Fifty Years Ago........

[stockyfox]

January and February 1961 must rank as two of the greatest months in Leicester City's 125 year history.

As a teenager, I wrote the following Ode following one of Leicester's greatest victories (but which regretably was not to be repeated in the 1961 Cup-Final).

On the commemoration of the defeat of Tottenham Hotspur by Leicester City in the Battle of White Hart Lane on 4^th February 1961

There was once a great soccer team called Tottenham,

More commonly known as 'The Spurs',

They played some beautiful football,

In fact, there was no team better than theirs

They made some very big signings,

(As these clubs quite often do),

They bought the very best players

That is, the very best players on view.

They built up a good reputation

And became the country's top club,

They were hailed as the team of the era

And were the talking point in the pub.

Everyone talked about Tottenham,

Even those who hadn't followed Football before,

They talked about having a super-league

Just for Tottenham (and one or two more!).

But now to get things in perspective,

I'll tell you what happened one day

How the mighty Spurs were defeated

By a team that was playing AWAY!

Yes! They took on the Spurs and at Tottenham,

Everyone said Tottenham would win

Well, after all, it was only quite natural,

To say that they wouldn't was a sin.

The team that they played It was Leicester!

What's that I just heard you say?

Oh Sir! Really! How dare you

Just stand there and say 'Who are they?'

But well may you ask, dear supporter,

For it's not many that have heard of them.

They don't happen to have any star players

Or anyone that you'd call a gem.

It's funny that Leicester's unknown though,

But then you listen to me,

The BBC's completely ignored them,

For they only talk about Tottenham you see!

But Leicester have made quite a habit

Of beating the cream in the land,

For this season's been full of shocks and surprises

Some of which even they hadn't planned

The first game at home was a one all draw

With Blackpool, Colin Appleton gaining the feather

But next match saw them thrash Chelsea three-one

And at Stamford Bridge, for the first time ever.

A draw at Old Trafford and a win over Wolves

Were the next points to go in the locker,

Then two three-one wins, away at Newcastle then Villa

Before the Gunners were shot two-one, in a shocker.

A five-two win over Preston was next

At home on the fourth of November.

This was followed by wins over Wednesday and Brum

In a season, we'll always remember.

A Boxing Day win over Bolton Wanderers two-nil

Was a reverse of the Christmas Eve score,

But then Everton tried on New Year's Eve,

They scored one but Leicester scored four.

And sixty-one was truly for Leicester

A really very happy new year

With two draws and seven wins in the first two months

Giving their fans lots to cheer.

And indeed two of these wins over Man Utd and Spurs

Will be remembered by fans evermore

Especially against the one and only great Tottenham,

It shook 'em right down to the core.

The week before, Spurs had lost at the Wednesday,

But they had never been beaten at 'The Lane',

They had also lost two-nil at Old Trafford

Which their fans found a bit of a pain.

Manchester United however,

Came to Leicester, five days after this win,

But lost six-nil unfortunately,

My! Didn't that cause a din!

After this Leicester beat Bristol

Five-one, one night in the cup,

And then came the match with Tottenham,

Which made the supporters go 'Whoop!'

Leicester's defeat of United had 'em talking

In London, on the morn of the match,

Could they, would they or wouldn't they

Beat Tottenham starting from scratch.

Well, the impossible happened.

Leicester played them into the ground,

Ken Leek scored a beauty in twenty-eight minutes

And then they never looked around.

Allen equalised though for Spurs

Six minutes after this upset,

But three minutes later, captain Walsh

Smashed a rebound into the net.

Hardly had the second half started

When Leicester gave a foul in the box,

Blanchflower took the kick,

Bobby Smith took the knocks.

Leicester were undaunted,

And pressed on full of fire,

Someone threw a beer bottle

Right into the mire.

And then after sixty-seven minutes

Came Leicester's crowning goal,

Walsh beat Norman coolly

And up to the net he stole.

Brown, the Tottenham goalie,

Came out to try and save,

But Walsh made no mistake

And made our supporters rave.

The Press went mad, the TV too,

Everyone had a complete surprise,

Tottenham beaten at White Hart Lane,

Leicester had gained the prize!

Dedicated to :

Gordon Banks; Len Chalmers, Ritchie Norman,

Frank McLintock, Ian King, Colin Appleton;

Howard Riley, Jimmy Walsh, Ken Leek, Ken Keyworth and Gordon Wills.

And also to the manager Matt Gillies;

and Trainer, Alec Dowdells,

and all the supporters who made the journey to Tottenham to see the match!

[Guest BlueBrett]

Always been a bit of a rambler then?

[haraven]

That was some impressive piece of poetry! Quite impressed. Olds school - respect.

Don't expect the "This"/"FTW"/""-generation will understand though.

[surrifox]

"someone threw a beer bottle right into the mire"

happy, more innocent times

actually its hard to believe that 's from the 60's it sounds Kiplingesque in places

[Captain...]

This forum needs more poetry.

There once was a team called The Foxes

Who were terrible in both of the boxes

Along came Sven

Picked up his men

Now they are all as strong as oxes.

(I know the plural of ox is oxen, but there aren't many things that rhyme with foxes, it's poetic license innit)

[deep blue]

This forum needs more poetry.

There once was a team called The Foxes

Who were terrible in both of the boxes

Along came Sven

Picked up his men

Now they are all as strong as oxes.

(I know the plural of ox is oxen, but there aren't many things that rhyme with foxes, it's poetic license innit)

We then lost the cup final - so bleak,

It was said we had frailer physique,

What with Chalmers' bust leg

(He played on, on one peg),

But in truth we just needed a Leek

Cue Stocky to fill in the details ...

[blueredswed]

But we come back 2011-12

and this is a fact!

Come on the BLUE!!!!!

[Leicester_Loyal]

Lovely bit of rhyming, much like in the link.

[Fosse Boy]

Good post stockyfox.

Wish I was old enough to have lived through that...

well, maybe not.