| Back in the day, there were annual five-a-side competitions held to replicate the training sessions held in ball courts at football clubs across the country.
The London Five-A-Sides, sponsored by the London Evening Standard were initially held at Earls Court in 1954, but Harringay staged some tournaments in the earlier years before the tournament moved to the Wembley Empire Pool (or the Wembley Arena as it is now known). The competitions were normally held in November. The National Five-A-Sides were staged later in the season. Often sponsored by national newspapers (Daily Express or Daily Mail) many of the top teams took part in either the National or London versions of the event Including some Scottish sides on occasion. Both competitions drew in big crowds and there were highlights and often live TV coverage of the final on BBC’s midweek ‘Sportsnight’ programme. With the introduction of the Premier League and more lucrative Six-A-Side tournaments (Guinness Soccer Sixes), along with some crowd trouble the Five-A-Sides were dropped from the footballing calendar. |
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| Here are as many details as we could find of some of the competitions that Tottenham took part in.
There were no London 5-a-Side competitions between 1961 and 1966 or between 1986 and 1992. The National Five-A-Side tournaments ran from 1968 to 1986. |
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| 05.05.1954 | The inaugural Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament was held at the Empress Hall, Earl’s Court for the one and only time. Round 1: – West Ham United Won 4-3 Final : – Charlton Athletic Lost 1-3 |
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| 13.04.1955 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Harringay) Round 1 : – West Ham United Lost 0-4 (Musgrove 2, Parker, Hooper) |
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| 04.04.1956 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Harringay) Won the tournament beating Fulham 2-1 in the final. |
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| 03.04.1957 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Harringay) Round 1 : – Arsenal Won 2-1 (Blanchflower (p), Walters; Evans for Arsenal) Round 2 : – Chelsea Lost 1-2 (Blanchflower (p); Jimmy Greaves 2 for Chelsea) |
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| 06.05.1958 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Football Championships held at Harringay Arena. Featured Brentford, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Orient (winners), Millwall, QPR, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. |
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| 05.05.1959 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Tickets : – from 3s 6d (18p) to 17s 6d (78p). |
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| 10.05.1960 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 2: – Millwall Won 3-1 (Cliff Jones 2, Terry Medwin; Howells for Charlton). Semi-final : – Charlton Athletic Won 3-1 (Cliff Jones 3; Howie for Charlton). Final : – West Ham United Won 3-1 (Terry Medwin 3, John Ryden; Cartwright for West Ham).Squad : – John Hollowbread, Ron Henry, John Ryden, Terry Medwin, Cliff Jones. |
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| 10.05.1967 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – Brentford Won 4-0 (Derek Possee 2, Parkinson, Neil Johnson). Round 2 : – Watford Lost 0-1 (Welbourne). |
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| 08.05.1968 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – Chelsea Won Drew 0-0 (Won 4-3 on penalties). Round 2 : – Orient Drew 1-1 (Terry Venables) (Lost 0-1 on penalties). |
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| 23.04.1969 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – Crystal Palace Lost 0-1 (Tony Taylor) |
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| Evening Standard London Five-A-Sides at the Empire Pool Wembley. Twelve teams took part in the competition. Round 1: – QPR Won 1-0 (Mullery). Semi-final : – Crystal Palace Lost 0-2 (Cliff Jackson, John Sewell)Squad : Pat Jennings, Alan Mullery (c), Jimmy Pearce, Phil Beal, Roger Morgan. Sub. : – Terry Venables. |
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| 08.04.1970 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Final West Ham United Lost 1-2 (Pearce, John Charles 2). |
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| 04.11.1970 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Final Manchester United Lost 1-2 (Knowles; George Best 2) (YouTube video showing Manchester United highlights) |
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| 05.05.1971 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) First Round : – West Ham United Lost 0-1 Billy Bonds scored the Irons’ goal.Squad : – Barry Daines, Terry Naylor, Phil Holder, Ray Bunkell, Roger Morgan, Ray Evans |
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| 03.11.1971 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – Glasgow Celtic Lost 0-1. |
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| 03.05.1972 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Preliminary Round : – West Ham United Lost 0-2 (Bryan Pop Robson, Billy Bonds). |
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| 15.11.1972 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Second Round 2 Manchester City Won 1-0 (Pratt) John Pratt scored just before the end of the match Semi-Final Derby County Won Final : – Ipswich Town Drew 2-1 (Holder; Hamilton) Won 3-1 on penalties (Spurs – Holder, Pratt, Pearce; Ipswich – Viljoen, Hamilton).Squad consisted of Barry Daines, Terry Naylor, John Pratt, Jimmy Pearce, Phil Holder and Jimmy Neighbour. |
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| 02.05.1973 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Preliminary Round : – West Ham United Won 2-0 Round 2 : – Slough Drew 0-0 (Won 2-1 on penalties) Semi-Final : – Millwall Lost 1-3 . |
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| 01.05.1974 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) | |
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| 28.11.1974 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Second Round Glasgow Celtic Won 1-0 Final Leyton Orient Lost 0-2 (Phil Hoadley 2)Squad contained Barry Daines, Joe Kinnear, Chris McGrath. |
