1988–89 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season

The 1988–89 season was the 107th season in the history of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, and their 11th consecutive season in the top flight of English football. In addition to the domestic league, the club participated in the FA Cup and the Football League Cup. Entering the 1988–89 season, Terry Venables stayed on as manager for his second season in charge of Tottenham with the team ending in sixth position, nineteen points behind eventual champions Arsenal. In the FA Cup, they got knocked out by second division team, Bradford City and they got knocked out in the fourth round of the Football League Cup by Southampton.

Tottenham Hotspur

1988–89 season
Chairman	Irving Scholar
Manager	Terry Venables
Stadium	White Hart Lane
First Division	6th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Fourth round
Top goalscorer	League: Chris Waddle (14) All: Chris Waddle (14)
Highest home attendance	32,621 (9 September vs. Arsenal, First Division)
Lowest home attendance	14,953 (11 October vs. Notts County, League Cup)
Average home league attendance	24,467
Biggest win	5–0 (29 April 1989 vs Millwall, First Division)
Home colours Away colours
← 1987–88 1989–90 →

Pre-season and friendlies

Pre-season

Sweden Summer Tour

Vederslöv/Dänningelanda IF XI v Tottenham Hotspur

26 July 1988 Friendly	Vederslöv/Dänningelanda IF XI	1–4	Tottenham Hotspur	Sweden
			Walsh Stewart (pen.)	Attendance: 1,850

Trelleborgs FF v Tottenham Hotspur

28 July 1988 Friendly	Trelleborgs FF	0–3	Tottenham Hotspur	Sweden
			Fenwick (pen.) Moran	Attendance: 3,226

GAIS v Tottenham Hotspur

31 July 1988 Friendly	GAIS	1–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Sweden
			Walsh	Attendance: 2,350

Jönköpings Södra IF v Tottenham Hotspur

2 August 1988 Friendly	Jönköpings Södra IF	1–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Sweden
			Waddle

Friendlies

Dundee United v Tottenham Hotspur

7 August 1988 Friendly	Dundee United	1–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Dundee, Scotland
			Walsh	Stadium: Tannadice Park Attendance: 9,685 Referee: D. Yeats
Note: David Narey's Testimonial

Reading v Tottenham Hotspur

10 August 1988 Friendly	Reading	2–1	Tottenham Hotspur
			Gascoigne

Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur

16 August 1988 Friendly	Chelsea	0–0	Tottenham Hotspur
Note: Colin Pates Testimonial

West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur

21 August 1988 Friendly	West Ham United	2–0	Tottenham Hotspur
Note: Alvin Martin's Testimonial

Swansea City v Tottenham Hotspur

6 September 1988 Friendly	Swansea City	0–3	Tottenham Hotspur
			Gascoigne Howells Gray

Home Farm v Tottenham Hotspur

18 October 1988 Friendly	Home Farm	0–4	Tottenham Hotspur
			(o.g.) Howells Fenwick Stewart

Wembley International Tournament

Main article: Wembley International Tournament

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal

13 August 1988 Friendly	Tottenham Hotspur	0–4	Arsenal	Wembley
				Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 30,104

Tottenham Hotspur v AC Milan

14 August 1988 Friendly	Tottenham Hotspur	1–2	AC Milan	Wembley
	Fenwick			Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 27,369

Mid-season

Friendlies

Tottenham Hotspur v AS Monaco

17 January 1989 Friendly	Tottenham Hotspur	1–3	AS Monaco
	Moncur (pen.)		Fofana Hateley Ferratge

Tottenham Hotspur v IFK Göteborg

18 February 1989 Friendly	Tottenham Hotspur	3–0	IFK Göteborg
	Nayim Walsh Robson

Tottenham Hotspur v Bordeaux

4 March 1989 Friendly	Tottenham Hotspur	1–2	Bordeaux	Tottenham
	Mabbutt 82'		Ferreri 44' Allen 65'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Referee: Tony Ward

Charlton Athletic v Tottenham Hotspur

4 April 1989 Friendly	Charlton Athletic	4–3	Tottenham Hotspur	Charlton
19:45 BST	Williams MacKenzie Flanagan		Walsh Stewart	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 1,762 Referee: John Moules
Note: Steve Gritt's Testimonial

