Pat JENNINGS

(Part 1) 1964-70

Pat Jennings joined Spurs from Watford for a fee of £27, 000 in May 1964. The young Irishman's task was to take over from Scotland's Bill Brown of the immortal double winning side of 1960-61. The 19 year old had played only 48 league games for Watford, but at 6ft 2ins and with an unflappable temperament Spurs had seen sufficient qualities to bring him to White Hart Lane. Jennings started the 1964-65 season as Bill Nicholson's first choice 'keeper, making his league debut in Spurs 2-0 win over Sheffield United. His first taste of the North London derby came at White Hart Lane in October with Spurs winning 3-1 against their old rivals. The ex-Newry Town youngster made his international debut in October 1964 in a 4-3 defeat by England in Belfast, Spurs colleague Jimmy Greaves scoring a hat-trick in the British Championship thriller. Jennings made his F.A. Cup debut for Spurs in January 1966 in the Londoners 4-0 home victory over Middlesbrough in the 3rd round. His League Cup debut came in the club's first ever game in the competition, a 1-0 victory over West Ham United. 1966-67 proved to be a memorable season for Pat, with Spurs finishing 3rd in Division 1 and winning the first all London F.A. Cup Final against Chelsea by 2 goals to 1. The popular Irish international played in 49 of Spurs 50 games, keeping 15 clean sheets. Highlights of his opening season included a league double over Arsenal, with Spurs winning 3-1 at White Hart Lane in September and 2-0 at Highbury in January. With their new 'keeper growing in confidence Spurs finished just 4 points adrift of champions Manchester United, who were defeated 2-1 at Spurs in September.

Jennings even managed to get himself on the score sheet in the 1967 Charity Shield game against Manchester United at Old Trafford. A huge kick down field bounced over a bemused Alex Stepney for the Londoners opening goal in a 3-3 draw. Pat played in all Spurs 48 games during the 1967-68 season, keeping 8 clean sheets, including a 1-0 home league win over Arsenal in January. Spurs finished 6th in Division 1 the following season and Jennings was ever present throughout the season, keeping 14 clean sheets in 52 games, including twice denying champions Leeds United in two goalless draws. Arsenal prevented the Irishman appearing in his second successive Wembley final when they narrowly squeezed past their great rivals in the League Cup semi-final, winning 1-0 at White Hart Lane and forcing a 1-1 draw at Highbury. The 1969/70 season was a disappointment for Spurs, several of their stars needed replacing and the Londoners could manage only 11th position in Division 1. Jenning played in all but 1 of Spurs 46 games, managing to keep 14 clean sheets. The Spurs 'keeper was in the unusual position of facing champions Everton three times in the league that season. The original home game in December against the Toffee's was abandoned after half an hour due to floodlight failure, with the score standing at 0-0. Spurs faced the champions twice in three days in March, losing 1-0 at home and 3-2 at Goodison Park. With the sixties having drawn to a close the big man was now firmly established for both club and country, having appeared around 200 times for Spurs and over 20 times for Northern Ireland. (Tony Smith)

                                                          (Part 2) 1970-74

The early 1970's proved successful for Pat Jennings, as he earned a formidable reputation with his performances for club and country. In 1970-71 Spurs finished in 3rd position in Division 1 and won the League Cup Final. The Irish 'keeper played in 40 of Spurs league games, preventing the opposition scoring on 18 occasions. Jennings kept clean sheets a further 6 times in cup competitions, including the 2nd leg of the League Cup semi-final against Bristol City and in the Wembley final against Aston Villa. Pat made 8 appearances for his country throughout 1970-71, including a fine 1-0 win over Scotland at Hampden Park in May 1971. The popular Irishman was by now recognised as one of the finest 'keepers in world football. During the 1971-72 campaign Jennings played in 67 of Spurs games, keeping 28 clean sheets. Spurs enjoyed a memorable season, winning both the UEFA Cup and the Anglo-Italian League Cup Winners Cup. They also reached the League Cup semi-finals and finished 6th in the league.

In May 1972 Jennings appeared in the victorious Northern Ireland team that beat England 1-0 at Wembley in a game that doubled as a British Champions and World Cup qualifying game. More glory followed for Pat in 1972-73, as Spurs beat Norwich City 1-0 to win the League Cup Final. This was the Irishman's second consecutive shut-out in a League Cup Final and brought his season total to 24 clean sheets. In recognition for his outstanding performances the Spurs saviour was elected the Footballer of the Year. The following season ended in bitter disappointment for Jennings and his team-mates, as Spurs lost in the UEFA Cup Final to Feyenoord. Pat had played in all but 5 of Spurs 55 games, keeping 12 clean sheets, but his side were now beginning to show the signs of decline that were to result in a desperate fight against relegation the following season. (Tony Smith)

                                                (Part 3) 1974-1977.

After a woeful start to the 1974-75 season Pat Jennings former Northern Ireland team mate Terry Neil was controversially installed as Spurs manager. The club were now in a perilous position but managed to hang on to their top flight status, finishing 19th in Division 1 and avoiding relegation by just a single point. Even a magnificent 'keeper of Jennings standard could only manage to keep the opposition at bay on seven occasions. For a club that had built its traditions on numerous cup exploits, defeats to Nottingham Forest in the F.A. 3rd round and Middlesbrough in the League Cup 2nd round were a huge disappointment. The highlights of a lamentable season came in Spurs 2-0 home win over Arsenal in October and April's 2-0 victory in the crunch relegation battle with neighbours Chelsea.

Terry Neil managed to breathe new life into Spurs in 1975-76 and the Londoners finished 9th in Division 1. Although Jennings played in 40 of the league games, clean sheets were now becoming a thing of the past, managing just 5. Seasonal highlights in the league came when Jennings twice kept Arsenal out, in a 0-0 home draw in September and a 2-0 away win in April. The Irish international's last chance of glory for Spurs faded when his side went down to a League Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle United. The following season Spurs 25 year run in the top division finally came to an end. In May, with Spurs already relegated, Jennings played his last competitive game for the club in a 2-0 home win over Leicester City. Pat was rewarded with a testimonial in November 1976 against Arsenal, where Jimmy Greaves made a comeback for his old pal and scored twice in Spurs 3-2 win.

In May 1977, after a Spurs career of nearly 600 competitive games the legendary Pat Jennings was allowed to join Arsenal, the fact that the fee was a mere £45, 000 made the move all the more unpopular with the Tottenham faithful. (Tony Smith)