Spurs under 18’s 5-3 Newcastle united: (match report)

Spurs started the game brightly their attacking style of play evident from the offing, just under 3 minutes in the Lillywhites stunned the magpies with a superb opener from Keanan Bennett’s. It was a wonderful solo effort from the winger who showed great feet down the left wing before cutting inside and unleashing a powerful effort which flew past Nathan Harker and into the back of the net, 1-0 to Spurs! The attacking intensity didn’t stop from McDermott’s side and the Lillywhites didn’t rest on their laurels, as just five minutes later they double their advantage through forward Reo Griffiths. The alert Griffiths took full advantage of a mix up inside the box, and the centre forward buried the ball into the back of the net, a great poachers goal. Spurs were overwhelming Newcastle, as they sparkled going forward going close on several occasions. McDermott’s side got a scare when Mcnall’s thumping effort skimmed off the post, and the home side were starting to find their feet, going close again just a couple of minutes later. Newcastle started the second half the far better team, when Marsh brought down Gallacher inside the box the referee pointed straight to the spot. With Mcnall converting his penalty to bring the game back into life for the magpies, Spurs regained their composure and minutes later they got their third of the game through substitute Kazaiah Sterling, after Sterling scored a smart finish on the turn from just outside the penalty area, thats his sixth goal of the FA youth cup campaign, his now joint top scorer.

The game was becoming an end to end affair as Newcastle went close shortly afterwards through Owen Bailey. And the home side, roared on by a few thousand fans pulled a goal back through Mcnall whose close effort from the resulting corner kick, smashed into the net. This most eventful of games took yet another dramatic turn moments later, when centre half Japhet Tanganga seemed to put the game beyond doubt, with spurs’ fourth of the game. Tanganga managing to get on the end of Dinzeyi’s rebounded effort, as the defender forced the ball home. Just 10 seconds later the unthinkable occurred, Newcastle had again managed to pull a goal back at the other end after Gallacher got on the end of a first time cross to guide the ball past Austin and into the back of the net, 4-3! Two minutes later the stadium almost erupted when Bailey almost drew the toon level, Bailey getting on the end of Heaney’s free kick as his header was saved in style by Austin as he tipped it behind, a match winning save. The drama didn’t stop as McDermott’s young Spurs side sealed the win, after Sterling played in Duncan in the box, the midfielder sent the ball into the back of the net with a curling effort. The final score Spurs 5-3 Newcastle united, the most exhilarating of games as McDermott’s side dug deep to win a thrilling cup tie, and I as a Spurs supporter am absolutely thrilled that we’re through to the semi finals of the FA Youth cup, a brilliant achievement from this talented crop of players.

Spurs will now face Chelsea over two legs in the semi finals with the first leg being played at the Lane, Spurs’ memorable cup run continues and I have every belief in them turning over a very talented Chelsea side in the next round. COYS

My man of the match: Reo Griffiths. A very hard one to call, Keanan Bennett’s, Samuel Shashoua and Nick Tsaroulla all had terrific matches but I’m going to give it to forward Reo Griffiths for his goal and assist.
Newcastle United Under-18s: Nathan Harker; Ben Kitchen, Owen Bailey (c), Lewis Gibson, Kieren Aplin; Matty Longstaff, Mace Goodridge (Mackenzie Heaney 77); Owen Gallacher, Thomas Allan (Callum Smith 67), Adam Wilson; Lewis McNall.

Subs not used: Otto Huuhtanen, Lewis Cass, Kelland Watts.

Tottenham Hotspur Under-18s: Brandon Austin, Timothy Eyoma, Nick Tsaroulla, George Marsh (c), Jonathan Dinzeyi, Japhet Tanganga, Samuel Shashoua, Oliver Skipp, Reo Griffiths (Dylan Duncan 72), Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Keanan Bennetts (Kazaiah Sterling 29).

Subs not used: Tariq Hinds, Alfie Whiteman, Jack Roles.

Referee: David Webb

Bookings: Newcastle United Under-18s – Matty Longstaff (81); Tottenham Hotspur Under-18s – none

Spurs under 18’s 4-0 Swansea: (match report)

On Tuesday afternoon our under 18’s side continued their intense schedule of fixtures, as they recorded a terrific 4-0 victory over Swansea City. John McDermott’s Spurs side were sublime and played some wonderful attacking football, as they dismantled bottom of the table Swansea. Instead of doing an in depth report, the following will just be a concise report of the game, which will include player reviews. Spurs tore Swansea to shreds at Hotspur way, their fast attacking football causing a major headache for the opposition. Young right back Tariq Hinds netted Spurs’ first of the game, after he latched on to the loose ball inside the box, after Shashoua had sent in a low cross, and Hinds showed the alertness of a centre forward as he tucked the ball home, Hinds first goal at under 18 level. We were dominant and Swansea were helpless to stop us. On the half hour mark, Hinds struck again, curling a superb long range effort into the top corner. Early in the second half Jack Roles channeled his inner Frank Lampard, pouncing on a loose ball inside the box, the box to box midfielder needed no asking as he slotted the ball home. The third goal essentially ending the game as the depleted Swansea side done their best to suppress our countless attacks. The good vision of Keanan Bennett’s saw the winger pick out Samuel Shashoua for Spurs’ fourth of the game on 56 minutes. Bennett’s finding Shashoua, whose deft touch saw him find a pocket of space which he converted with aplomb. Spurs could have had many more goals in the remaining minutes but it wasn’t to matter, McDermott’s side had achieved a memorable victory and showcased their superb talent ahead of Mondays massive FA youth cup tie with Newcastle on Monday.

