Where are they now: Former Spurs academy player Troy Archibald-Henville

I haven’t done one of these articles in a while now, so I thought I’d start it up again with a piece on another former Spurs academy graduate. Troy Archibald-Henville is a name that most Spurs fans, Academy fanatics or not, won’t forget. The towering centre half now aged 29 and playing for league two outfit Exeter City, joined Spurs full time in 2005. The promising young defender who captained our reserves during the 2007/08 campaign was considered a hot prospect in the Tottenham ranks. His impressive performances going on to make him the captain of the reserve side. It was this fine stint in the reserve side that earned the 18 year old starlet a place on the bench for the big North London Derby of the same year. The defender from Newham in east London seemed to have a bright Spurs career in the offing, even launching the new kit for the following season alongside the likes of Robbie Keane, Jonathan Woodgate and another promising young Spurs prospect, 18 year old Danny Rose. For one reason or another Archibald-Henville never went on to make an appearance for the senior side despite staying at the lilywhites until 2010. Loan spells spent at Norwich and Exeter followed, before Troy joined the league 2 club on a permanent basis in 2010, and the then manager of Exeter Paul Tisdale was mightily impressed with the young defenders progress at the Grecians. Troy spent over two seasons with Exeter, making over 80 league appearances with them before making the move to league one club Swindon Town in the summer of 2012.

Sadly for Troy a series of injury disrupted seasons followed and he didn’t feature on many occasions for Swindon before eventually being loaned out to league two club Carlisle United, who he eventually signed for at the start of the 2014-15 campaign. I was at a league two game involving Stevenage and Carlisle a couple of seasons back to watch Spurs youngster Connor Ogilvie, Carlisle ended up grabbing a late 1-0 winner in that game, Archibald Henville was one of their best players, putting in a classy defensive display alongside fellow Spurs man Alexander McQueen. Troy suffered a serious knee injury with the Cumbrian side and eventually departed them for a return to former club Exeter City at the beginning of the 2016/17 campaign, for whom he still represents today at the age of 29. Troy is just one of a number of talented Spurs Academy graduates who has gone on to forge a fine career in the game, time flys fast and it’s hard to believe that the former Spurs man is now 29. I wish Troy all the very best for the remainder of this season at Exeter.

I asked Carlisle United fan Al Millington about Troys time with the Cumbrian club, Mr.Millington had the following to say: “To sum Troy up I’d say he was talented but injury prone. Strong in the air and tackle with decent skills for a big centre half in league two. Unfortunately he never really got a good run of games due to injury and spent much of the latter part of his time with us warming the bench. Pace wasn’t his strong point and the general view was that injuries had taken its toll and his knees were a liability at the end. Met him once outside a pub in Brentford post match. He was a really nice guy.”