Colin's best day was Frank's worst!
Jermain Defoe (left) hit five in Spurs' 9-1 win over Wigan last weekend.
Lee scored four on his White Hart Lane debut as Spurs, who had just bought him from Torquay for £60,000, beat Bristol Rovers 9-0 in the old Second Division in October 1977.
And that's still especially painful for one member of the Plainmoor staff.
United's Football In The Community director Frank Prince was Rovers' captain that day!
But what many people have never realised about Lee's feat is that he probably shouldn't have played at all.
Thirty-two years ago Lee had scored both goals as United under player-manager Mike Green, beat Brentford 2-1 at Plainmoor on October 8.
But four days later, as United drew 2-2 with Southport, Lee was taken off with achilles tendon trouble.
He was out for a 0-0 draw at Halifax on Saturday, October 15.
The deal with Spurs was already up and running — Nottingham Forest were also in the hunt — and it duly went through on Thursday, October 20.
United were due to play Scunthorpe at Plainmoor two days later, but I remember Green assuring me that he would not have pushed Lee to play in that match, as he wasn't fully recovered.
Strapped up, Lee did make his Spurs debut, and the rest is history.
We all watched Match Of The Day eagerly on the Saturday night, and you could see Lee wince as he landed from one of his headed goals.
"I could hardly walk the next day," he recalled.
There was a happy ending at Plainmoor too.
United beat Scunthorpe 4-2 without Lee, with goals from Willie Brown (2), Dave Tomlin and manager Green.
Footnote: It was a good job for Spurs that Lee did have his unforgettable debut.
At the end of the season they were promoted back to the First Division on goal-difference over Brighton. And the margin — nine goals!


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