Our under 18’s were also in action this Saturday, due to the FA youth cup match on Monday, the squad consisted mainly of under 16’s. And the young Spurs side put in a good effort against a top Villa side, narrowly losing 2-1 at villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground.

 
Player reviews:
– Brandon Austin: A spectator for almost the entirety of the match.
– Tariq Hinds: An exceptional performance from Hinds as he netted a brace, he showed just how good he is getting forward as he is defending, a tremendous performance.
– Matt Lock: Lock had an excellent game against the swans, he impressed down the right flank with his excellent ball control and agility. Lock was also solid defensively, his really beginning to remind me of Walker-Peters in his style of play.
– George Marsh: Impressive as ever, Marsh was commanding and composed at centre half.
– TJ Eyoma: Has been a key performer for the under 18’s this season, and Tuesdays game was no exception.
– Jonathan Dinzeyi: Had a terrific game, dealt with the Swansea forwards with ease.
– Samuel Shashoua: The creative driving force behind Spurs’ attacking performance, a leader on the pitch Shashoua was unlucky not to get more than one goal and it was probably his best game of the season.
– Jack Roles: A hard worker throughout, the intelligent Roles netted his twelfth goal of the season and the box to box midfielder was brimming with confidence.
– Reo Griffiths: Brilliant hold up play, Griffiths was powerful going forward and done everything but find the net, deserved a goal.
– Tashan Oakley-Boothe: Absolutely top class, the midfielder had an excellent game as he burst forward through the middle creating chance after chance.
– Keanan Bennett’s: A constant danger down the left Bennett’s had a fine game, getting the assist for Spurs’ fourth.
– Moroyin Omolabi: Did well when coming on, provided steel to the midfield.
– Jamie Reynolds: Decent display from Reynolds, very tidy when coming on.
– Juan Pablo Gonzalez-Velasco: Provided a spark when coming on and was very unlucky not to get on the score sheet.

My man of the match: Samuel Shashoua- The creative driving force behind Spurs’ attacking performance, a leader on the pitch Shashoua was unlucky not to get more than one goal and it was probably his best game of the season, and his had many a good game! There was a moment in the game when Shashoua beat two or three men before finding the space to shoot, his effort crashing against the crossbar, it was breathtaking play, Messiesque.

 
Spurs U18s: Austin, Lock, Hinds, Marsh (c, Omolabi 64), Eyoma, Dinzeyi, Shashoua, Roles (Reynolds 59), Griffiths, Oakley-Boothe, Bennetts (Gonzalez-Velasco 68). Substitutes (not used): Brown, Whiteman (GK).

Spurs under 18’s 0 -3 Fulham: (match report)

“It’s very disappointing that we didn’t seize the initiative in the first half when we should have done. We had ample opportunities to score goals and then just shot ourselves in the foot with the goals conceded. Fulham were excellent, they made themselves very compact and hard to break down, we tried to force the game and left ourselves vulnerable to the counter-attack, which they exploited.” (John McDermott)

Our under 18’s fell to a disappointing 3-0 defeat against Fulham on Friday afternoon, to virtually diminish any chance of getting into tier one of the under 18 league. Having beaten Fulham 1-0 in the reverse fixture earlier on in the season, I really fancied the lads chances against Fulham and although the 3-0 scoreline suggests otherwise, I thought they could have recorded a comfortable victory based on their dominant first half display. We had command of the game from early on as we attacked the Fulham defence with great purpose, a wonderful one two played by Shashoua to Griffith’s ended with the former putting the ball in to the back of the net, only to be judged offside. 18 minutes in Spurs should have been one up, when Bennett’s played a nice one two with Griffith’s inside the area, only to see his close range effort go waywardly wide ofthe post. The cottagers were dangerous on the counter attack creating a few chances which Spurs’ defence dealt with appropriately. Just after the half hour mark Alfie Whiteman was forced into making a fine reaction save when he denied Michael Elstone’s effort from inside the box. Shortly afterwards Spurs went desperately close to breaking the deadlock,after Jack Roles showed brilliant technique to curl his free kick onto the inside of the post. With the rebound falling for Bennett’s but Fulham’s Ashby-Hammond got in front of the winger, and just moments later Griffiths hit the ball across the area and into the path of Bennett’s, but with just the goal gaping the Spurs man had unfortunately only managed to put the ball high over the crossbar.

