Spurs aiming for hat-trick

Press, 29 May 1982, Page 64

Spurs aiming for hat-trick

NZPA London Tottenham’s manager, Keith Burkinshaw, is already aiming for an F.A. Cup hattrick — and he desperately wants the Argentinians, Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa, to be in on the next .Wembley party. Mr Burkinshaw saw Spurs retain the trophy early yesterday morning (N.Z. time) with a 1-0 win over the second division side, Queen’s Park Rangers, but his thoughts were several thousand miles away.

Ardiles returned to Buenos Aires to join the Argentine World Cup squad earlier this year — and the Falklands crisis prevented his return to England to play his part in the final. Villa also sat out the final because of the South Atlantic situation, although he was in the stadium to see Glenn Hoddle clinch Spur’s victory with a sixth-minute penalty. But afterwards Mr Burkinshaw was just as concerned with the plight of his two South Americans as with his side’s Wembley showing. He said: “I am hoping and praying that we get Ossie and Ricky back for next season.

“Ricky got a tremendous reception at Wembley — he said he just could dot believe that English people could react in that way. He thinks it’s absolutely magnificent. “I think we appreciate football in this country, whether or not there is a war

on. That’s the great thing about English people — they are fair minded.”

The duo’s situation is being closely followed by several top overseas clubs. “It seems that everybody in the world wants to buy them, but I just will not listen to offers unless there is no chance at all that they can come back next season,” said Mr Burkinshaw.

“Ardiles is the best player we have seen in England for a long, long time and he would have made it crack out there last night.”

The mood in the Tottenham camp was fairly lowkey considering it had just won the Cup. Mr Burkinshaw explained: “Our performance lacked the style and panache that we showed last year. I am a purist — maybe that’s why I’m not so elated. "It was a final for the punters — and I am only pleased that we have something to show for our efforts this season.”

. Rangers certainly feel they were robbed. The crossbar prevented John Gregory equalising, while Rangers claimed that they should have had a penalty for a Garth Crooks challenge on Terry Fenwick. Rangers’ manager, Terry Venables, said: ‘‘We feel very unlucky. We were the better side without a shadow of doubt, and I consider it a moral victory.”