Martin Chivers

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Lore & Background

Chivers attended Taunton's Grammar School, Southampton, and wrote to his local club, Southampton for a trial. He spent a brief period in the club's nursery side, CPC Sports, and signed as a professional footballer in September 1962, making his debut against Charlton Athletic on 8 September 1962 (aged 17). His first goal came in a 4–1 defeat by Newcastle United on 6 April 1963 in his third first-team appearance. This goal meant that his name is also in the record books as the first substitute to score for the Saints. In the 1963–64 season, Chivers became a regular starter and was the club's joint leading goalscorer (with Terry Paine) with 21 goals, as Southampton finished a disappointing fifth in the Second Division. The following season, he was again a virtual ever-present, making 39 appearances with 17 goals as the Saints improved to fourth place. In the 1965–66 season, Chivers played an integral role as the club finally gained promotion to the top flight (as runners-up), scoring 30 goals from 39 games, generally from crosses provided by Terry Paine and John Sydenham. All his goals were scored from the first 29 games, and he failed to find the net after the end of February. Once in the First Division, Chivers played second fiddle to the Welsh striker, Ron Davies, scoring 14 and 13 goals respectively in the next two seasons. Chivers became unsettled at The Dell and was soon being chased by many of the top clubs. Saints' manager Ted Bates was prepared to allow Chivers to leave, as he had a more than adequate replacement coming up through the ranks in Mick Channon. He scored a total of 106 goals in 190 appearances for the Saints. In January 1968, Tottenham Hotspur manager Bill Nicholson signed Chivers for a club record fee of £125,000, which also made him the country's most expensive player at that time. The deal involved 24-year-old Frank Saul moving from White Hart Lane to The Dell. Chivers scored on his Spurs debut against Sheffield Wednesday in January 1968. Chivers was often seen as a lethargic and lazy player, but his pace and natural strength established 'Big Chiv' as a star of the Spurs side throughout the early 1970s. The 1970–71 season was the beginning of Chivers's golden years. He played in all 58 competitive games that season and scored 34 times, including both goals in the League Cup final against Aston Villa, and 21 goals in the First Division a

In Their Own Story

The rain lashed against the floodlights at White Hart Lane, turning the pitch into a slick canvas of mud and grass. The score was deadlocked in the UEFA Cup final second leg, tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Chivers stood near the penalty spot, his chest heaving, eyes locked on the goal as the ball looped high into the air from a defensive clearance. Time seemed to suspend itself. He rose above the Wolverhampton defender, a towering figure in white, and connected with a thunderous header that rocketed past the goalkeeper's outstretched gloves. The roar of the crowd was instantaneous, a tidal wave of sound that shook the foundations of the old stadium. Chivers didn't celebrate wildly; he simply turned, pointing to his teammates, knowing this goal had sealed history for Tottenham.

Reader's Guide

Martin Chivers was a prolific forward for Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 174 goals in 367 appearances. He won the League Cup twice (1970–71, 1972–73) and the UEFA Cup in 1971–72. He scored 34 goals in 1970–71, 42 in 1971–72, and 33 in 1972–73. He also played for Southampton, Servette, Norwich City, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Barnet. He earned 24 caps for England, scoring 13 goals.

Did You Know?

• Chivers scored a hat-trick in a 9–0 demolition of Icelandic side Keflavik ÍF in the UEFA Cup.
• He scored both goals in the 1971 League Cup final against Aston Villa.
• Chivers was the first substitute to score for Southampton.
• He remained the leading Tottenham goalscorer in European competition for 39 years until Jermain Defoe overtook him in 2013.