Tottenham 10-4 Everton (1958): Nicholson's First Day

The Football Documentary Channel · Published 11 October 2026

Contents

Tottenham 10-4 Everton: Bill Nicholson’s First Afternoon in Charge (1958)

Tottenham 10-4 Everton was a First Division match at White Hart Lane on Saturday 11 October 1958, and it doubled as Bill Nicholson’s first afternoon as Tottenham manager: he had been called into the boardroom and given the job that same morning. Bobby Smith scored four of Tottenham’s ten and Alfie Stokes two, while Jimmy Harris took a hat-trick in a beaten Everton side, in front of 37,794. Two seasons later Nicholson won the Double. Everton had a new manager too, ten days into the job.

For all fourteen goals, the afternoon changed little in the end: Tottenham still finished the season 18th of 22, and Everton 16th.

Key Facts

Played on Saturday 11 October 1958 at White Hart Lane, a First Division fixture in the 1958-59 season, in front of 37,794 people.
Tottenham beat Everton 10-4, leading 6-1 at the interval. Kick-off was 3pm, on the twelfth matchday of the season.
Four of the ten went to Bobby Smith and two to Alfie Stokes, with George Robb, Terry Medwin, Tommy Harmer and John Ryden taking one each.
Jimmy Harris scored a hat-trick for Everton and Bobby Collins added their fourth.
Bill Nicholson was appointed that morning, having been Jimmy Anderson’s assistant manager until 10 October 1958.
Everton’s manager Johnny Carey had been in the job ten days, having started at Goodison Park on 1 October 1958.
Tottenham still finished the season 18th of 22 clubs on 36 points. Everton finished 16th on 38.

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Fourteen Goals at White Hart Lane: How Tottenham 10-4 Everton Unfolded

A Manager Appointed Before Lunch

Nicholson was not an outside appointment. He had made 341 appearances for Tottenham as a player, from October 1938 to December 1954, before moving onto the staff, and he had worked as Jimmy Anderson’s assistant manager from July 1955 until 10 October 1958. On the morning of the eleventh he was called up to the boardroom and given Anderson’s job at the age of 39. Kick-off was 3pm. The players were told shortly before they walked out.

The crowd was 37,794. Not one of them had bought a ticket for a new manager’s first team sheet, still less for fourteen goals. The press of the day settled on a phrase for it: “the greatest day in the history of White Hart Lane”.

The Team Sheet That Brought Tommy Harmer Back

Three men came into the side after the draw at Fratton Park the previous Saturday. Johnny Hills, Jeff Ireland and Eddie Clayton had started the 1-1 at Portsmouth on 4 October 1958, with Danny Blanchflower, Terry Medwin and Tommy Harmer all left out. All three were back for Everton, and two of them scored.

Harmer’s absence had been the longest. He had started at Highbury on 13 September 1958, in a 3-1 Arsenal win watched by 65,565, and then was out of the next four league XIs. He came back at inside forward against Everton and scored Tottenham’s eighth goal. Whether the side was Nicholson’s own to pick that morning, or one already settled before he was called in, is not clear.

The Goal Sequence, and the Minutes That Were Never Recorded

The half-time score was 6-1. Alfie Stokes scored inside two minutes, Jimmy Harris equalised, and then came the avalanche. Here are the fourteen goals, home team first:

1-0 Alfie Stokes, inside the opening two minutes.
1-1 Jimmy Harris levels for Everton.
2-1 Bobby Smith, the first of his four.
3-1 George Robb, in from the left.
4-1 Bobby Smith again.
5-1 Alfie Stokes, his second.
6-1 Terry Medwin, and that is half time.
6-2 Jimmy Harris, his second.
7-2 Bobby Smith, his third.
8-2 Tommy Harmer, back in the side.
8-3 Jimmy Harris completes his hat-trick.
9-3 Bobby Smith, his fourth.
9-4 Bobby Collins, Everton’s fourth.
10-4 John Ryden, late, and Tottenham have their tenth.

