We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the great Martin Chivers, who died on Wednesday (7 January) at the age of 80.
One of the greatest goalscorers in our history, not to mention a much-loved member of the Spurs family, Martin enjoyed an eight-year spell with us between 1968-76 in which he helped us win three major trophies.
Born in Southampton on 27 April, 1945, Martin Harcourt Chivers attended Foundry Lane and Taunton Grammar schools. He applied for a trial with Southampton and was placed with their nursery side C.P.C. Sports in May, 1961, signing professional forms during September, 1962.
Earning his league debut against Charlton Athletic on 8 September, 1962, Martin went on to net 107 goals in 190 senior games for the Saints. He helped them to promotion as runners-up in season 1965/66, leading the Second Division scoring chart with 30 goals.
Joining us in January, 1968, for a then-record transfer fee of £125,000, he scored on his Spurs debut on 17 January at Sheffield Wednesday, a 30-yard volley to give us a 2-1 win. Ten days later, he scored both goals as we drew 2-2 at Manchester United in the FA Cup third round. They were the first of an incredible 174 goals for the club, a tally which still sees him sit fourth in our all-time top scorers list.
Suffering a serious knee injury in September, 1968, and missing almost a year of football, he took a while to rekindle his true goalscoring form but, once he did, he was an unstoppable force in our forward line. Having scored both goals in our 1971 League Cup Final triumph over Aston Villa and made his England debut against Malta, his career was reaching its peak and for the next four years Martin was outstanding, far and away the best striker in the country.
At his best, he had an incredible turn of speed, awesome strength in the air, fantastic balance and ball control with surprising subtlety, yet with the ability to score the most spectacular goals. Arguably his finest moment in a Spurs shirt came in the first leg of the 1972 UEFA Cup Final against Wolves, when his two brilliant strikes gave us a 2-1 win and helped us take a giant step towards becoming the first team to win the trophy in its inaugural year.
He scored 42 goals in 62 appearances in that 1971/72 season and was back at Wembley the following term for our second League Cup success in 1973, this time against Norwich City, while he also featured in both legs of the 1974 UEFA Cup Final against Feyenoord.
Following that international debut in England’s 1-0 win over Malta on 3 February, 1971, in their opening European Championship qualifying match, his first England goal came in the next game, a 3-0 victory over Greece on 21 April. Over the next three years, Martin took his tally to 13 goals in 24 games for England, his final appearance being against Poland at Wembley on 17 October, 1973.
His glorious time at Spurs came to an end in the summer of 1976, when he joined Swiss side Servette, having played 367 times for us in all. His tally of 118 league goals (in 278 games) for us is only bettered by six players while his 22 European goals is the fourth-best in our history – he held our European goals record outright until 2013. No-one has scored more for us than Martin’s tally of 23 League Cup goals, while he also added 11 in the FA Cup.
After leaving Spurs, he spent two years at Servette, netting 38 goals and gaining a Swiss Cup winners’ medal in 1978, before rounding off his league career with spells at Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion. His final senior appearance was for Brighton against Arsenal in a Football League Cup tie on 30 October, 1979. He later had stints as player/manager at Dorchester Town, player/coach at Norwegian club Vard and a playing spell in the Alliance Premier League with Barnet.
His association with us continued in his later years, organising charity matches for the ex-Spurs XI and working as a matchday host at White Hart Lane, becoming the club’s first Hospitality Spurs Legend in 1988. He continued to work as a host on matchdays at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium right up to the present day, his warm, welcoming and friendly nature always appreciated by staff and supporters alike.
Martin leaves behind his wife Julia, their sons Nick and Luke, and Martin’s daughters Andrea and Melanie, along with his beloved grandchildren.
We extend our sincerest condolences to all of Martin’s family, friends and former team-mates at this incredibly sad time.