Moment in time | Teddy Sheringham's first Spurs goal vs Sheffield United, 1992
Wed 13 September 2023, 16:30|
Tottenham Hotspur
‘A little poacher’s goal’ was the start of something big on the evening of 2 September, 1992.
That's how Teddy Sheringham describes his first goal in a Spurs shirt as we toppled Sheffield United 2-0 under the lights at the Lane. Gordon Durie also netted on a notable night - it was also our first win of the Premier League era, the new dawn of English football kicking off in 1992/93.
Teddy joined us five games into the season, making his debut in the 1-1 draw at Ipswich on Saturday 30 August after signing from Forest two days earlier. This was his home debut and a first goal for us that not only led him to the Golden Boot that season, but the first of 124 goals in 277 appearances in all competitions in two spells, 1992-1997 and then 2001-2003. He remains one of only 18 players to score over 100 goals for us and 11th in our all-time goalscoring list.
It was a much-needed victory as well as we’d started the season without a win in our first five league games and had been thumped 5-0 by reigning champions Leeds United a week earlier.
Teddy’s moment arrived two minutes before half-time after good work from Jason Cundy, Paul Allen and Steve Sedgley. Durie struck in the second half to secure the three points against Dave Bassett’s men.
Speaking to us back in 2019, Teddy remembered it all clearly. “It was my first home game,” he said. “I was delighted to get off the mark. I think it was ‘Sedge’ who cut the ball back from the byline and I just stabbed it home. I was delighted, a little poacher’s goal, in the right place at the right time and stuck it in, a great start for me at the Lane.
“It was an important goal because it can weigh heavily on you if you don’t get a good start. You go two, three, four games and people start asking questions. I scored that first goal early and got up and running. That was the first step.”
It wasn't all plain sailing from there though. Teddy scored five goals in 21 games in the league up to January, plus another couple in the League Cup. Goals followed in the FA Cup but he then went into overdrive - 16 goals in his last 17 league games (there were 21 teams and 42 matches in 1992/93) helped us up to eighth in the table and clinched the Golden Boot with 22 goals, including an early strike for Forest that season.