Competitions

Overview

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
First Division	3 September 1988	13 May 1989	Matchday 1	6th	38	15	12	11	60	46	+14	039.47
FA Cup	9 January 1989	9 January 1989	Third round	Third round	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00
League Cup	27 September 1988	29 November 1988	Second round	Fourth round	5	2	2	1	6	5	+1	040.00
Total					44	17	14	13	66	52	+14	038.64

Source: Competitions

First Division

Main article: 1988–89 Football League First Division

League Table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
4	Norwich City	38	17	11	10	48	45	+3	62	Disqualified from the UEFA Cup[1]
5	Derby County	38	17	7	14	40	38	+2	58
6	Tottenham Hotspur	38	15	12	11	60	46	+14	57
7	Coventry City	38	14	13	11	47	42	+5	55
8	Everton	38	14	12	12	50	45	+5	54

Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored

Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss

Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur

3 September 1988 1	Newcastle United	2–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Thorn 4' Jackson 19'		Waddle 46' Fenwick 58'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 33,508

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal

10 September 1988 2	Tottenham Hotspur	2–3	Arsenal	Tottenham
	Waddle 25' Gascoigne 40'		Winterburn 20' Marwood 29' Smith 30'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 32,621

Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur

17 September 1988 3	Liverpool	1–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Liverpool
	Beardsley 78'		Gascoigne  9' Fenwick 79' Fairclough  81'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 40,929

Tottenham Hotspur v Middlesbrough

24 September 1988 4	Tottenham Hotspur	3–2	Middlesbrough	Tottenham
	Waddle 40' Howells 85' Fenwick 90' (pen.)		Slaven 27' Mowbray 50'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 23,427

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United

1 October 1988 5	Tottenham Hotspur	2–2	Manchester United	Tottenham
15:00 BST	Walsh 37' Waddle 86'		McClair 42' Hughes 71'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 29,318 Referee: Keith Cooper

Charlton Athletic v Tottenham Hotspur

8 October 1988 6	Charlton Athletic	2–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Selhurst
15:00 BST	Peake 14' Jones 65'		Fenwick 55' (pen.) Allen 77'	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 14,384 Referee: Joe Worrall

Norwich City v Tottenham Hotspur

22 October 1988 7	Norwich City	3–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Norwich
	Rosario 35' Fleck 43' Linighan 69'		Fairclough 57'	Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 20,330

Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton

25 October 1988 8	Tottenham Hotspur	1–2	Southampton	Tottenham
	Wallace 16' (o.g.)		Cockerill 67', 80'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 19,517

Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur

29 October 1988 9	Aston Villa	2–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Birmingham
	Fenwick 60' (o.g.) Daley 79'		Fenwick 73'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 26,238

Tottenham Hotspur v Derby County

5 November 1988 10	Tottenham Hotspur	1–3	Derby County	Tottenham
	Stewart 6'		McMinn 24', 62' Saunders 70'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 22,868

Tottenham Hotspur v Wimbledon

12 November 1988 11	Tottenham Hotspur	3–2	Wimbledon	Tottenham
15:00 GMT	Fenwick 18' Butters 61' Samways 62'		Gibson 21', 82'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 23,589

Sheffield Wednesday v Tottenham Hotspur

20 November 1988 12	Sheffield Wednesday	0–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Sheffield
			Stewart 80', 83'	Stadium: Hillsborough Attendance: 15,386

Tottenham Hotspur v Coventry City

23 November 1988 13	Tottenham Hotspur	1–1	Coventry City	Tottenham
19:45 GMT	Stewart 10'		Houchen 73'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 21,961 Referee: Allan Gunn

Tottenham Hotspur v Queens Park Rangers

26 November 1988 14	Tottenham Hotspur	2–2	Queens Park Rangers	Tottenham
	Gascoigne 54' Waddle 75'		Falco 21' Francis 32'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 26,698

Everton v Tottenham Hotspur

3 December 1988 15	Everton	1–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Walton
	Cottee 35'			Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 29,657

Tottenham Hotspur v Millwall

10 December 1988 16	Tottenham Hotspur	2–0	Millwall	Tottenham
	Waddle 18' Gascoigne 62'			Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 27,660

