Postecoglou recalls toad pitch invasion before Spurs’ FA Cup trip to Tamworth
Postecoglou recalls toad pitch invasion before Spurs’ FA Cup trip to Tamworth
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Ange Postecoglou had to remove toads from a swampy pitch before one of the most pivotal games of his career, so Sunday’s FA Cup tie on non-league Tamworth’s 3G surface holds no fears for him. The Tottenham manager has plenty of experience of artificial pitches, including from his time in Scotland with Celtic, and he said his players would train on one at the club’s Enfield HQ on Saturday. But Postecoglou’s mind went back to his first job as a manager at South Melbourne and a make-or-break fixture in unusual conditions. It was an Oceania qualification tie for the inaugural 2000 Club World Cup and Postecoglou has vivid memories not only about what was at stake but also the surface at the stadium in Fiji.
![[Jim Tsekinis tracks David Beckham as South Melbourne faced Manchester United in the 2000 Club World Cup.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/717e42d4b9cece4dd065494409df730d27ea889a/0_9_1094_971/master/1094.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“Warming up, there were toads we had to remove which kept jumping on the pitch,” Postecoglou said. “Toads like grass and they love ponds and there was a bit of water on there, as well, so it was a combination of things that attracted them. It was a tropical sort of environment.
“At the time, you’re kind of going: ‘Really?’ But then you realise what was at stake – a fair bit of money and the opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the world. Our president at the time, George Vasilopoulos, who is still around, had these worry beads – they got a working out that day, let me tell you. He kept thinking about our bank balance and seeing frogs and toads on the field. It’s an experience.”.
South Melbourne won and progressed to Brazil, where they played Manchester United, Vasco da Gama and Necaxa; each of the ties was staged at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro – an extraordinary experience for Postecoglou’s semi-professional team. They lost all three games but only by two-goal margins. United had notoriously withdrawn from the FA Cup to compete.
