Tue 17 November 2020, 17:36
Tottenham Hotspur
Hotspur Heroes, supported by 
A man who helped keep the capital running throughout the first lockdown, former London Overground train driver and lifelong Spurs fan Gary Jones is our latest Hotspur Hero.
Gary worked on London’s railway network to keep key workers moving across the capital, including the doctors and nurses of our NHS. His wife, meanwhile, has also performed an essential role during the pandemic as the chief of micro-biology at a London hospital.
“I used to cover routes from Watford into Euston, Stratford across to Willesden, through to Clapham Junction and Richmond, going through places like Camden Road and Highbury and Islington,” Gary explained.
“The most noticeable thing was how quiet the trains were going into London – where, normally, they would be full of commuters, they were very quiet for the first five or six weeks.
“Obviously, you had to take precautions and be careful, especially when mixing with the customers on the trains, on the platforms or wherever, but in all honesty, it was just good to continue working.
“My wife worked the whole way through the first lockdown as well. She was chief of micro-biology at one of the hospitals. They are the unsung heroes really. People don’t realise the actual work that goes on behind the wards. It all gets a bit fraught sometimes because you can’t help but bring work home with you but it’s only because people care.”
Now retired from his work on the trainlines, Gary now has much more time on his hands – time he’s aiming to put towards one of his life’s passions, Spurs. One of his distant cousins, Les Medley, is a Club legend having helped us to our first-ever league title in 1951 and, as soon as fans are allowed back to our games, Gary will be heading back to N17, where he first came to see us back in 1968, for matchdays with his family.
“Me, my son and my grandson are all Season Ticket Holders, so we go as often as we possibly can,” he explained. “My first game was in 1968 against Manchester United. I then started going on my own when I was 11 and then, when you get a bit older and you can start to meet mates and go for a beer and things, you basically meet up every time before a game, have a drink and a laugh, discuss the last game or the one coming up, have a chit-chat – it’s just good fun.”
