CITY 4 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0
League Division 1
28th August 1971
Attendance 36,463
scorers Bell(6), Summerbee(44), Davies(58), Lee (77)
Ref Jack Taylor
City Corrigan, Jeffries, Connor, Doyle, Booth, Bell, Summerbee, Heslop, Davies, Lee, Mellor – sub Donachie
Spurs Jennings, Kinnear, Want, Mullery, England, Naylor, Coates, Perryman, Chivers, Peters, Gilzean – sub Pratt
KING COLIN SMASHES THE BALL HOME
WYN DAVIES HEADS IN CITY’S 3RD 
.FROM ‘THAT WAS THE WEEK’ PUBLISHED IN THE CITY PROGRAMME 2ND SEPTEMBER 1998
The only change in the City ranks was the inclusion of Colin Bell for his first game of the season after injury. He wore Alan Oakes’ No 6 shirt. For Spurs, Martin Peters returned to oust John Pratt.
While Bell’s presence helped greatly to ensure that City won comfortably, it must be admitted that the form of Mike England, the Spurs central defender, also assisted the local cause. It was a rare event in a great career when his display was described in one report as “lamentable”.
He had been out of the side since the previous December with ankle trouble and had done without a holiday so he could train throughout the summer months.
Martin Chivers and Alan Gilzean were effectively blotted out of the game as attackers by the excellent Tommy Booth and George Heslop, who gave neither opponent an inch of room.
The only change in the City ranks was the inclusion of Colin Bell for his first game of the season after injury. He wore Alan Oakes’ No 6 shirt. For Spurs, Martin Peters returned to oust John Pratt.
While Bell’s presence helped greatly to ensure that City won comfortably, it must be admitted that the form of Mike England, the Spurs central defender, also assisted the local cause. It was a rare event in a great career when his display was described in one report as “lamentable”.
He had been out of the side since the previous December with ankle trouble and had done without a holiday so he could train throughout the summer months.
Martin Chivers and Alan Gilzean were effectively blotted out of the game as attackers by the excellent Tommy Booth and George Heslop, who gave neither opponent an inch of room.
.One of the Blues’ star players was the consistent Mike Summerbee. He gave the visitors a lesson in finding colleagues who had great heading ability.
There was a spell in the first half when Spurs were on top, but they frittered away this advantage with a series of mistakes that got worse as time ticked by, and this allowed City to gather themselves.
England was caught out in the build-up to the first goal. A Summerbee cross sailed into the penalty area and “Wyn The Leap” nodded the ball down to Bell, who promptly whacked it past Pat Jennings.
Scorer of the second was the hard-working Summerbee, a just reward for the way he had tormented the defence.
Again England was at fault when the Blues knocked in a third. And again Summerbee was the provider before Davies rose high to head the ball past Jennings. It was Wyn’s second goal for his new club, as many as he had scored in 34 outings for Newcastle United the previous season.
For some strange reason, Tottenham refused to make use of the wing talents of Ralph Coates, who had signed the previous May from Burnley. They trod a single furrow down the middle and usually came to grief when faced with the City defence.
The nearest they came to scoring was when Alan Mullery took a pot-shot at Joe Corrigan’s goal, and the City ‘keeper showed great agility in diverting the ball to safety off his crossbar.
Towards the end of the game, Tony Want was cautioned by the referee, Taylor of Wolverhampton, for showing dissent at the award of a throw-in, and Spurs‘ misery was compounded when a speculative effort by Francis Lee went between Jennings and a post.
There was a spell in the first half when Spurs were on top, but they frittered away this advantage with a series of mistakes that got worse as time ticked by, and this allowed City to gather themselves.
England was caught out in the build-up to the first goal. A Summerbee cross sailed into the penalty area and “Wyn The Leap” nodded the ball down to Bell, who promptly whacked it past Pat Jennings.
Scorer of the second was the hard-working Summerbee, a just reward for the way he had tormented the defence.
Again England was at fault when the Blues knocked in a third. And again Summerbee was the provider before Davies rose high to head the ball past Jennings. It was Wyn’s second goal for his new club, as many as he had scored in 34 outings for Newcastle United the previous season.
For some strange reason, Tottenham refused to make use of the wing talents of Ralph Coates, who had signed the previous May from Burnley. They trod a single furrow down the middle and usually came to grief when faced with the City defence.
The nearest they came to scoring was when Alan Mullery took a pot-shot at Joe Corrigan’s goal, and the City ‘keeper showed great agility in diverting the ball to safety off his crossbar.
Towards the end of the game, Tony Want was cautioned by the referee, Taylor of Wolverhampton, for showing dissent at the award of a throw-in, and Spurs‘ misery was compounded when a speculative effort by Francis Lee went between Jennings and a post.
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FROM THE PRESS BOX
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.NOW THE CITY WIDE BOYS!
Peter Gardner writing in THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 30th August 1971
Manchester City’s opponents must now feel the width as well as the superb quality of attacking endeavour when visiting Maine
More evidence for this theory was provided in another four goal salvo when Tottenham were tortured on a widened pitch which has given the Blues’ front four an extra dimension on which to quench their scoring thirst.
… City ran Tottenham ragged in the second half, following a sketchy first half when Spurs had monopolised home territory without finding a man to fire the bullets provided by Alan Mullery and Steve Perryman.
More evidence for this theory was provided in another four goal salvo when Tottenham were tortured on a widened pitch which has given the Blues’ front four an extra dimension on which to quench their scoring thirst.
… City ran Tottenham ragged in the second half, following a sketchy first half when Spurs had monopolised home territory without finding a man to fire the bullets provided by Alan Mullery and Steve Perryman.
Wyn Davies was streets ahead of Martin Chivers when it came to considering out and out strikers, and his 58th minute header for City’s third goal deserved every handclap that came from the standing ovation he received from the grandstand patrons.
Colin Bell’s return sparked off by a devastating sixth minute volleyed goal brought fresh midfield endeavour, and although still clearly not 100% fit Bell provided a display that sounds a clear warning that City are going to be championship challengers once again.
Mike Summerbee, too, still needs time to find his feet, but there can be no complaints after the way he took City’s second goal and laid on the third.
Colin Bell’s return sparked off by a devastating sixth minute volleyed goal brought fresh midfield endeavour, and although still clearly not 100% fit Bell provided a display that sounds a clear warning that City are going to be championship challengers once again.
Mike Summerbee, too, still needs time to find his feet, but there can be no complaints after the way he took City’s second goal and laid on the third.
My first game watching my team Tottenham; we got taken to the cleaners that day .
I remember It like yesterday , traveled from Chester with my dad after we had moved up North . I’m here because I was thinking about Martin Peters the other night and when I woke up in the morning I read that he had passed away, really strange because I had not thought about him in years ? How does that happen??
Saturday night December 21st 2019 ..
RIP Martin Peters ..