Cliff came in from one side to head the ball, I came in from the other side, the full-back had his eye on the ball and I ran past him but the goalkeeper turned and came right across me. I can remember the crack. It was terrible, a nasty one. The muscles never really recovered. I was in a full plaster for about 12 weeks but couldn’t get back.”

That must have been a huge blow…
Terry: “I was just coming up to 30, a good age for a footballer. I looked after myself. I wasn’t really a drinker and I felt fit, 10 per cent fitter than anyone else. I’m sure I would have had a few more years left in me, if not at Tottenham then somewhere else. It was difficult but there you go.”

Turning to Wales, what are your memories of the World Cup in 1958?
Terry: “I’ve such great memories. We stayed in a hotel about six miles outside Stockholm. It was beautiful. The Scottish lads were there as well. We had three draws in the group, 0-0 against Sweden and 1-1 against Hungary and Mexico. We then had to play Hungary again in a play-off. They went 1-0 up, Ivor Allchurch scored the equaliser and I managed to get the winner, what a moment! We then played Brazil in the quarter-finals but John Charles, a terrific player for us, was out injured. Brazil had some fantastic players but we pushed them all the way. Pele scored the winner.”