Photo: Acabashi / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Tottenham Hotspur will play their first match in Auckland in 50 years on Sunday, with the pre-season friendly at Eden Park carrying personal significance for former New Zealand international Tony Sibley.
Sibley, now 75, played against Spurs when they faced an Auckland FA XI at Newmarket Park in May 1976. He will watch Sunday's game from the stands alongside his Spurs-supporting son Ricky, 43, Ricky's friend Greig Brooks, and Greig's father Alan Brooks.
The 1976 match is remembered as one of Auckland's most dramatic home fixtures. The hosts led 3-1 at one stage and still held a 3-2 advantage with five minutes remaining before Spurs scored three late goals to win 5-3. John Duncan scored twice in the closing stages, with Jimmy Neighbour also on target. Keith Osgood had opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 18th minute.
"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," Spurs manager Terry Neill said after the match.
Sibley, who was named New Zealand Footballer of the Year in 1978, made 48 international appearances and captained the All Whites on occasions. He played club football for Mount Wellington in Auckland, winning four Chatham Cup Finals.
"We played a simple 4-4-2 system and looked to play forward whenever the opportunity was there," Sibley recalled of the 1976 game. "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!"
The 1976 tour was part of a wider end-of-season trip covering Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia — nine games played across approximately 35,000 miles of travel in just under a month.
For Ricky Sibley, Sunday's match represents a long-held ambition. "We have always talked about attending a game together so being able to do this with our fathers is pretty special," he said.
"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," Ricky added. "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."