Tottenham Hotspur vs Fulham 1961/62
During the 1950's and in their double season the previous season, the design of Spurs' programmes was pretty static. There was, of course, the odd exception for special events during the season but overall the club showed a complete lack of imagination.
The change in 1961/62 was less dramatic the overall look of the publication but the move from a 'newspaper' format was a welcome one and I have to confess to a liking for this simple layout.
The programme notes start on the front page and flow right through to the team sheet in the middle.
As you'll see below that middle page is one of the boldest of the era.
Lots of famous names in those lineups including a future World Cup winner and the tragic John White (scorer of 2 goals in this game.
Spurs, destined to slip to third in their championship defending season, saw off a Fulham side, that escaped relegation by 1 point, by 4 goals to 2. But The People report stresses general goal scoring problems for the home side with Dave Mackay playing up front, alongside Frank Saul, as a stop-gap ahead of the imminent arrival of the great Jimmy Greaves.
The Fulham game took place between the two legs of the European Cup 1st Rd tie against Feyenoord. The programme looks forward to that tie, which Tottenham won. In fact, Spurs were narrowly beaten in the semi-finals by the actual winners of the competition - Benfica.
For anyone interested in buying this item it can be found on Ebay