Soccer Tottenham reaches Cup final

Press, 13 April 1987, Page 22

Soccer Tottenham reaches Cup final

NZPA-Reuter London Tottenham, refusing to show any sympathy for Watford’s goalkeeping plight, reached the Football Association Cup final for the eighth time in its 105-year history with a clinical 4-1 on Saturday.

The semi-final, played at Villa Park, Birmingham, was a personal nightmare for Watford’s third-choice goalkeeper, Gary Plumley, pressed into service after injuries to Tony Coton and the first reserve, Steve Sherwood.

Plumley, aged 31, a Welsh bar-owner and part-time footballer gifted Tottenham its opener after 11 minutes when he failed to hold a shot from Clive Allen and Steve Hodge rammed home the rebound.

But the ruthlessly efficient way in which Tottenham played was impressive by any standards and neither Coventry nor Leeds will derive comfort from the thought the Londoners’ seven previous F.A. Cup final appearances have all ended in triumph.

Watford looked beaten from the moment it fell be-

hind and it took Tottenham just 60 seconds to increase its advantage. Allen, looking for his fortyfifth goal of the season to beat the club record of 44 he shared with Jimmy Greaves, found space on the edge of the area and his right-foot shot left Plumley flat-footed after taking a deflection. Though Watford looked threatening in attack, their defence assumed a haunted look every time Plumley was called on and the goalkeeper appeared at fault again when Tottenham swept into a 3-0 lead in the thirty-fourth minute.

Glenn Hoddle and Osvaldo Ardiles, the veteran Argentinian who has set his heart on an F.A. Cup final appearance on May 16, combined to set up Paul Allen with an opening and the little midfielder beat Plumley at the near post from an acute angle.

Tottenham did have the good grace to slow the tempo after the interval and even allowed the Watford substitute, Steve Terry, a seventyfifth minute consolation goal shortly after Hodge had

scored his second of the game.

English league F.A. Cup semi-final: Tottenham 4, Watford 1. Division one: Arsenal 2, Charlton 1; Everton 4, West Ham 0; Leicester 1, Aston Villa 1; Manchester City 2, Southampton 4; Norwich 2, Liverpool 1; Oxford 1, Newcastle 1; Queen’s Park Rangers 2, Luton 2. Postponed: Coventry v. Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday v. Nottingham Forest, Watford v. Chelsea, Wimbledon v. Tottenham. Division two: Blackburn 4, Barnsley 2; Crystal Palace 0, Plymouth 0; Derby 0, Stoke 0; Huddersfield 1, Ipswich 2; Millwall 1, Grimsby 0; Portsmouth 3, Oldham 0; Reading 0, Bradford 1; Sunderland 1, Sheffield United 2.

Postponed: Shrewsbury v. Leeds; Hull v. Brighton. Division three: Blackpool 0, Gillingham 1; Bolton 0, Middlesbrough 1; Bournemouth 1, Walsall 0; Bristol Rovers 3, Swindon 4; Chester 1, Rotherham 0; Darlington 4, Bury 1; Fulham 3, Chesterfield 1, Mansfield 2, Bristol City 0; Notts County 1, Brent-

ford 1; Port Vale 0, Carlisle 1; York 3 Newport 0. Division four: Aidershot 1, Wrexham 0; Cambridge 1, Swansea 0; Cardiff 1, Preston 1; Crewe 1, Lincoln 2; Exeter 2, Halifax 2; Hereford 1, Stockport 2; Rochdale 0, Wolverhampton 3; Scunthorpe 3, Southend 0; Tranmere 1, Peterborough 1. Scottish league

F.A. Cup semi-finals: Dundee 2, Dundee United 3; Hearts 1, St Mirren 2.

Premier division: Aberdeen 1, Clydebank 1; Hibernian 1, Celtic 4.

Postponed: Dundee United v. Hamilton, Falkirk v. St Mirren, Motherwell v. Hearts, Rangers v. Dundee.

Division one: Airdrieonians 3, Clyde 2; Brechin 3, East Fife 2; Dumbarton 3, Kilmarnock 2; Forfar 4, Montrose 1; Partick 0, Dunfermline 2; Queen of the South 2, Morton 3.

Division two: Alloa 0, Arbroath 3; Berwick 0, Meadowbank 1; Cowdenbeath 1, Ayr 3; East Stirling 1, Albion 0; Raith 1, Stenhousemuir 0; St Johnstone 0, Queen’s Park 2; Stranraer 0, Stirling 3.