GREAT PLAYERS

Bobby Buckle

Six of the twelve schoolboys who founded the club in 1882 were still involved during the 1895-96 season namely, Robert Buckle, the Casey brothers, Hamilton and Lindsay, Fred Dexter, Stuart Leaman and John Thompson. In addition, Jack Jull, who was away at boarding school in 1882, was still an influential player thirteen years on.

But Bobby Buckle can probably claim to have had the most influence at the Club of any of the founders, serving in varying capacities and being involved in many of the red letter events of the club's early history.

Elected captain of the club at its inception, seven weeks before his 14th birthday, he featured in our first known line-up, is our first recorded goalscorer - in a 3-1 defeat by Grange Park on October 20, 1883 - served on the committee from 1884 and played in our first competitive match in 1885. In 1890 he was appointed honorary secretary and treasurer, a post he held for much of the decade, and in 1898 was elected to the first board of directors.

By the time he resigned from the board in June, 1900 he had overseen the adoption of professionalism, the formation of the Limited Company in March, 1898 and the move to our current site in the summer of 1899.

Since leaving school in 1883 Buckle had worked as a solicitors clerk at Pedley, May & Fletcher in the City and continued to play for Spurs until 1895, scoring 25 goals in 53 known appearances. He left his native Tottenham on marrying in 1901 to live in Surrey where he passed away, aged 90, in April 1959.