When we were kings | Cliff Jones on Spurs vs Burnley, 1960s

For our elder generation of Spurs supporters, every Spurs vs. Burnley match is sure to bring back memories.

This was the most popular ticket in town in the early 1960s.

Both sides won the previous First Division title over four seasons, from 1959–60 to 1962–63, and faced off in the FA Cup’s final stages. In fact, neither team placed below the top four over that period.

On our route to winning the league and FA Cup double in 1961, we defeated Burnley in the FA Cup semi-finals at Villa Park. It just so happens that this double was won 63 years ago this week, on May 6, 1961. After defending the title at Wembley, we defeated Burnley once more in the 1962 FA Cup Final. However, Burnley exacted retribution by defeating the cup holders in the third round at the Lane in January 1963.

The great Bill Nicholson was responsible for our triumph, and in 1963 he added the European Cup Winners’ Cup, making us the first British team to win a European title. Later, Bill would add two League Cups (1971, 1973), another FA Cup (1967), and the UEFA Cup (1972).

Harry Potts, who managed Burnley for 12 years at Turf Moor, won the championship in 1960, advanced to the European Cup quarterfinals in 1961, finished second in the league and FA Cup in 1962, and finished third in the First Division in 1963.

In 2015, Cliff, who is now 89 years old and played a significant role in those heydays, told us all about the rivalry. We are repeating his remarks here as we get ready to play the Clarets in the Premier League on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (3pm UK).

“It was the glory years for Burnley as well as Tottenham,” said our renowned former winger Cliff, who scored 159 goals in 378 games across all competitions for us between 1958 and 1968. We both played excellent, aggressive football, and our styles were comparable. On both teams, we placed bums on the seats. The teams that came to see were us.

They had Jimmy Adamson and we had Danny Blanchflower; both were smart, capable football players, and leaders with quite similar personalities. They had striker Ray Pointon, winger John Connelly, who was always a threat, and one of the greatest of all time, Jim McIlroy.

“We were fierce competitors who both won games and performed well at home. During the three or four seasons that followed, we were constantly vying for the top rankings.

The game that people wanted to watch was Burnley vs. Tottenham. They were usually wonderful events.

The rivalry between Spurs and Burnley, 1959–1963

1959–1960
With just two points separating the teams, Burnley emerged victorious, Spurs finished third, and Ipswich Town finished second.
Spurs 1-1 on October 1, 1959 Medwin-Burley
Burnley 1-0 Spurs on March 1, 1960

1960–1961
Burnley finished fourth, 15 points behind Spurs, who took home the trophy and the double. Spurs defeated the other club 3-0 in the FA Cup semi-final that took place at Villa Park.
3 December 1960 Spurs 4-4 Burnley – Norman, Medwin, Jones 2
Burnley 4-2 on April 22, 1961 Spurs: Smith and Baker
Spurs 3-0 in the FA Cup semi-final on March 18. Burnley-Jones-Smith 2,

1961–1962
Spurs finished third, one point behind Burnley and four behind Ipswich, while Burnley finished second to Ipswich.
Spurs, Oct. 28, 1961, 4-2 Burnley-Jones 2, Clayton, Saul
Burnley 2-2 Spurs on March 17, 1962: Greaves, Jones
Spurs 3-1 in the FA Cup Final on May 5, 1962 Greaves, Smith, and Blanchflower Burnley

The Spurs finished second to Everton in 1962–1963, with Burnley in third.
Burnley 2-1 Spurs, November 24, 1962, Greaves
30 March 1963: Spurs 1-1 Greaves, Burnley
January 16, 1963, FA Cup third round: Spurs 0–3 Burnley

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