An all-yellow Tottenham Hotspur change kit wouldn’t be that much of a rarity you’d think, and you’d generally be right, even if the colour hasn’t been used much of late.
It’s not the centenary crest which makes it a one-off either, in the way that Arsenal’s yellow 2010-11 change shirt had one outing in 2011-12 with the club’s 125 badge before reverting in 2012-13 – this kit was only worn in one game and no other crest version exists.
To mark Spurs’ centenary, Le Coq Sportif produced a new home shirt featuring a commemorative crest while shadow stripes were introduced.
The away kit followed the same pattern but in all-sky blue rather than yellow. With no teams in the first division having royal blue and white stripes, hoops or halves, and Coventry City in their ‘Talbot’ era, the two kits were sufficient for Spurs to deal with all competitive clashes.
However, in April 1983, they travelled to Eastville for a friendly to take on Bristol Rovers, who were celebrating their centenary year. With neither the white nor the sky-blue considered suitable, it proved to be the only outing for the yellow strip.
For 1983-84, the home and away shirts were modified in that the ‘Audere Est Facere’ crest was introduced and placed on the middle of the chest with the LCS logos going to the sleeves, where they had been on the company’s first Spurs kits.
There was no equivalent yellow version though, meaning that, for the Uefa Cup semi-final first leg away to Hajduk Split, the 1980-82 away shirt was resurrected, Holstened up and worn with white shorts.
Queens Park Rangers were back in the top flight and the older yellow shirt would be worn at Loftus Road soon after the Split game (thanks to Tony Sealey for this info) but it seems Spurs were able to get away without wearing a third kit there in 1984-85.
