1966 and all that...Spurs 5 Aston Villa 5

Dek Hogan looks back at a match where despite ten goals being scored, it's a Villa miss that makes the headlines...

England. March 1966. World Cup Willie is everywhere.

No, it's not some sort of hideous STD you pick up from sleeping with footballers, we've not got as far as the Summer of Love yet. Willie is official mascot of the World Cup. The cup in question, the Jules Rimet Trophy, is being used to promote a exhibition for stamp collectors – people have simpler tastes here in 1966 – although just a few short hours after Villa have visited Spurs in a League Division One match, the World will be stunned when the cup is stolen.

If this is the Swinging Sixties, you'd never guess it from the night's television. The highlight of the BBC schedule is The Black and White Minstrel Show while Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson are the star guests on ATV's Morecambe and Wise Show.

Sadly, the goal feast that is about to occur won't be captured for television or posterity. The Match of the Day cameras are at Old Trafford, while ATV London has decided to show Rugby Union instead of Star Soccer. ABC Television, the ITV company providing weekend telly to the Midlands and the North has plumped for Sheffield Wednesday versus Northampton.

For Villa, the trip to London is an opportunity to complete a rare double over Spurs, having won 3-2 at Villa Park back in September. To achieve this, they have to find a way past shovel handed Northern Irish goalkeeper Pat Jennings, while attempting to keep one Jimmy Greaves quiet at the other end. Jimmy is virtually a fixture in Sir Alf's England team and hopes are high that his goals can win the biggest prize of all.

Jimmy has also formed a deadly partnership with Scotland's Alan Gilzean. Villa's star striker is Tony Hateley, but despite a very impressive goals to games ratio, a section of the Villa crowd have taken against him (the boo-boys prove to be a contributory factor in Hateley leaving Villa for Chelsea in October 1966 and without his goals, Villa will be relegated).

Four goals for Tony Hateley

Any hope of keeping Jimmy quiet disappears from the off. He is in imperious form and Villa players are left trailing in his wake. Almost immediately, he creates Spurs first goal, a short corner to Dave Mackay whose less than convincing shot manges to deflect in off Alan Gilzean. Soon Greaves is on the scoresheet in his own right, a neat one-two with Eddie Clayton and he's away to beat Colin Withers in the Villa goal. Colin will have a very busy afternoon.

Greaves's dummy than sets Jimmy Robertson free of the Villa defence, his cross is nodded down by Gilzean and a grateful Frank Saul steers the ball past the stranded Withers. Fifteen minutes on the clock, three nil Spurs. Oh dear!

Villa are still fighting though and Spurs are helping with some Keystone Cops defending. Pat Jennings makes a terrible error, throwing a ball straight to Alan Deakin, who sadly fails to capitalise; Alan Mullery's lack of control allows Villa's Alan Baker to fire in a low centre which conveniently finds Tony Hateley's knee and Villa have their first goal of the afternoon.

Spurs soon reassert their authority, a string of unchallenged passes leaving Spurs fans wondering if anyone actually fancies having an actual shot. Eventually, centre half Laurie Brown tries his luck and its 4-1 Spurs.

Early in the second half Robertson puts in what looks to be final nail in the Villa's coffin, getting on the end of centre-come-shot from the brilliant Greaves.

We're not dead yet.

Will Hamilton has been working tirelessly all game and starts to see the rewards. As the Spurs defence tire, he's able to create space for Deakin and Hateley to torture the fragile Spurs back line. Deakin soon takes advantage to get Villa's second, while Hateley is grateful for Spurs defensive lethargy as his nets Villa third.

Suddenly Spurs are leaking like a colander at the back and Hateley is dominating the aerial play. With the Londoners on the back foot, Charlie Aitken is free to forage and twice his crosses find the head of Hateley and end up in the back of net.

5-5 then, but can anyone grab a winner? We really, really should do...

Best to let Alan Deakin describe what happens, “I took this pass from Willie Hamilton and took off for goal.

“I went around the goalkeeper and thought-' I've done the hard bit, now I've got the winner' I took the ball a bit too far on, but still thought I must score.

“I sidefooted the ball all right, but it started to bobble on its way in. Next thing, there was Mullery racing across to clear. I couldn't believe it—it was terrible. . . .”

Despite the ten goal thriller, many of the headlines are focused on Deakin's miss. It's a game Villa could and some would say should have won. From a claret and blue perspective, that's a fair point of few, though it's hard to say that Jimmy Greaves' magical first half display wasn't worthy of at least something.

With the World Cup weeks away, England fans will be heartened to see him in such vibrant form...

Tottenham Hotspur 5 Aston Villa 5
Competition: League Division One
Venue: White Hart Lane
Attendance : 28,371

Spurs: Pat Jennings, Cyril Knowles, Laurie Brown, Alan Mullery, Dave Mackay, Frank Saul, Alan Gilzean, Derek Possee, Jimmy Robertson, Eddie Clayton, Jimmy Greaves

Villa: Colin Withers, Mick Wright, Charlie Aitken, John Sleeuwenhoek, Mike Tindall, Alan Deakin, Dave Pountney, Jimmy MacEwan, Tony Hateley, Alan Baker, Willie Hamilton