Tottenham Hotspur legend Terry Dyson born in Malton has died

Terry Dyson, a key member of Bill Nicholson’s all-conquering team of the early 1960s, was born in Malton and attended the town’s secondary school.

Famously small in stature at 5ft 3ins, he scored in the FA Cup Final as we clinched the ‘double’ of league championship and FA Cup in 1961 and produced arguably his best display in the 1963 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final, when he scored twice as we beat Atletico Madrid 5-1 to become the first British side to claim a European trophy.

Terry Dyson ducks under the FA Cup held aloft by skipper Danny Blanchflower and fellow goalscorer Bobby Smith after the 1961 FA Cup Final

Terry also remains the only Spurs player to score a hat-trick in the north London derby.

Born in Malton, on 29 November, 1934, the son of jockey ‘Ginger’ Dyson, Terry was invited for a trial after a Spurs scout watched him score five goals for the Army in a match against the Guards. He joined us as an amateur in December, 1954 before signing professional forms in April, 1955.

Posting on the Tottenham website, the club said: “Terry went on to spend 10 successful years at White Hart Lane. Famed for his tenacious nature and fierce competitive spirit, he spent his early days as understudy to George Robb and Terry Medwin before Cliff Jones’ arrival in 1958 would appear to limit his chances again but, despite interest from other clubs, Bill kept him at Spurs and it paid dividends.

Terry Dyson pictured with the Cup Winners’ Cup trophy in 2013 – 50 years after the final

Playing mainly down the left flank, with Cliff on the right of a formidable forward line, Terry started 47 of our 49 matches in the double season, weighing in with an impressive 17 goals (12 in the league, five in the FA Cup) and none more important than his diving header in the FA Cup Final against Leicester City, where our 2-0 win saw us become the first team to clinch the league and FA Cup ‘double’ in the 20th century.

His most famous moment in a white shirt arrived two years later, when he scored twice as we became the first British team to win a European trophy with a 5-1 demolition of Atletico Madrid in the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

His team-mate and fellow goalscorer in the 1961 FA Cup Final, striker Bobby Smith, said to Terry afterwards, ‘you better retire now, you’ll never play better’.

Terry Dyson and fellow goalscorer Bobby Smith after the 1961 FA Cup Final

Terry stayed for another two years, taking his total of appearances in all competitions to 209, scoring a superb tally of 55 goals.

From Spurs, Terry moved to Fulham in May, 1965 and had spells at Colchester, Guildford City and Wealdstone before managerial stints at Kingsbury, Wingate, Dagenham – where he won the FA Trophy in 1980 – Boreham Wood, Ruislip and Kingsbury Town.

He was then a referee’s observer for the Premier Academy League for a spell from 1999, when he was a regular visitor to matches at our former training ground, Spurs Lodge.

A true Spurs great, we would like to send our condolences to Terry’s family and friends at this sad time.”

Terry Dyson pictured with double team-mates Cliff Jones and Terry Medwin in 2021

Tottenham’s 1961 double-winner Terry Dyson was born in Malton and attended the town’s

The Premier League club confirmed Dyson’s death on Thursday and paid tribute to their former winger, who made 209 appearances and scored 55 goals for Spurs across a 10-year spell.

Dyson was a key figure in Bill Nicholson’s 1960-61 side who were the first English team in the 20th century to achieve a First Division and FA Cup double, but one of his finest moments occurred two years later when he scored a brace in a 5-1 victory over Atletico Madrid to secure European Cup Winners’ Cup success.

“The club is extremely saddened to learn of the passing of our former player Terry Dyson at the age of 91,” a Tottenham statement read.

“Terry was a key part of our double-winning side in 1961, scoring in the FA Cup Final. He also scored twice in the 1963 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final. He made 209 appearances in all competitions, scoring 55 goals.

“Our deepest condolences are with Terry’s family and friends at this incredibly sad time.”

Dyson played for Fulham, Colchester and Guildford after a distinguished spell at Spurs.

Yorkshire-born Dyson remains the only Tottenham player to score a hat-trick against fierce rivals Arsenal, which he achieved at the start of the 1961-62 campaign.

Back in 2020, Dyson told the Press Association: “One of them hit my hand. It bounced up, hit my hand and I lashed it in and the Arsenal players went mad.

“They ran after the referee but he never saw it. I didn’t do it deliberately but it hit my hand and I just lashed it in.

“To get a hat-trick was brilliant and nobody has done it since. There was a header, a left foot and a right foot. It was perfect!”

Dyson celebrated with “a few drinks” and also received small praise from perfectionist Nicholson.

“His praise wasn’t brilliant, he didn’t throw it out willy-nilly, but he said well done and I was like ‘oh thanks Bill!’ We went out that night and had a few drinks, so it was good,” Dyson said six years ago.

“It is amazing, you don’t think of it at the time but it has gone down in history.”