 

For all our domination in the first half Spurs were not to be rewarded for their hard labour, as shortly before the interval the visitors caught us on the counter attack and took the lead through a fortuitous goal. Fulham’s Harris whipped the ball into the area and the ball was scrambled past the line by Spurs defender Jaden Brown, after a spill from Whiteman. After Tashan Oakley-Boothe went off at half time, going into the second half we lacked that bit of creative spark from the midfield and despite creating a couple of decent chances early on, McDermott’s side soon fell further behind. When O’Riley curled a delicious effort from out wide, high into the top corner deceiving Whiteman and the whole Spurs defence. Fulham’s second was the killer blow, Spurs looked depleted, unable to deal with a Fulham side growing into the game by every passing minute. It was deeply frustrating, because Spurs were much the better side but they were simply unable to regain their composure. Spurs were struggling at the back, as Fulham bombarded us in our own penalty area, and just minutes after their second O’Riley almost scored a carbon copy of his first. The midfielder saw his free kick from out wide smash against the upright leaving Whiteman rooted to the spot.

Fulham’s attacking intensity didn’t cool in the following minutes, they produced numerous chances where they went close to extending their lead, Spurs had fell apart and looked a shadow of the side they have been for the most part of the season. With just two minutes remaining of normal time, the cottagers got their third of the game yet again catching us on the counter attack. Keeper Ashby Hammond threw the ball high over the Spurs defence and into the path of Thompson who rounded the rushing Whiteman to slot the ball into the back of the net, the final score Spurs 0-3 Fulham. A really disappointing result for the under 18’s, they haven’t enjoyed this month at all and yesterday’s match was no exception, they’ll feel as if they should have got something out of the game. The young Lillywhites will have to up their game for their visit of Newcastle United in the all important FA Youth cup quarter final at the end of the month. John McDermott’s side are in action again on Tuesday, when they face Swansea city at Hotspur way, I thought I’d add that the absent trio of Japhet Tanganga, Nick Tsaroulla and Kazaiah Sterling were all training with the under 23’s and could all be involved in Mondays PL2 match against Sunderland.

 

Player review:
– Alfie Whiteman: A rare off day for Whiteman, his first half mistake lead to the opener for the visitors. However, Whiteman did produce some fine saves and wasn’t at fault for the other two goals.
– Matt Lock: An impressive display from the right back, Lock has really good agility and ball control, and looked good going forward.
– Jaden Brown: Although he doesn’t attack down the wing like Tsaroulla, Brown had a good game at left back and was decent defensively.
– Oliver Skipp: My man of the match Skipp had a fantastic game, see below.
– Jonathan Dinzeyi: Wasn’t up to his usual standards on Friday, although he was dominate in the air he struggled at the back, and he wasn’t as composed as he is when paired up with Tanganga.
– George Marsh: Filling in at centre half Marsh was superb, as tenacious as ever he got stuck in on multiple occasions and his defensive wit also impressed McDermott who said: “George Marsh really stood out. He reads the game really well and whatever job you give him, he does it diligently, aggressively and I also think he did it with a lot of football intelligence today.”
– Samuel Shashoua: Had a good game and was unlucky not to get on the score sheet, made some lovely runs and worked an opening on a couple of occasions. However, he was at times quite isolated on the left.
– Tashan Oakley-Boothe: He only played the first half but I thought the midfielder had a good game he provided a creative spark from the midfield and I was surprised when he was taken off at halftime, although it may well have been due to an injury.
– Dylan Duncan: Coming on at half time in place of Oakley-Boothe, Duncan made a decent impact on the game, he brought an attacking flair to the midfield.
– Reo Griffiths: Wasn’t to be his day against Fulham, despite working his socks off, his hard work and good movement was not rewarded.
– Jack Roles: Had a decent game, his excellent first half free kick came so close to putting Spurs ahead.
– Jamie Bowden: The under 16 made his first appearance for the under 18’s and the highly rated midfielder looked quite good when coming on, definitely one to watch over the coming seasons.
– Keanan Bennett’s: A frustrating day for Bennett’s as he’ll feel that he should have gotten on the score sheet. The winger brought plenty of energy to the match and put some nice crosses into the box. However, he wasn’t clinical enough in front of goal.

My man of the match: Oliver Skipp, who had an excellent game against Fulham Skipp was very efficient in the centre of the park breaking up play and mopping up with great effect. Skipp who is still and under 16, is such an astute player and he looked years ahead of his game.

Spurs U18s: Whiteman, Lock, Brown, Skipp, Dinzeyi, Marsh (c), Shashoua, Oakley-Boothe (Duncan 46), Griffiths, Roles (Bowden 57), Bennetts. Substitutes (not used): Hinds, Reynolds, Freeman (GK).