White and Navy Blue September: Spurs back cancer campaign

The Spurs Legends team are backing Blue September. Three of the team’s mainstays had their faces painted in the name of awareness raising of men’s cancer.

The three famous faces from the cavalier Spurs side of the 1980s built around the mercurial talents of Glenn Hoddle and Ossie Ardiles are, left to right:

• Mark Falco - 18th in the Spurs all-time top goalscorers list played 236 times for Spurs between 1978 and 1987 and won a UEFA cup-winners medal in 1984.
• Garry Brooke - Spurs super-sub made 73 appearances between 1978 and 1985 and holds the unique record of coming on as sub in three FA Cup finals.
• Tony Galvin - the Republic of Ireland international played over 250 games for Spurs between 1978 and 1987 and won several medals.

Garry Brooke said: ‘the Spurs Legends team are keen to raise cancer awareness in men like us, the over 50s. That’s what the face painting is all about. I have to say it improved the looks of some of us.'

‘Cancer affects all of us in one way or another. My mum died of it and so did Mark Falco’s dad.’ Many of the Spurs Legends team’s games are for charity including cancer ones.

Life-changing event

Cancer kills less often than it once did but it always changes your life - something Brooke knows a bit about himself after surviving a car accident in 1983 that was so serious he was given the last rites. ‘I was never the same player afterwards. I had twelve broken bones and internal injuries to my lungs which reduced my lung capacity. I was wiped out after an hour on the pitch. It was very frustrating not to be as much part of things as I wanted to be. Even after I left Spurs for Norwich I still came back for home games.’

Brought up in Walthamstow, Brooke now teaches PE at a junior school in Tottenham.

• The black and white shot of Garry Brooke in 80s action is from Spurs fanzine My Eyes Have Seen The Glory.
• More on Blue September campaign on the MHF website
• More on cancer from malehealth.co.uk