Spurs under 23’s 3-1 Blackburn Rovers: (match report)

Our under 23’s showed the perfect response to last Sunday’s 6-0 drumming to Everton, when they took on newly promoted division one side Blackburn rovers on Friday evening in the PL2. Wayne Burnett’s side put in a really mature performance up in county Lancashire, to overcome bottom of the table Blackburn Rovers 3-1 in what was a hard fought but overall comprehensive victory for Spurs. The victory was made even more impressive by the fact that Spurs lost their two most senior members of the side in the first half due to injury, this put pressure on some of our younger and more inexperienced players such as Paris Maghoma and Tariq Hinds however, they played well beyond their years and helped Spurs to recording their second victory of this season. Played at the Lancashire FA County Ground in Leyland, Lancashire this would have been a game that Burnett would have been hoping to see his side win. The newly promoted Rovers had struggled so far this season and Damien Johnson’s side went into this PL2 encounter still looking for their first win of the 2018/19 season. Burnett picked a strong side for the trip to Leyland and it paid off. After starting quite well Shayon Harrison gave us the lead with a typical poachers finish from Oakley-Boothe’s cross inside the opening four minutes of the game. And whilst the home side responded well to going down so early on in the game, Harrison got his and Spurs’ second of the game 25 minutes later after meeting Jack Roles’ pass inside the six yard box. Damien Johnson’s side improved a lot after conceding that goal and they managed to pull a goal back through Dan Butterworth in the 41st minute after Spurs had lost both Amos and Harrison to injury. However, the ever threatening Paris Maghoma restored Spurs’ two goal lead a matter of minutes later with a lovely goal. Blackburn tired as the second half progressed and in the end it was a comfortable and well deserved victory for Burnett’s young side who were able to pick up a crucial three points up in north west England, against a very physical Blackburn team.

After suffering that humiliating 6-0 defeat to Everton the previous Sunday, Burnett fielded a similar side to the one which that played game. However, we were bolstered by the inclusion of Luke Amos in the middle of the park. Burnett reverted back to playing four at the back for Friday evenings game, as a back four of Hinds, Marsh, Tanganga and Brown sat in front of goalkeeper Tom Glover. Glover had returned to Spurs after what had felt like an eternity, with his last appearance in Spurs colours coming way back in the spring of 2017. In front of the back three was the central midfield pairing of Luke Amos (the captain) and Oliver Skipp. Whilst Oakley-Boothe, Jack Roles and Paris Maghoma lined up behind inform centre forward Shayon Harrison. Blackburn’s side wasn’t as strong as I thought it might be and they had to face us without their prolific young centre forward Joe Nuttall. The home side got the game underway on a cold evening in Leyland as Spurs went in search of their second win of the new season. Japhet Tanganga did well to clear John Buckley’s low delivery into the danger zone early on as Spurs attempted to find their feet in the game. And it didn’t taken Burnett’s youngsters long before they threatened the Blackburn defence. A sudden attacking move saw his side go 1-0 up in only the fourth minute of time. After receiving Oliver Skipp’s pass out on the right wing, makeshift wide man Tashan Oakley-Boothe burst forward down the flank. The darting 18 year old continued all the way to the byline before managing to find Shayon Harrison at the back post with a well timed low cross. Harrison slid in to poke the ball home from close range, with what was a typical poachers finish from the 21 year old, 1-0. Luke Amos conceded a free kick out on the right wing a couple of moments later, as Blackburn looked to respond after starting the game fairly brightly. Japhet Tanganga comfortably cleared Joe Grayson’s resulting delivery into the box. And the Tottenham captain Luke Amos gave away a free in an almost identical position minutes later. However, this time Grayson’s poor delivery went behind for a Spurs goal kick.

