'A potent combination of power, skill and marksmanship'
- Published
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.
