February 26 – Pat Jennings Notches Up His 1,000th
WHILST we were watching Sunday’s Carling Cup final here at OTFD Towers, it wasn’t Juande Ramos’ inspired substitutions, Woodgate’s winning goal or Chimbonda’s sulk that impressed us the most. Nope, our eyes were fixated on the corporate seats, where we were amazed to see that Pat Jennings, the legendary Tottenham and Arsenal keeper, still possessed one of the greatest sets of sideburns and heads of hair the game has ever seen. Another of his achievements that impressed your follically-challenged narrator is that today in 1983 he racked up his 1,000 appearance in first-class football, whilst representing the red and white half of north London.
When Jennings first crossed the Irish Sea as a gangly sixteen year-old joining Watford from his home-town side of Newry Town, few thought that he would become one of football’s greatest ever keepers. After an impressive debut season with the Hornets, Tottenham did what they are still good at, buying up young talent, as they got out their chequebook and signed the Irishman for £27,000.
As a youngster, Jennings had never received any proper coaching, relying on a natural, if unorthodox technique that would see him fling his 6ft 2 frame around the goal, making sure that his shovel-like hands kept out more than his fair share of goals. He would guard the Spurs net a total of 591 times, helping them win an FA Cup, UEFA Cup and two League Cups. In the 1967 Charity Shield he also found time to become a goalscoring hero, as he punted the pigs bladder down the field and into the net as it bounced over his stranded opposite number in the Manchester United goal, Alex Stepney. A Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award in 1973, and similar PFA gong three years later soon followed before Spurs thought that he was coming to the end of the line.
Underestimating Jennings’ longevity they sold him, of all places, to Arsenal. Hoping that that’d lumped a piece of deadwood on their most bitter rivals, Tottenham were happy to take the £45,000 Arsenal offered, but how wrong they were. After eight years, 327 appearances and three FA Cup Finals for the Gooners, Jennings called it a day at club-level, having cemented his status as a legend for both of north London’s big boys.
Forty one-year old Jennings had one last trick up his sleeve, as turned out for Northern Ireland for their three group games in the 1986 World Cup. He was powerless to help Norn Iron from an early exit, as Brazil sent them packing 3-0 in Jennings’ 119th and final game for his country.
You won’t see many better saves than the one below, so feast on that head over here tomorrow for some football history Deutschland-style.
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