That is the order the goals were scored in. No minute survives for any of the fourteen, so the sequence is given without timings, and the referee is not on record either.

Everton had not wandered in as a rabble. They had lost their first six matches of the season, then won four of the next five, among them 3-2 wins over Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion and a 3-1 over Birmingham City, the last a week before they came to London. Their manager Johnny Carey had left Blackburn Rovers on 30 September 1958 and started at Everton on 1 October. Both dugouts at White Hart Lane held a man still working out where the light switches were.

What Tottenham 10-4 Everton Was Actually Worth

Ten Goals, and Eighteenth Place

Tottenham scored 85 league goals that season and conceded 95 across 42 matches. Ten of the 85 came in the 10-4 against Everton on 11 October 1958. It made no difference to anything: they finished 18th of 22 clubs on 36 points, six clear of Aston Villa in the first relegation place, while Wolverhampton Wanderers took the title on 61.

The run either side of it says more than the scoreline does. Tottenham had lost five of their first eleven, including Blackburn Rovers 5-0 Tottenham on 30 August 1958. After the ten came a 4-3 win at Leicester, and then four defeats in six, Leeds United 3-2 Tottenham, Manchester City 5-1 Tottenham and Birmingham City 4-0 Tottenham among them, with a draw against Bolton and a win at Luton in between. Set against that, the fourteen-goal afternoon looks less like the start of something than like one Saturday when everything Tottenham hit went in.

Everton’s Day, and the Hat-Trick Credited to the Wrong Harris

On the list of Everton’s heaviest defeats, 11 October 1958 ranks only fifth, behind four 7-0 losses, because such lists rank by margin rather than by goals conceded. Ten is still the most Everton have conceded in a single match. Jimmy Harris scored three of their four and finished on the wrong end of it, an unusual line to carry on a career record.

There were two Harrises in Everton’s team that day. Brian Harris played at wing half; Jimmy Harris played up front. For years the match records credited the hat-trick to Brian, and 11v11’s entry was formally amended on 27 April 2013 to move the three goals to Jimmy, the forward who scored them. Wally Fielding, at inside forward, was making his last appearance for Everton before joining Southport in January 1959.

Everton’s answer arrived quickly. They beat Manchester United 3-2 at Goodison Park the following Saturday and finished the season 16th on 38 points, two places and two points above the side that had just put ten past them.

The Double, Two Seasons Later

Nicholson’s 1958 appointment and the 10-4 against Everton were the first entry on his managerial record. What he is remembered for came in 1960-61: eleven successive wins to open the season, Sheffield Wednesday pushed into second, a 2-0 win over Leicester City at Wembley, and the first League and Cup Double of the twentieth century.

Year	Trophy
1961	League and Cup Double
1962	FA Cup
1963	European Cup Winners’ Cup
1967	FA Cup
1971	League Cup
1972	UEFA Cup
1973	League Cup

What followed the 10-4: Bill Nicholson’s honours as Tottenham manager.

He resigned in 1974, soon after losing the UEFA Cup final to Feyenoord, ending 36 years at Tottenham. His time in the job ran to 802 matches. He died on 23 October 2004, aged 85. The first of those 802 finished 10-4, and he had been manager for a matter of hours when it kicked off.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Tottenham 10-4 Everton (1958)

What was the score when Tottenham played Everton at White Hart Lane on 11 October 1958?

Tottenham beat Everton 10-4. It was a First Division fixture at White Hart Lane on Saturday 11 October 1958, and the crowd was 37,794. Tottenham led 6-1 at the interval. It was also Bill Nicholson’s first match as Tottenham manager, hours after he had been given the job.

Who scored the goals in Tottenham 10-4 Everton in 1958?