West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur

17 December 1988 17	West Ham United	0–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Upton Park
15:00 GMT			Mabbutt 23' Thomas 70'	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 28,379

Tottenham Hotspur v Luton Town

26 December 1988 18	Tottenham Hotspur	0–0	Luton Town	Tottenham
				Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 27,337

Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United

31 December 1988 19	Tottenham Hotspur	2–0	Newcastle United	Tottenham
	Walsh 21' Waddle 30'			Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 27,739

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur

2 January 1989 20	Arsenal	2–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Holloway
	Merson 24' Thomas 90'			Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 45,129

Tottenham Hotspur v Nottingham Forest

15 January 1989 21	Tottenham Hotspur	1–2	Nottingham Forest	Tottenham
	Waddle 45'		Clough 32' Parker 33'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 16,903

Middlesbrough v Tottenham Hotspur

21 January 1989 22	Middlesbrough	2–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Middlesbrough
	Cooper 41' Ripley 63'		Stewart 45', 49'	Stadium: Ayresome Park Attendance: 23,692

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur

5 February 1989 23	Manchester United	1–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Trafford
15:09 GMT	McClair 57'			Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 41,423

Tottenham Hotspur v Charlton Athletic

11 February 1989 24	Tottenham Hotspur	1–1	Charlton Athletic	Tottenham
15:00 GMT	Stewart 76'		Williams 36'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 22,803 Referee: Ron Groves

Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City

21 February 1989 25	Tottenham Hotspur	2–1	Norwich City	Tottenham
19:45 GMT	Gascoigne 13' Waddle 65'		Putney 52'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 19,120 Referee: John Holbrook

Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur

25 February 1989 26	Southampton	0–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Southampton
			Waddle 34' Nayim 86'	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 16,702

Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa

1 March 1989 27	Tottenham Hotspur	2–0	Aston Villa	Tottenham
	Waddle 23', 66'			Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 19,090

Derby County v Tottenham Hotspur

11 March 1989 28	Derby County	1–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Derby
	Saunders 33'		Gascoigne 57'	Stadium: Baseball Ground Attendance: 18,206

Coventry City v Tottenham Hotspur

18 March 1989 29	Coventry City	1–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Coventry
	Bannister 18'		Waddle 67'	Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 17,156

Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspur

22 March 1989 30	Nottingham Forest	1–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Nottingham
	Parker 49'		Howells 79' Samways 88'	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 23,098

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool

26 March 1989 31	Tottenham Hotspur	1–2	Liverpool	Tottenham
	Fenwick 48'		Aldridge 50' Beardsley 64'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 30,012 Referee: Roger Milford

Luton Town v Tottenham Hotspur

28 March 1989 32	Luton Town	1–3	Tottenham Hotspur	Luton
	Foster 42'		Howells 55' Walsh 82' Gascoigne 90'	Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 11,146

Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United

1 April 1989 33	Tottenham Hotspur	3–0	West Ham United	Tottenham
	Nayim 41' Fenwick 82' Stewart 88'			Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 28,375

Tottenham Hotspur v Sheffield Wednesday

12 April 1989 34	Tottenham Hotspur	0–0	Sheffield Wednesday	Tottenham
				Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 17,270

Wimbledon v Tottenham Hotspur

15 April 1989 35	Wimbledon	1–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Wimbledon
	Young 71'		Stewart 33' Waddle 61'	Stadium: Plough Lane Attendance: 12,366

Tottenham Hotspur v Everton

22 April 1989 36	Tottenham Hotspur	2–1	Everton	Tottenham
	Walsh 69', 89'		McDonald 83'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 28,568

Millwall v Tottenham Hotspur

29 April 1989 37	Millwall	0–5	Tottenham Hotspur	New Cross
			Walsh 18' Stewart 31', 75', 90' Samways 82'	Stadium: The Den Attendance: 16,551

Queens Park Rangers v Tottenham Hotspur

13 May 1989 38	Queens Park Rangers	1–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Shepherd's Bush
	Falco 85'			Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 21,873

FA Cup

See also: 1988–89 FA Cup

As part of the first division, Tottenham automatically qualified through to the third round of the FA Cup where they was drawn to meet Division Two side Bradford City.

