Ex-Tottenham and England forward Chivers dies aged 80

Former Tottenham and England forward Martin Chivers has died at the age of 80.

During his eight years in north London, the striker scored 174 goals in 367 outings to help the club win the League Cup twice, as well as the Uefa Cup.

He also scored 13 goals in his 24 appearances for England.

Tottenham said: "It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of our legendary former striker, Martin Chivers.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to Martin's family, friends and former team-mates at this incredibly sad time.

"Rest in peace, Martin. One of the all-time greats."

Born in Southampton in April 1945, Chivers made his debut for his hometown club aged 17.

After scoring 106 goals in 190 appearances for the Saints, the forward was signed by Spurs manager Bill Nicholson in January 1968 for a fee of £125,000.

Later in his career, Chivers played in Switzerland and Norway either side of spells at Norwich City, Brighton and Dorchester Town, before retiring in 1983 after a brief spell at Barnet.

Tottenham will wear black armbands for Wednesday's match at Bournemouth.

'The player for the big occasion'

Martin Chivers was a potent combination of power, skill and marksmanship, possessing such quality that Tottenham Hotspur manager Nicholson paid a then British record £125,000 to sign him from Southampton in January 1968.

Nicholson already had Jimmy Greaves and Alan Gilzean at his disposal, but felt Chivers was the perfect addition and complement to the subtlety the pair provided - and so it proved as he became the Spurs spearhead.

Chivers was occasionally accused of lacking devil in his play, but the statistics and his successes suggest otherwise as he became a striker defenders feared, forming a formidable partnership with Gilzean.

He was a key figure in an era of success for Spurs, the high point coming when he scored a header and a magnificent 25-yard strike in the first leg of the 1972 Uefa Cup final against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, Nicholson's side eventually winning 3-2 on aggregate over two legs.

He was the player for the big occasion, also scoring twice when Spurs beat Aston Villa 2-0 in the 1971 League Cup final at Wembley. He picked up another winners' medal in the competition two years later.

Chivers was a fixture in Sir Alf Ramsey's England side in the early 70s, winning 24 caps and scoring 13 goals, but his international career was left unfulfilled when they failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, the striker playing in the 1-1 draw with Poland at Wembley in November 1973 that led to their exit.

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