Bobby Smith took four of Tottenham’s ten, Alfie Stokes two, and George Robb, Terry Medwin, Tommy Harmer and John Ryden one apiece. Jimmy Harris scored a hat-trick for Everton and Bobby Collins added their fourth. No minute is recorded for any of the goals.

Was Tottenham 10-4 Everton really Bill Nicholson’s first match as Tottenham manager?

Yes. Bill Nicholson took charge of Tottenham for the first time on 11 October 1958, the afternoon of the 10-4 win over Everton. It was the first result of his managerial career, and until the day before he had been Jimmy Anderson’s assistant.

When exactly was Bill Nicholson appointed Tottenham manager in 1958?

On the morning of 11 October 1958, hours before his first match. The 39-year-old Nicholson was called into the boardroom and told he was taking over from the departing Jimmy Anderson, with the players finding out shortly before kick-off. He had been listed as assistant manager up to 10 October 1958, and he then managed the club until 30 June 1974.

What was the attendance for Tottenham 10-4 Everton at White Hart Lane?

The attendance was 37,794. White Hart Lane had taken 48,563 for Wolverhampton Wanderers a fortnight earlier, so more people watched a routine 2-1 than watched the fourteen goals.

What was the half-time score in Tottenham 10-4 Everton in 1958?

Tottenham led 6-1 at half time. Alfie Stokes scored inside two minutes, Jimmy Harris equalised, and then five more home goals went in before the break. Everton’s only first-half goal was that Harris equaliser. Tottenham added four more after the interval and Everton three.

Who scored for Everton in the 10-4 defeat at Tottenham in 1958?

Jimmy Harris scored three and Bobby Collins one. Harris equalised in the first half after Alfie Stokes had opened the scoring, then scored twice more after the interval to complete his hat-trick. Collins made it 9-4. Everton’s XI also contained Brian Harris, a wing half, and for years the match records credited the hat-trick to the wrong Harris.

Do the records show what minute each goal was scored in Tottenham 10-4 Everton?

No. No minute survives for any of the fourteen goals. The order in which they were scored is recorded, but not the timings, and the referee is not on record either.

Who did Bill Nicholson replace as Tottenham manager in October 1958?

Bill Nicholson replaced Jimmy Anderson, who left the job that same day. Nicholson took over after being called to the boardroom on the morning of 11 October 1958. He had been Anderson’s assistant manager for 146 matches before that, and his playing career at the club had ended in December 1954.

Where did Tottenham finish in 1958-59 after beating Everton 10-4?

Tottenham finished 18th of 22 clubs in the 1958-59 First Division, on 36 points. They scored 85 goals and conceded 95 across 42 matches, six points clear of Aston Villa in the first relegation place. Ten of those 85 goals came in the single afternoon against Everton. Wolverhampton Wanderers won the title on 61 points.

Who was Everton’s manager when they lost 10-4 at Tottenham in 1958?

Everton were managed by Johnny Carey, who had been in the job for ten days. He had left Blackburn Rovers on 30 September 1958 and started at Everton on 1 October 1958, ten days before the trip to White Hart Lane. He stayed at Goodison Park until April 1961. Both managers in the White Hart Lane dugouts that afternoon were new to their clubs.

Was losing 10-4 at Tottenham in 1958 Everton’s heaviest defeat?

Not by margin. On the list of Everton’s heaviest defeats, the 11 October 1958 result ranks fifth, behind four 7-0 losses, because such lists rank by margin rather than by goals conceded. Ten is still the most Everton have conceded in a single match. They beat Manchester United 3-2 at Goodison Park the following Saturday.

Did Bill Nicholson win anything after his 10-4 start at Tottenham in 1958?

Yes, a great deal. His honours were the Double in 1961, the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963, FA Cups in 1962 and 1967, League Cups in 1971 and 1973, and the UEFA Cup in 1972. The Double came in 1960-61, two seasons after the Everton match. Nicholson resigned in 1974 and died on 23 October 2004, aged 85.