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| 30.04.1975 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – West Ham United Won 3-1 (Neighbour 2, McNab) Clyde Best scored West Ham’s goal Round 2 : – Fulham Won 1-0 (M. Stead) Semi-Final : – Millwall Lost 0-6 (Doug Allder 3, Frank Saul, Ray Evans). |
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| 05.11.1975 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – Round 2 : – Semi-Final : – Final : – Wolverhampton Wanderers Lost 1-3 (McNab) Wolves’ goals were scored by Willie Carr, Mike Bailey and Kenny Hibbitt.Squad : – – |
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| 28.04.1976 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) |
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| 03.11.1976 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : Queens Park Rangers Won 2-0 (Naylor, Taylor) Round 2 : Fulham Won 3-0 (Perryman, Taylor, Pratt) Semi-Final : Stoke City Lost 0-1Squad : – Barry Daines, John Pratt, Glenn Hoddle, Peter Taylor, Steve Perryman, Terry Naylor |
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| 24.05.1977 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1: Watford Won 3-0 (Holmes, Taylor, Naylor) Round 2: Orient Won 1-0 (Taylor) Semi-final : Arsenal Lost 0-2Squad : – included Steve Perryman (c), Jimmy Holmes, Terry Naylor, Peter Taylor, John Pratt, Chris Jones |
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| .11.1977 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) . |
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| 03.05.1978 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : Lost to West Ham United 2-1 (Trevor Brooking and Billy Bonds scored for West Ham) |
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| 25.04.1979 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – Orient Won 2-1 Round 2 : – Brentford Drew Lost 1-2 on penalties when Paddy Roche saved Richard Cooke’s penalty in the shoot-out. |
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| 28.11.1979 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool)
Squad was expected to be : – Milija Aleksic, Steve Perryman, Glenn Hoddle, John Pratt, Ossie Ardiles, Chris Jones |
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| 30.04.1980 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – QPR Lost 1-3 (Galvin) Clive Allen’s hat-trick for Rangers won this game.Squad : – Barry Daines, Steve Perryman (c), Glenn Hoddle, Micky Hazard, Tony Galvin, Chris Hughton |
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| 25.11.1981 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) |
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| 31.03.1982 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) | |
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| 13.03.1983 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : Beat Orient 2-1 Round 2 : – Lost 1-2 to Brentford on penalties.Squad : – Ray Clemence, Glenn Hoddle, Ossie Ardiles, Ricky Villa, Graham Roberts, Mark Falco |
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| 23.11.1983 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) First Round : – Ipswich Town Lost 0-3 (Wark 2, O’Callaghan) |
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| 28.03.1984 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – Wimbledon Won 3-0 (Hazard, Hughton, Cooke) Round 2 : – Crystal Palace Drew 2-2 (Roberts, Hazard) Goals from Jim Cannon and Stan Cummings took this game to a penalty shoot-out that Spurs won 1-0. Micky Hazard scored Tottenham’s penalty, then Tony Parks kept out one from Cannon to see Spurs through. Semi-Final : – Fulham Won 2-1 (Hazard, Hughton) Ray Houghton scored Fulham’s goal. Final : – West Ham United Lost 1-2 (Hazard) Micky Hazard put Spurs ahead before goals from Geoff Pike and Frank Lampard Snr won the trophy for the Irons. Spurs wore their home kit, while West Ham wore all light blue with two claret hoops on chest of shirt.Squad : – Tony Parks, Graham Roberts, Chris Hughton, Danny Thomas, Richard Cooke, Micky Hazard. |
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| 21.11.1984 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – Ipswich Town Lost 0-1 (Jason Dozzell scored Ipswich’s goal to knock Spurs out in their first match)Squad : – Tony Parks, Danny Thomas, Richard Cooke, Ossie Ardiles, Micky Hazard, Garth Crooks. |
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| 13.03.1985 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – Fulham Won 1-0 Round 2 : – Arsenal Drew 1-1 (Ian Crook, Chris Whyte) Lost 2-1 on penalties when Richard Cooke’s penalty was saved by Nicky Hammond. |
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| 27.11.1985 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) | |
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| 26.11.1986 | Daily Express National 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – Coventry City Drew 0-0 lost on penalties. |
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| 10.05.1993 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Empire Pool) Round 1 : – Charlton Athletic Lost 0-2 Charlton’s scorers were Peter Garland, Darren Pitcher.Squad : – Kevin Dearden, Terry Fenwick, Stuart Nethercott, Vinny Samways, Gudni Bergsson, Jason Cundy, Paul Moran. |
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| 09.05.1994 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Arena) Round 1 : – Luton Town Won 1-0 Round 2 : – Wimbledon Drew 0-0 Lost in shoot-out.Squad : – Ian Walker, Stuart Nethercott, Sol Campbell, Darren Caskey, Justin Edinburgh, John Hendry, Danny Hill. Wycombe Wanderers won the trophy with 23 year old goalkeeper Chuck Moussachik being their penalty saving hero, having previously been on the books of Spurs and Wimbledon. |
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| 15.05.1995 | Evening Standard London 5-a-side Tournament (Wembley Arena) The participating teams were Arsenal, Barnet, Brentford, Charlton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Orient, Luton, Millwall, QPR, Spurs, Watford, West Ham, Wimbledon, Wycombe Wanderers Tickets : – £12, £15, £20, £22. Round 1 : – Wimbledon Lost 1-2 |
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MEHSTG would be grateful if there are any additions to the information that you can make or if there are any amendments needed to the information
above. Let us know at mehstg2016@gmail.com
Credit to the Comicus website for some of the information and images.