50 years on – Auckland brings back special memories and creates new moments for the Sibley family
As we gear up for our first match in Auckland for 50 years, it promises to be an extra-special evening for one group of supporters attending the game.
Former New Zealand international Tony Sibley lined up against us when we faced an Auckland FA XI back in May 1976. On Sunday, he will be at the world-famous Eden Park to watch the Class of 2026 meet in a prestigious pre-season friendly along with his Spurs-supporting son Ricky, Ricky’s friend Greig Brooks and Greig’s dad, Alan Brooks.
Half a century ago, Spurs were on a mammoth end-of-season tour which saw us travel a total of around 35,000 miles to Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia, playing nine games within the space of just under a month!
The third match of the trip saw Terry Neill’s side arrive in New Zealand to take on an Auckland representative team at Newmarket Park. In the opposition side that night was Tony Sibley, an experienced defender who played his club football for Mount Wellington in Auckland, winning four Chatham Cup Finals and playing 48 times for his country, captaining the All Whites on occasions.
“Auckland had played a number of touring teams over the years and had achieved some respectable results,” explained Tony, now aged 75. “For the Spurs match, most of the Auckland players came from one club, the very successful Mount Wellington side. As a team, we were confident and excited by the opportunity to test ourselves against a club of Spurs’ calibre.
“Most of the crowd would have gone to the game expecting to see a one-sided contest. At that time in New Zealand football, there was a strong belief that English teams were virtually unbeatable, and that Auckland were simply there to make up the numbers.”
That certainly wasn’t the case on this occasion! Our clash against Auckland is considered by many locals who were there as one of the most memorable games the city had seen. That probably had something to do with the fact that our hosts led 3-1 at one stage and were all set for a famous victory until we turned the game on its head. Even then, we still trailed 3-2 with just five minutes to play!
Keith Osgood had fired us in front with an 18th minute penalty before goals from Keith Nelson and Dave Taylor gave Auckland a 2-1 half-time lead. Incredibly, Iain Ormond then added a third for the home side.
They were unable to hold out though as John Pratt pulled one back on 52 minutes before late goals from Jimmy Neighbour and John Duncan (2) ensured we came out on top.
“We played a simple 4-4-2 system and looked to play forward whenever the opportunity was there,” recalled Tony, who was named New Zealand Footballer of the Year in 1978. “It was only late in the second half that we began to run out of steam, and by that stage most of the crowd were cheering for Auckland!”
Speaking immediately after the game, Terry Neill said: “That was one hell of a game. The real winner out there tonight was football. There were 22 players on that park who were a credit to themselves and to football.”
Fast forward 50 years and Tony will be present at the next instalment of Auckland against Spurs, albeit this time in the crowd.
“I am very much looking forward to it,” he added. “In 1976, football in New Zealand was still well behind rugby in terms of participation numbers. Today, football is the number one participation sport in the country, and we now have professional teams, including Auckland FC. It will be very interesting to see how much the game has progressed.”
The game is equally significant for Tony’s 43-year-old son Ricky, who just happens to be a passionate Spurs fan! Introduced to the joys of Spurs by his best friend Grieg when they were kids, he almost can’t quite believe that he’s going to be able to watch his favourite team play with his dad and best mate by his side.
“My best friend since the age of nine put me onto Spurs, I loved the way they played and it became something we both followed,” explained Ricky.
“We have some great conversations and debates following the games, although it’s become an emotional rollercoaster the last few years. However, my support will never waiver.
“We have always talked about attending a game together so being able to do this with our fathers is pretty special.”
Match stats
Friendly | 03.05.76
Auckland FA XI 3 (Nelson, Taylor, Ormond)
Spurs 5 (Pratt, Osgood (pen), Neighbour, Duncan 2)
Spurs: Daines, Stead, Walford, Pratt, Young, Osgood, Neighbour, Armstrong, Duncan, Perryman, Coates.
Auckland: Curtin, Elrick, Young, Houghton, Sibley, Fleet, Turner, Thomas, Taylor, Nelson, Ormond.