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On 31st December 1987, Terry Venables strengthened his struggling
Tottenham side with the £550, 000 signing of Terry Fenwick from Queens
Park Rangers. Spurs fans could have been forgiven for baulking at the
sight of the centre back, as it was Fenwick's extra time equaliser that
had taken the North Londoners to a replay in the 1982 FA Cup Final.
However, they surely would have been grateful for the capture of an
established England international and mainstay of the 1986 World Cup
squad, an uncompromising tackler who was also comfortable at fullback.
Fenwick was a particularly welcome addition to a side that was still
reeling from the summer departures of Richard Gough and Glenn Hoddle,
and had gone nine games without a win from the middle of October to
mid-December.
Terry went straight into the side to face Watford on New Year's Day
and went on to play in all but one of Tottenham's 18 remaining league
games. Starting as a first choice centre back alongside Gary Mabbutt,
Fenwick scored all of his nine goals for the club during the 1988-89
campaign. He struck on the opening day as Tottenham recovered from 2-0
down to draw 2-2 at Newcastle United, then earned a point with a header
at Anfield two weeks later. Terry proved himself to be a composed
penalty taker, with seven of his goals coming from the spot and his only
miss coming in December's goalless draw with Luton Town at White Hart
Lane. The experienced defender helped Spurs put the previous season's
troubles behind them to secure a respectable 6th place finish.
However, Fenwick's next two seasons were severely disrupted by
injuries and problems outside the game. He broke his leg in a League Cup
tie at Old Trafford in November 1989 and returned at Blackpool in
January 1991 for the start of Tottenham's victorious FA Cup run. While
Spurs made it all the way, Terry didn't get beyond the 5th round at
Portsmouth, where we was unfortunate enough to break his ankle during
the pre-match warm-up. Following a brief loan spell at Leicester City,
Terry was convicted of drink-driving and served two months of a four
month sentence. Despite making 23 league appearances for Spurs in
1991-92, it was clear that he was no longer the player he had been when
he arrived at the club. Having played only five games in 1992-93, Terry
was allowed to join Swindon Town on a free transfer on 6th September
1993, after a total of 118 games in a Spurs shirt. (Alex Voskou)
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