Last week, we looked at a Manchester United kit from 1981 which more or less matched up but which featured elements produced by three different kit manufacturers.
A year later, Tottenham Hotspur’s successful FA Cup would feature a mashup which was questionable in terms of colour and crest composition but which was at least all made by the same company.
Spurs began the 1981-82 season in the same Le Coq Sportif strip in which they had won the FA Cup and they would go on to enjoy a very good season, retaining the cup, finishing fourth in the league, reaching the League Cup final and the European Cup Winners’ Cup semis.
The first three FA Cup games were all at home, Spurs beating Arsenal, Leeds United and Aston Villa at White Hart Lane, setting up a quarter-final visit to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea.
At the time, the Blues were in Division 2 and the clubs hadn’t met in the league since 1979. Like Spurs, they were in Le Coq Sportif kit – see here for a full examination of their time with the French brand – and were clad in their usual blue shirts and shorts with white socks.
Spurs were prepared for the socks-clash, wearing their yellow away set, but they didn’t have any alternative shorts – whether they were forgotten, or whether Spurs hoped that blue v navy wouldn’t be seen as a clash, we don’t know. In any event, Spurs took to the field in the white shorts from Chelsea’s third kit.
When Spurs fell behind early, it looked as if wearing the opposition shorts would prove to be a bad omen, but three quick goals after half-time put them in control. While Chelsea pulled one back, Spurs held on for a 3-2 victory.
In the semi-finals, they met Leicester City at Villa Park. At the time, Leicester had white socks too and so Spurs wore the ensemble on the right as they won 2-0.
The cup was retained after a replay win over Queens Park Rangers in the final, with both teams in change kits. QPR won the toss for colours, but, having won their semi against West Bromwich Albion in red and black, they opted to keep that kit for Wembley.
However, as revealed by The Spurs Shirt, Tottenham still had to change as they lost the toss. It didn’t stop them winning the cup, though.
Replay for a cup final – whose bright idea was that!?
Spurs were going to wear white/navy/yellow at Chelsea, but George Courtney was ref, and decided otherwise, hence borrowing Chelsea’s ‘3rd kit’ shorts.