TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1 CITY 0
League Division 1
30th August 1986
Attendance 23,764
Scorer Roberts(66)
Ref R Hamer
City Suckling, May, Wilson, Clements, McCarthy, Redmond, Davies, McNab, Christie, Brightwell, Simpson Sub – Baker(84)
Spurs Clemence, Stevens, M Thomas, Roberts, Gough, Mabbutt, Waddle, Chiedozie, C Allen, Hoddle, Galvin – sub D Thomas(unused)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
FRANK MCGHEE WRITING IN THE OBSERVER 31ST AUGUST 1986
The man who scores a special goal will always be able to shut his eyes and still see it. Tottenham’s Graham Roberts scored such a goal in the 66th minute at White Hart Lane yesterday, and to add to its future sweetness in his memory it won the match, took his team to the top of the table and rescued the occasion.
It deserved to win a better game, because not only did it provide the right result, it punished the pusillanimous attitude that marked too much of Manchester City’s play.
The pass which found Roberts in the centre circle came from left back Mitchell Thomas, who had probably been Tottenham’s most effective forward, it was that sort of game,
But where the ball started is very much less important than where it finished. Roberts, the midfield man who is built rather like a telephone booth on driving legs, collected it in his stride and carried it on a long, strong run.
City’s defence fell back with a complacency to which they felt entitled after having watched Tottenham’s attack generally blunder, thunder and founder during every earlier attack. Roberts did something less complicated. He gathered himself and mustered all his considerable power into the shot which travelled six inches above the ground at speed to hit where it hurt most, thé corner of the net, beyond even the reach of City’s 20-year-old ‘keeper Perry Suckling.
That, in itself was some achievement because this Suckling is a very mature baby indeed, big, alert, acrobatic and brave, in short a natural. He saved everything else, but in truth that didn’t amount to very much, mainly because City’s early-season strategy makes it clear that no team will have too much fun playing against them. Watching them won’t be all that stimulating either.
City built their defensive strength around a 19-year-old sweeper, Steve Redmond, and though it is unfairly early to start comparing this six foot blond with the young Bobby Moore, he is much less perceptive but a great deal more mobile.
Spurs certainly found it difficult to get through for shots on target, for all the midfield command of Glenn Hoddle, who left another City teenager, Ian Brightwell, with twisted neck muscles from the effort of trying to watch,never mind mark him.
Neither Brightwell, nor indeed any other City defender, saw more than a blur of the lovely shot Hoddle hit in the 37th minute. Fortunately Suckling bid and got just enough of his last elastic inch of reach to block it.
At the other end the virtually unemployed Clemence had to.make only one dash from his line to foil City striker Gordon Davies, and Roberts was once called upon to give his impersonation of a combine harvester to stop the City centre-forward Christie.
City, prodded into retaliation by the Roberts goal, diaplayed more adventure, but they’ll have to show very much more of it if life is to be good for them, rather than merely difficult for the others. Spurs? They are top of the League and there are only 39 games to go.