Spurs almost doubled their advantage at the other end after producing a sharp attacking move. After receiving Oakley-Boothe’s pass, Roles burst into the middle of the penalty area before shifting the ball out to Skipp on the right hand side. The young midfielder looked up before dragging an effort narrowly wide of Alan Fisher’s goal. Had he have spotted Oakley-Boothe who was in space on the left side of the penalty area, it would most certainly have been 2-0 to Spurs. George Marsh made a vital clearance to prevent Butterworth’s cross from causing Spurs problems inside the box a couple of minutes later, as the game started to develop into a really competitive affair. There were plenty of meaty sliding challenges on show during the opening stages of the game and the vast majority of those were coming from the home side. Tottenham skipper Luke Amos went down injured a couple of minutes later after attempting to win the ball off of Grayson out on the left wing. Unfortunately it looked as if Amos might have pulled something and after receiving treatment out on the sidelines he was duly replaced by 16 year old J’Neil Bennett in the 22nd minute, as Oliver Skipp took the captains armband. This saw the slightly anonymous Maghoma drop into the centre of midfield whilst Bennett took his position out on the left wing. Blackburn continued to up their game and after Jack Evans came desperately close to picking out Okera Simmonds at the back post, Grayson caused a bit of anxiety for the Spurs defence from a corner kick shortly after. The defenders delivery was headed backwards towards the Spurs goal by Maghoma who had attempted to clear the ball. Thankfully, Tanganga was on hand to clear it on the line. A clever one-two between Roles and Harrison on the edge of the Blackburn box almost came off shortly afterwards, before Maghoma tested Fisher with a good effort on goal. After winning the ball off of Tomlinson on the edge of the Blackburn penalty area, the young midfielder managed to force a smart stop out of the Blackburn goalkeeper from his curling effort on goal. Then arose a major bit of controversy after the referee awarded a decision which wasn’t too popular with the Blackburn players and supporters alike.

The Spurs backline had been caught out by Brad Lyons pass over the top of the Tottenham defence which had set Simmonds racing through to try and get to the ball before the outrushing Glover. However, Tanganga managed to get back and in front of Simmonds. Deemed to have fouled the Blackburn centre forward the referee had awarded a free kick, and whilst spectators were expecting to see the referee pull out a red card for Tanganga’s obstruction they were very wrong, as he let the home side take a quick free kick. With Glover still out of his box Dan Butterworth tried to curl the ball into the empty Tottenham goal. However, it was a huge and wasted opportunity for Johnson’s side as Butterworth’s rushed effort trickled wide of the mark and went out for a goal kick for the much relieved Spurs goalkeeper. And Spurs managed to punish Blackburn a matter of minutes later through the sheer persistence of Jack Roles, whose tigerish pressing saw him win the ball off of a Blackburn defender down the left hand side of the Blackburn penalty. The razor sharp Roles calmly squared the ball for Harrison in the centre of the box and the inform striker made no mistake to slot the ball past Fisher and into the bottom left hand corner of the net, 2-0. The intensity of the game had really picked up as both sides upped their tempo during the latter stages of the first half. However, Burnett’s side were dealt a major blow in the 35th minute after Harrison went down injured a matter of minutes after going in on a Blackburn player. The centre forward couldn’t continue and was forced into hobbling off the pitch as midfielder Dylan Duncan came on in his place. This forced Burnett into shuffling his side around once more, this time Maghoma switched to the number ten position as Duncan came into the midfield to partner Skipp. Whilst Jack Roles went up top where he would play as a false nine. Blackburn continued to end the half strongly. After Butterworth had surged through the middle he managed to poke the ball into Mols who had made a run down the left side of the penalty area.

Mols took a touch before rifling the ball narrowly over Glover’s crossbar from close range. Spurs were finding themselves quite exposed out wide. The lively J’Neil Bennett went on a promising run down the left wing before seeing his shot blocked by Hayden Carter on the edge of the penalty area. Then a matter of moments later the home side pulled a goal back through the ever potent Dan Butterworth. After he had won the ball off Skipp, Butterworth went on a jinking run across the Tottenham defence before entering the left side of the penalty area and managing to drag the ball across goal and past the outrushing Glover, and into far corner of the net, 2-1. And Johnson’s side almost scored another shortly afterwards, after Charley Doyle had spotted the run of Tomlinson who went darting down the right side of the penalty area. Doyle fed the ball into Tomlinson who fired an effort narrowly wide of the Spurs goal. Butterworth went on another dangerous run through the middle a couple of minutes later but this time he saw his effort on goal blocked by Marsh who had managed to close him down well. However, the ball came across to Lyons inside the box but the Northern Irishman’s powerful effort from close range forced an excellent reactionary stop out of the diving Glover. The frantic tempo of the game continued as the half drew to a close and after being under great pressure for the last ten or so minutes of the half, Spurs managed to regain their two goal lead through Paris Maghoma on the stroke of half time. Oliver Skipp passed the ball to the energetic Jack Roles on the edge of the penalty area. The Cypriot youth international spotted that Maghoma was in space down the left hand side of the penalty area. So Roles slipped a clever pass into Maghoma who found himself one on one with the Blackburn goalkeeper Alan Fisher. In his typically cool manner, Maghoma skipped away from the outrushing Fisher before clipping the ball into the empty from an acute angle, 3-1.

