Maxy recalls '82 Gunners tie

Former defender Paul Miller helped us beat Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup back in 1982 – and he’d love to see us enjoy another victory against the Gunners tomorrow.

The no-nonsense centre-half was part of the side that defeated Arsenal 1-0 at White Hart Lane at the third round stage en route to retaining the FA Cup in the 1981-82 campaign.

Garth Crooks bagged the winner that day and Paul – commonly known as Maxy – still remembers the incredible atmosphere that surrounded the fixture.

"I remember the atmosphere – there were 40-odd thousand people there and because it was a cup derby it was a special occasion for the crowd,” said the 54-year-old, who also helped us lift the trophy the previous year and was instrumental in our UEFA Cup triumph in 1984.

“We haven’t played Arsenal many times in the cup, so to knock them out and then to go on and win it that year – it was a special time.

“Our goal came when Crooksy nutmegged Pat Jennings, who was with Arsenal by then. I think Pat tore his groin at the same time!

“I know we only won 1-0 but we really didn’t have a lot of problems with them. We won quite comfortably.

“Arsenal were quite resilient, we had a lot of chances and Pat, even with a torn groin, still managed to make three or four great saves.”

Maxy, who is often seen working behind the scenes at the Lane on matchdays and is also the captain of the Spurs Legends team, is under no illusions about how tough it will be to defeat Arsenal at the Emirates tomorrow.

But he is certainly not writing off our chances of making progress in the famous competition.

“Obviously we’ve had all the games over Christmas and they’ve got a few injuries, but we’ve got a lot of injuries as well,” he said.

“But we’ve got a decent squad and we’re capable of going there and getting a result, absolutely. We might well see a few goals there on Saturday. With our form and what we’ve done recently, the lads will be confident.”