Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth

Born under a streetlamp, named after a medieval knight; not bad origins for a football club.

On 5 September 1882, a group of boys from Hotspur Cricket Club and the local grammar school formed Hotspur Football Club beneath a streetlamp on Tottenham High Road. The name was borrowed from Sir Henry Percy, the medieval knight known as Harry Hotspur. Within three years they had added 'Tottenham' to distinguish themselves from another London club of the same name.

Former Boscombe schoolboys kicking about on waste ground in 1899; by 1971, after several name changes, they had become AFC Bournemouth.

In 1899, a group of former pupils from a Boscombe school established Boscombe Football Club. They played on waste ground before eventually settling at Dean Court in 1910. The club would later become Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, and finally AFC Bournemouth in 1971. For most of the 20th century, they were a modest lower-league outfit, a world away from the top flight.

Tottenham were an established First Division club; Bournemouth were still finding their feet in the lower tiers when their cup meetings began in the 1920s.

Bournemouth entered the Football League in 1923, joining the Third Division South. Their earliest competitive meetings with Spurs came in cup competitions during the 1920s. These were rare encounters; Tottenham were an established First Division club, while Bournemouth were finding their feet in the lower tiers. The fixture was an occasional curiosity rather than a regular date in the calendar.

A third-tier Bournemouth side sent Spurs packing from the FA Cup; the Cherries faithful have never let them forget it.

The FA Cup has provided the most memorable chapters in this fixture's history. In the 1956-57 season, Third Division South Bournemouth pulled off a famous giant-killing by knocking Spurs out of the cup. It was the kind of result that makes the competition special, and it gave the Cherries faithful a story to dine out on for decades.

Redknapp's Bournemouth years planted a seed; the man would one day manage Spurs themselves.

Harry Redknapp took charge at Dean Court in 1983 and guided the Cherries to promotion from the Fourth Division. It was the start of a connection between the two clubs that would echo for years; Redknapp, of course, would later manage Tottenham. Under his stewardship, Bournemouth climbed to the third tier and even reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1957. The club was punching above its weight, but the top flight remained a distant dream.

Six years after near-extinction in League Two, Bournemouth arrived in the top flight as Spurs' permanent neighbours.

Eddie Howe's Bournemouth completed one of English football's great fairytales by winning the Championship title in 2014-15 and reaching the Premier League for the first time. Just six years earlier, the club had been in administration and docked 17 points in League Two. Now they would face Tottenham as equals, in the same division, on a weekly basis. The fixture was no longer a cup curiosity; it was a Premier League staple.

A single-tier stand for 17,500 supporters. That alone tells you everything about the ambition behind this ground.

In April 2019, Tottenham moved into their new 62,850-capacity stadium on the site of the old White Hart Lane. The ground is widely regarded as one of the finest in world football, with its single-tier South Stand holding 17,500 supporters. Hospitality facilities were designed from the ground up, offering premium experiences that rival anything in European sport. Bournemouth's visits to N17 now take place in a very different setting to the old Lane.

Five seasons up, two years gone, one promotion; the Cherries refused to stay away for long.

After five seasons in the top flight, Bournemouth were relegated in 2019-20. The fixture disappeared from the Premier League calendar for two years. But under Scott Parker, the Cherries bounced straight back, winning promotion from the Championship in 2022. The return ensured that Spurs v Bournemouth remained a regular Premier League encounter.

Iraola's Bournemouth no longer merely survive in the top flight; they arrive at Spurs with European ambitions of their own.

Under Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth have evolved from plucky survivors into a side capable of troubling anyone. The 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons saw the Cherries record impressive results against top-six opposition, and their meetings with Spurs have become genuinely competitive affairs. The fixture now carries real edge, with both clubs harbouring ambitions of European qualification. It is a far cry from the days when these two occupied entirely different footballing worlds.