Think Andy Booth and it immediately conjures images of turning out for the Blue and White stripes of either Huddersfield Town or Sheffield Wednesday.

However, few may recall, or indeed believe, the dyed-in-the-wool Yorkshireman spent a brief stint in the bright lights of London plying his trade on-loan at Tottenham Hotspur.

It was 2001 and parent club Wednesday had been relegated from the top-flight the season before, with Spurs a mid-table Premier League outfit in the midst of an striker shortage.

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So just how did the the White Hart Lane outfit call on the services of the then 27-year-old striker?

“David Pleat was the manager who brought me from Huddersfield Town to Sheffield Wednesday in 1996 and he was the Director of Football at Tottenham at the time,” explained Andy Booth.

“George Graham was their manager and they had a shortage of strikers – Les Ferdinand, Stefan Iversen and Chris Armstrong were all out injured.

“So David got in touch with me and asked if I fancied going down for a month to help them out.”

Booth was signed as the quintessential big man to complement the guile of diminutive Ukrainian striker Sergei Rebrov and made the first of his four appearances in a scoreless draw against West Ham United.

Andy Booth in action on his debut for Tottenham Hotspur against West Ham United.
Andy Booth in action on his debut for Tottenham Hotspur against West Ham United.

“It was always going to be short-term but I ended up there for nearly two months,” said Booth.

“It was a great experience to go down there and I really enjoyed my time.

“I must admit when I wasn’t playing or training I didn’t get much chance to come back up to Yorkshire so I was a bit of a tourist.

“After the games on Saturday I’d go into London with my wife and we’d experience the nightlife with Les Ferdinand getting us guest lists passes in all the places.

“Then on the Sunday we’d go sightseeing – I loved it but I’ve got to admit two months down there was enough for me and I was ready to get back to Yorkshire.”

And although the Tottenham of then is a far cry from the Premier League powerhouse they are today, Booth always felt they had the right infrastructure going forward.

“There wasn’t a lot you could do with Spurs at that time – they were a mid-to-top half team,” added Booth.

“But when I went down there the training ground and facilities were magnificent – and I always thought with them they should have been doing more than they were.

“They had everything in place and it really surprised me.

“I think it was always difficult for George Graham (the manager) because he was associated with Arsenal, and the Tottenham fans never really took to him.

“Before I went down he had a reputation for being a bit of a tough taskmaster at Arsenal, but I must admit, I think he had calmed down a bit when I was there.

“He had mellowed with age and although it was great he got the opportunity with Spurs, he wasn’t the manager he was at Arsenal and it was his last managerial job altogether.”