Martin Chivers, Spurs striker who powered 1972 UEFA Cup victory, dies aged 80

Martin Chivers, the powerful striker who led Bill Nicholson’s Tottenham side to major honours in the early 1970s, has died aged 80, Independent.co reported.

Born to a Southampton docker and a German mother, Chivers began his career with Southampton, making his first-team debut at 17 after writing to the club for a trial and helping them win promotion in 1966. He moved to Tottenham in January 1968 for a then club and British record fee of £125,000, with Frank Saul going the other way, and endured early tensions with Nicholson over his residence and perceived lack of physicality.

Chivers overcame a serious knee injury at 23 and returned to score key goals for Spurs, including both strikes in the 1971 League Cup final and a headed goal and a long-range winner in the 1972 UEFA Cup final. He made 367 appearances for Tottenham, scoring 174 goals, and scored 13 times in 24 appearances for England.

After leaving Spurs following the 1975–76 season he played for Servette, Norwich, Brighton, Dorchester (as player-manager), Vard and briefly Barnet. He later ran a hotel and restaurant, took a Football Association development role in May 2008 and did media work with BBC Radio. Chivers remained a regular at Tottenham home games and is survived by his wife Julia, sons Nick and Luke, daughters Andrea and Melanie and grandchildren.

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Sports, Martin Chivers, Tottenham Hotspur, Uefa Cup, Bill Nicholson, Southampton