Bradford City v Tottenham Hotspur

7 January 1989 Third round	Bradford City	1–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Bradford
	Mitchell			Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 15,917

Football League Cup

See also: 1988–89 Football League Cup

As part of the first division, Tottenham started the League Cup in the second round where they were drawn to meet third division side, Notts County.

Notts County v Tottenham Hotspur

27 September 1988 Second round First leg	Notts County	1–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Nottingham
	Birtles		Samways	Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 9,279

Tottenham Hotspur v Tottenham Hotspur

11 October 1988 Second round Second leg	Tottenham Hotspur	2–1 (3–2 agg.)	Tottenham Hotspur	Tottenham
	Gascoigne Fenwick		Thorpe	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 14,953

Tottenham Hotspur v Blackburn Rovers

1 November 1988 Third round	Tottenham Hotspur	0–0	Blackburn Rovers	Tottenham
19:45 GMT				Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 18,814 Referee: Terry Holbrook

Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur

9 November 1988 Third round replay	Blackburn Rovers	1–2 (a.e.t.)	Tottenham Hotspur	Blackburn
	Butters 109' (o.g.)		Thomas 106' Stewart 110'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 12,965

Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur

29 November 1988 Fourth round	Southampton	2–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Southampton
19:30 GMT	Cockerill Moore		Osman (o.g.)	Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 17,375 Referee: Keren Barratt

Statistics

Appearances

Last updated: 1 April 2024.
Source:

Pos.	Name	First Division		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
GK	Bobby Mimms	20	0	1	0	5	0	26	0
GK	Erik Thorstvedt	18	0	0	0	0	0	18	0
Defenders
DF	Guðni Bergsson	8	0	1	0	0	0	9	0
DF	Guy Butters	27+1	1	1	0	1+1	0	29+2	1
DF	Chris Fairclough	20	1	1	0	4	0	25	1
DF	Terry Fenwick	34	8	1	0	5	1	40	9
DF	Chris Hughton	20+1	0	0+1	0	0	0	20+2	0
DF	Gary Mabbutt	38	1	1	0	5	0	44	1
DF	John Polston	0+3	0	0	0	0	0	0+3	0
DF	Brian Statham	6	0	0	0	2	0	8	0
DF	Gary Stevens	5	0	0	0	2	0	7	0
DF	Mark Stimson	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
DF	Mitchell Thomas	22+3	1	1	0	5	1	28+3	2
Midfielders
MF	Paul Allen	35+2	1	0	0	5	0	41+2	1
MF	Paul Gascoigne	31+1	6	0	0	5	1	36+1	7
MF	David Howells	12+15	3	0	0	0+1	0	12+16	3
MF	John Moncur	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
MF	Nayim	8+3	2	0	0	0	0	8+3	2
MF	Mark Robson	3+2	0	0	0	0	0	3+2	0
MF	Vinny Samways	12+7	3	0	0	3+2	1	15+9	4
MF	Paul Stewart	29+1	12	1	0	4	1	34+1	13
MF	Chris Waddle	38	14	1	0	5	0	44	14
Forwards
FW	Phil Gray	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
FW	Paul Moran	4+4	0	0+1	0	1+1	0	5+6	0
FW	Paul Walsh	28+5	6	1	0	3	0	32+5	6

Goal scorers

Last updated: 1 April 2024.
Source:

Rnk	Pos	Player	First Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	MF	Chris Waddle	14	0	0	14
2	MF	Paul Stewart	12	0	1	13
3	DF	Terry Fenwick	8	0	1	9
4	MF	Paul Gascoigne	6	0	1	7
5	FW	Paul Walsh	6	0	0	6
6	MF	Vinny Samways	3	0	1	4
7	MF	David Howells	3	0	0	3
8	MF	Nayim	2	0	0	2
	DF	Mitchell Thomas	1	0	1	2
9	MF	Paul Allen	1	0	0	1
	MF	Guy Butters	1	0	0	1
	FW	Chris Fairclough	1	0	0	1
	DF	Gary Mabbutt	1	0	0	1
Total			59	1	5	74

Clean sheets

Last updated: 1 April 2024.
Source:

Rnk	Player	First Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Total
1	Bobby Mimms	5	0	1	6
2	Erik Thorstvedt	5	0	0	5
Total		10	0	1	11

See also

• 1988–89 in English football
• List of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. seasons

Notes