The half still wasn’t done yet as a little over four minutes of stoppage time remained. The commanding Tom Glover managed to deal well with Doyle’s cross before the Australian was forced into action again a couple of moments later. After being played in by Grayson down the left wing Mols pumped the ball into the danger zone. However, the young Australian came out to confidently gobble up the ball, to bring a pulsating first half to a close. Burnett’s side got the second half underway at the County Ground as Spurs looked to protect their healthy two goal lead. And the young Lilywhites started the half well, a good driving run through the middle from Maghoma resulted in him forcing Fisher into making a good stop to deny the midfielders powerful dipping effort. Butterworth forced a corner for Blackburn at the other end after his powerful effort which deflected off of Brown was tipped over for a corner by Glover. Japhet Tanganga conceded a free kick in a dangerous position on the edge of the penalty area a couple of minutes later, after bringing down Mols. However, Brad Lyons curled well over from the resulting free kick. The energetic Bennett and Roles managed to combine well out on the left wing before the formers pacy cross was cleared by Grayson. Spurs were seeing a lot more of the ball during the second period, they looked a lot sharper than Blackburn and were using the ball a lot better in the final third. Jack Roles forced a decent save out of Fisher with a fizzing low effort from 25 yards out, whilst the ever threatening Maghoma came desperately close to scoring a glorious goal a couple of minutes later. Gliding around the park like a young Mousa Dembele, Maghoma managed to beat a couple of Blackburn defenders on the edge of the penalty area before shifting the ball onto his right foot. Maghoma then bent an effort a fraction wide of Fisher’s goal as the Blackburn keeper went scrambling at his far post. The extremely hard working 17 year old midfielder made an important interception on Butterworth at the other end a matter of seconds later as he continued to cover the pitch like nobody else.

Blackburn were beginning to tire and Burnett’s much fitter side had been able to quell the attacking threat which had been posed by the home side. The Rovers were however, still dangerous whenever they entered the final third. Maghoma blocked Lyons attempt on goal before Glover came out to punch the ball clear. Japhet Tanganga made a superb sliding challenge to win the ball off of substitute Jack Vale moments later. And the 19 year old then managed to win the ball off of Butterworth who found himself in a dangerous position on the edge of the Spurs box. Stefan Mols fired wide after going to meet Evans cross whilst Tom Glover dealt well with Doyle’s delivery a couple of minutes later. A rather desperate late claim for a penalty from Butterworth was waived away by the referee after he had been brought down in the penalty area before George Marsh managed to get a vital head on Doyle’s cross shortly afterwards. The highly influential Jack Roles almost managed to get a late goal of his own, after the 19 year old managed to control Tom Glover’s long kick up field. Roles gave the ball to Oakley-Boothe out on the right wing, he quickly fed the ball back into the midfielder who had made the run into the box. However, Roles curled the ball narrowly wide of Fisher’s goal in what was the final piece of action from an entertaining and at times pulsating game of football. It was a well deserved victory for Burnett’s energetic side and their next game comes against Gillingham in the Checkatrade trophy next month, that game will now be played at Charlton Athletic’s ground due to problems with Gillingham’s pitch.

