When this photograph was taken yesterday [February 18, 1965], Joe Kinnear was employed as a printing apprentice. He is seen leaving his home in Queen’s Road, Watford, after lunch to go back to work for Witherby and Co., the printers in Carey Place.

On Monday morning, the same Joe Kinnear will open the front gate and once again nod goodbye to his mother (seen, above, in the background).

But by then he will no longer be a print apprentice. He starts as a full time professional footballer for Tottenham Hotspur.

Kinnear is captain of the Herts Youth FA side and skipper of Spurs’ under 18 team. After two years with the White Hart Lane club as an amateur, Joe signed paid forms on Thursday. Today he goes into full time training alongside the household name players Jimmy Greaves, Alan Gilzean, Cliff Jones, Maurice Norman, Peter Baker and Ron Henry.

With him at White Hart Lane will be his old Leggatts Way School pal Roy Lowe, who has already made the Tottenham first team.

Kinnear’s ambition, of course, is first team football. He has already had 20 games in the Metropolitan League sides and has trodden the famous Tottenham turf in a great number of under 18 floodlit matches.

An ambition which did not materialise for Joe was his longing to wear Watford’s colours, although he did have a trial with them. Arsenal, Chelsea and Fulham also tried to obtain his services.

He came to Watford from Ireland at the age of six and played for Watford and Hertfordshire Boys.

Kinnear, who plays outside right for the Watford Sunday League XI (he plays on Sundays for Bournehall Press) and for the Herts County Sunday XI, was spotted by Tottenham when playing for St Albans City Reserves.

[From the Watford Observer of February 19, 1965]

Nostalgia Note: This article was originally headed “Fame ahead?” and, some 50 years later Kinnear, now 68, can indeed look back on an impressive career in the sport.

With Tottenham he won the FA Cup, the Football League Cup twice, the FA Community Shield and the UEFA Cup. He was capped 26 times for the Republic of Ireland and, following the end of his playing career, he went on to manage not only Doncaster Rovers, Wimbledon, Luton Town, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United, but also the national teams of India and Nepal.

He was director of football at Newcastle until his resignation a year ago.