My Spurs debut | Pat Jennings vs Sheffield United | 22.08.64
Wed 13 September 2023, 12:50|
Tottenham Hotspur
Pat Jennings, 78, joined us from Watford in June, 1964. Initially battling it out with legendary double goalkeeper Bill Brown, Pat made his debut against Sheffield United in August of that year and having made 23 and 25 appearances in his first two seasons, established himself in 1966/67, when we landed the FA Cup.
The best goalkeeper in the world in his pomp, third behind Steve Perryman (854) and Gary Mabbutt (611) in our list of all-time appearances with 590 between 1964-1977, Pat added two League Cups (1971, 1973) and the UEFA Cup (1972) to his FA Cup win in 1967. He also scored against Manchester United in the 1967 Charity Shield, was named Football Writers Footballer of the Year in 1973, PFA Player of the Year in 1976 and won a then world record 119 caps for Northern Ireland between 1964-1986. How apt that his last competitive appearance was against Brazil at the World Cup Finals in 1986.
After a spell at Arsenal in 1977, Pat returned briefly in 1985 as he built up to the 1986 World Cup and has been a coach and goalkeeping consultant since 1993 - and he's still on the training pitches here at Hotspur Way today...
Speaking to us in 2020, Pat described his early days at Spurs...
What was it like getting call from Spurs?
Pat: “Amazing. Bill McGarry, the Watford manager, told me he wanted me to come back to do some extra training. I got to the airport and he said ‘you know why you’re here?’ and I said ‘to do extra training’ and he said ‘no, not really, Bill Nicholson is waiting for you at Vicarage Road! I remember going into the room to meet Bill Nicholson for the first time. Bill introduced himself and I referred to him as ‘Mr Nicholson’. He said to me straight away ‘forget the Mr, just call me Bill’. Straight away that barrier was broken and I was on first name terms with the great man. All the years I was at Tottenham, no-one ever called him Mr Nicholson, just Bill. Everyone had the utmost respect for him."
What was it like walking into a changing room full of 'double' winners in 1964?
Pat: “I’d read and seen so much about that team, so you can imagine what it was like. In those days, everyone changed together – Bill Nick, Eddie Baily, all the players - but the great thing was that everyone made me feel welcome, and that was the important thing.”
What was Danny Blanchflower’s influence, the skipper and Northern Ireland legend?
Pat: “Danny was facing retirement with his knee problems at the time. He would always encourage me and that was all I needed. I never knew what was required at the highest level. Any mistake you made, you got punished. But that was the great thing about Danny and Jimmy Greaves, he would always say ‘keep going Pat, you’re going to be the greatest’ and I never forgot that.
Can you remember your debut?
Pat: “Yes, Sheffield United at White Hart Lane. We won 2-0. I remember coming out and catching a cross with one hand and the crowd went ‘yes’. That was nice, to get a good win under my belt. But I struggled in the first season and shared duties with Bill Brown. In the second half of the second season I got in again and then stayed there for 13 years."
