My Spurs debut | Richard Cooke vs Luton | 19.11.1983
Wed 04 October 2023, 18:15|
Tottenham Hotspur
Richard Cooke will never forget his Spurs debut, and his father, Eddie, has never forgotten the day his son signed for the club - a souvenir, of sorts, remains in the family garage to this day, almost 45 years later.
Born into a Spurs family in 1965, Richard signed schoolboy forms when he was 14. Who turned up at the family home, then in Enfield, with the papers?
Now 58, Richard spoke to us this week, and takes up the story...
“I was Spurs mad as a kid, grew up in Tottenham, then we moved out to Enfield,” he said. “All my family loved Tottenham. My dad, Eddie, was absolutely bonkers Tottenham. When I was 13, 14, I was asked by a few teams to sign schoolboy forms... Bill Nicholson came around to my mum (Ena) and dad’s house to ask me to sign schoolboy forms.
“My dad couldn’t believe it - Bill Nicholson coming around our house to ask me to sign! I think my dad still has that couch in his garage, he won’t ever let go of it because Bill Nicholson sat on it! It meant the world to me and my family.”
I was lucky enough to score the first goal, which was a dream come true for me. It was a magical day, a day I'll never forget
Richard progressed from schoolboy to apprentice in July, 1982. Less than 18 months later, he stepped out for his competitive first team debut against Luton Town in the old First Division (now Premier League) at Kenilworth Road, lining up alongside the likes of Clemence, Roberts, Perryman, Hoddle, Falco and Archibald.
The day couldn’t have gone better as Richard opened the scoring in a 4-2 win. Another youngster, Ally Dick, was also on target with Steve Archibald bagging the other two.
He added: “Mum and dad got a call early on the Saturday morning to say that I was going to be making my debut in the afternoon against Luton. I couldn’t believe I was actually starting the game! I was lucky enough to score the first goal, which was a dream come true for me, especially with the team getting the win as well. Ally Dick played on the other wing and also scored, with Steve Archibald scoring the other two. It was a magical day, a day I’ll never forget.”
It was a result that kept us in the title race at the time and it wasn’t long before Richard was lining up against Bayern Munich in the third round of the UEFA Cup, a famous 2-0 win at home that saw us overturn a first leg deficit to continue on the path that would lead to glory against Anderlecht in the final in May, 1984.
Capped once by England Under-21s, Richard, 58, stayed in and around the team until February, 1984 and made 17 appearances in all competitions for us until departing for AFC Bournemouth in January, 1987. He had a spell at Luton and Bournemouth again before retiring in 1992.
