JUST ONE MORE GOAL

Following his very successful visit to the West London Programme fair in October 2024 (as shown below), we are pleased to advise collectors that we have a further limited supply of SIGNED COPIES of David Pleat's autobiography  "JUST  ONE  MORE  GOAL"  available.

David's career began as a schoolboy at his hometown club Nottingham Forest, where he earned England Schools (scoring against Scotland at Wembley in 1960) and Youth caps, as well as scoring on his First Division debut against Cardiff in February 1962. Limited opportunities and injuries while at the City Ground saw him seek first team football with Luton in 1964. Spells at Shrewsbury, Exeter, and Peterborough followed, but more importantly by the age of just 23 David had gained full F.A. Coaching qualifications.

On the recommendation of Peter Taylor, he was appointed player-manager at Nuneaton Borough in 1971, and when that spell ended he returned to Kenilworth Road as a coach.  Appointed manager in January 1978, he guided Luton to the Second Division Championship in 1982, and perhaps most famously of all, top flight survival in a "winner stays up" clash at Manchester City twelve months later.  His entertaining Luton team were also narrowly beaten in the F.A. Cup semi-final at Villa Park by the all-conquering Everton side of 1985.  (The team which would win the League Cup in 1988 included nine of his players in the starting eleven).

Eight successful seasons at Luton saw the big clubs come calling, and David couldn't ignore the opportunity to accept an offer to take over at White Hart Lane in 1986.  Although the season would carry the disappointments of defeat in the thrilling F.A. Cup Final against Coventry City, and a prolonged League Cup semi-final with Arsenal, the Tottenham team which also finished third in Division One in 1986-87 is regarded as one of the most entertaining in the Club's history. A record of fourteen successive home League wins from January to October 1987 was only matched in the Club's final season at The Lane.

Further spells in management followed at Leicester, a return to Luton (with a further F.A. Cup semi-final in 1994), and Sheffield Wednesday, all while David was also becoming known as one of the most recognised voices on both radio and television (famously co-commentating with Brian Moore on the evening in May 1989 when Arsenal took the League Championship with practically the final kick of the ball in the last game of the season), covering seven World Cups in the process. A regular summariser on Radio 5 until recent years, his managerial career encompassed just short of 1000 professional matches. His vast knowledge of the game was further utilised by Tottenham as Director of Football between 1998 and 2004, and having another fourteen years in an advisory role with the Club from 2010 until the end of the 2023-24 season. At the age of 80 his enthusiasm for the game still knows no limits, and despite (apparently !) being retired, we still have the pleasure of bumping into him regularly at Under-21/Academy matches in and around West London & Hertfordshire.

"JUST  ONE  MORE  GOAL" 

(all copies simply signed 'Best wishes, David Pleat')

is available from us while stocks last at the cover price of £20

if you're visiting us at a fair or market, or to UK customers only

at £25 including tracked postage.