CHIVERS, Martin Harcourt (1967-80)
Position: Striker
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 13st 12lbs
Born: Southampton, Hampshire, 27 April, 1945
Died: 7 January, 2026
Signed from Southampton January 1968
Transferred to Servette (Switzerland)
Also played for: Southampton, Servette, Norwich City, Brighton and Hove Albion, Dorchester Town, Vard, Barnet, England
Spurs Record:
Debut: 17 January, 1968 v Sheffield Wednesday (FL) (a) won 2-1
Appearances: League 268(10), FA Cup 22(2), League Cup 33, Europe 32
Goals: League 118, FA Cup 11, League Cup 23, Europe 22
Martin Chivers started his career with Southampton and in six years with the Saints he scored 97 goals in 175 appearances, won 12 England Under-23 caps and was recognised as one of the country’s outstanding young talents.
When Bill Nicholson decided Chivers was the man to lead our attack, he had to fork out a record £125,000 and allow 1967 FA Cup Final hero Frank Saul to move in part-exchange. The outlay seemed justified in Chivers’ first game as he scored the winning goal, a 30-yard volley with just four minutes left, in a 2-1 defeat of Sheffield Wednesday, our first victory at Hillsborough since 1937. Ten days later Chivers went one better, scoring both goals as we drew 2-2 at Manchester United in the FA Cup third round. A large chunk of the transfer fee had already been repaid.
As Chivers settled in to a forward line that included Jimmy Greaves and Alan Gilzean and learnt what playing for a club with our traditions meant, his career suffered a setback when he sustained a serious knee injury against Nottingham Forest in September 1968. It put him out of action for the rest of the season. When he returned he lacked his usual confidence and was a shadow of his former self. Nicholson persevered but eventually had to leave Chivers out.
The turning point came in October, 1970. The departure of Greaves had thrown the main goalscoring burden on Chivers’ shoulders. He had scored 12 goals in 18 games when Stoke City visited White Hart Lane. He was up against Dennis Smith, a tough, uncompromising defender with little regard for the niceties of the game. Spurs were two-up and defending a corner with Chivers and Smith loitering in the centre circle. The ball broke from defence and appeared to be heading for the touchline just inside the Stoke half. Smith seemed well in control as the pair of them moved towards the ball but suddenly Chivers accelerated. He hit Smith with a perfectly fair shoulder charge that was so powerful Smith was sent tumbling 10 yards and did not stop till he was off the pitch. Chivers picked up the ball, advanced a couple of paces and curled the sweetest of 30-yarders around Gordon Banks. It was a proclamation of what was to come.
For the next four years Chivers was outstanding, far and away the best striker in the country, arguably the best in the world. The power, pace and strength that had been hidden for too long came to the fore. Chivers was not only about aggression though. He had incredible balance, ball control and unexpected subtlety.
In the 1971 League Cup Final, he scored both goals against Aston Villa, a year later he got both goals in the first leg of the UEFA Cup Final against Wolves at Molineux.
On the international stage, Chivers collected 13 goals while winning 24 caps but was unable to make up for the shortcomings in the England team. He played his last game in the World Cup qualifying draw with Poland at Wembley that saw the end of Alf Ramsey’s England reign.
Having won another League Cup winners’ tankard in 1973 and played in the UEFA Cup Final of 1974 Chivers left Spurs to join Servette, returning to England and flirting with management before settling to life as an hotelier in Hertfordshire.
In his eight-and-a-half years Spurs career, Chivers scored a total of 174 goals in 367 first team appearances and still sits fourth in our all-time top goalscorers list behind Bobby Smith, Greaves and Harry Kane. He also remained our leading goalscorer in European competition for 39 years until he was overtaken by Jermain Defoe on 7 November 2013, while nobody has scored more for us in the League Cup than Chivers’ 23 goals.