Player reviews: – Tom Glover: Many Spurs fans would have assumed that Glover had left in the summer. The 20 year old Australian did however, sign a one year contract extension in June after spending the majority of last season on loan with Australian side Central Coast Mariners. After having trials with Birmingham and Sporting Lisbon, Glover returned to the Spurs fold for Friday evenings game. His last appearance for the Lilywhites was way back in April of 2017 when he became the last ever player to get sent off at White Hart Lane in a PL2 game against Leicester. I was really impressed with how Glover performed against Blackburn and I was actually very pleased to see him play after such a long time. Glover put in a typically commanding performance in the Spurs goal, he was confident and assured in his play and dealt with Blackburn’s many long balls and set pieces. Glover also made a couple of important stops throughout the game including an excellent reflex save to deny Brad Lyons in the first half. The young Australian’s distribution was also very impressive on the night. He also came rushing out of his box on a couple of occasions to make some important clearances. I was extremely impressed!
– Tariq Hinds: The 18 year old right back returned from injury for our match against Blackburn and put in a typically assured display at right back. Hinds liked to get forward down the right wing and would often overlap Oakley-Boothe. However, the pacy defender maintained good positioning throughout the game and managed to protect that side of the pitch well. For a player so young Hinds reads the game really well.
– George Marsh: Marsh found himself back playing as a centre half where he partnered Tanganga on Friday. And after a difficult game against Everton last Sunday, Marsh redeemed himself by putting in a real shift against Blackburn. Making many important clearances from inside his own box, Marsh was dominant in the air and helped to quell the attacking threat of Blackburn striker Okera Simmons. He was solid throughout.
– Japhet Tanganga: Like his teammate George Marsh, Tanganga put in a solid performance right in the heart of the Spurs defence. He made some crucial challenges and won the vast majority of aerial duels which he contested. His long passing to the wide men was deftly accurate and helped to contribute to the Tottenham attack. He was however, very lucky not to have been sent off in the first half for a foul on Simmonds due to him being the last man.
– Jaden Brown: Combining defence with attack the ever improving left back defended excellently against Spanish winger Stefan Mols. He kept his man in check and was able to protect that side of the pitch really well. However, it was Brown’s many bursting runs which caught my eye the most. His nifty footwork and ability to weave his way out of tricky situations was also very impressive. After being linked with a move away from Spurs in the summer Brown is proving to be a really consistent player for Burnett in the development side and is showing signs of improvement.
– Oliver Skipp: It was a very workman like performance from Skipp in the centre of midfield. He played a part in two of our goals and managed to have a creative influence on the game with his passing from deep. He mopped up well in the centre of the park and did a good job at protecting the back four. He did however, give the ball away to Dan Butterworth for the Blackburn forwards goal in the first half. Skipp took the captains armband following the injury sustained to Amos early on in the game
– Luke Amos: The skipper was his usual combative self in the middle of the park however, a nasty looking injury ended his night after just 22 minutes. After the 21 year old had attempted to win the ball he appeared to pull something and he immediately fell to the floor in agony.
– Tashan Oakley-Boothe: The 18 year old continued his good bout form with an impressive performance against Blackburn Rovers. Oakley-Boothe played out on the right wing and after assisting Harrison’s goal after just four minutes of the game after going on a good run down the right, Oakley-Boothe managed to keep himself involved in the game. Tricky and agile with the ball at his feet, the makeshift winger would often cut in on his left foot and look to play through the middle. Whenever he had the ball at his feet he looked threatening and positive in his play. It’s great to see him getting regular game time again after a frustrating 2017/18 season.
– Jack Roles: Roles started the game off as a number 10 however he was forced to play as an out and out striker after Harrison went off injured in the first half. Operating as a false nine, Roles put in a superb performance for Burnett’s side and was one of our most influential players on the night. The Cypriot youth international assisted two of our goals and he was constantly involved in our attacking moves. His high pressing forced one of our goals and the false nine would often show a willingness to run back into the midfield and try and win the ball before then driving forward, he was so energetic. But it was the 19 year olds excellent movement, awareness and vision for a pass which proved to be so effective agains the Rovers. He is such a clever player who is always looking to get himself into space.
– Paris Maghoma: My motm, see below.
– Shayon Harrison: Sharp and constantly on the move, the Tottenham centre forward continued his fine form with two well taken goals against Blackburn. The first was a typical poachers finish after he had made a good run to meet Oakley-Boothe’s cross at the back post. Whilst the second was slightly more straight forward but still difficult nonetheless. Harrison looked really sharp and his well timed runs caused quite a few problems for the Blackburn defence. Unfortunately, he hobbled off injured after just 35 minutes. Hopefully it is not as an bad as it looked.
– Dylan Duncan: Coming on to replace Harrison towards the end of the first half, Duncan bolstered the midfield following the injury that Harrison picked up, and he did a lot of the under appreciated sides of the game. His strength on the ball helped us out on numerous occasions. Duncan rarely ventured forward.
– J’Neil Bennett: The 16 year old came on for Amos early on in the game where he played out on the left wing. Despite being so young Bennett made a good impression on the game. He was very positive and he went on some nice attacking forays down the left wing and managed to beat Doyle for pace on many occasions.
– Jonathan Dinzeyi: The defender replaced Roles in the dying seconds of the game and surprisingly he operated as a lone striker for the final minute of the game!

My man of the match: Paris Maghoma. For the third game in a row I have given the inform midfielder the man of the match award and for very good reason. Playing a major part in our 3-1 win, Maghoma’s versatility proved to be very useful. Starting out on the left wing where he struggle to make much of an impact, Maghoma moved into the centre of midfield following Luke Amos’s injury before later slotting into the cam role after Harrison’s injury. Maghoma was superb once again, hardworking and willing to track back after himself, the 17 year old covered more of the pitch than any of his teammates and could often be seen breaking up play in the centre of the park. He was able to combine his defensive duties with his attacking duties so well, and during his time as a cam he caused the Blackburn defence all sorts of problems. His energy and agility helped to create openings for Spurs and he hit some promising efforts on goal from the edge of the penalty area. His tricky almost Dembele like driving runs through the middle caused panic amongst the opposition defence. There was one occasion where he single handedly tricked his way past three Blackburn defenders before bending an effort a fraction wide of goal. Pogba-esque and elegant in his play, the youngster was our most creative and forward thinking player despite being one of our youngster. The scorer of an excellently taken goal on the stroke of half time after he was played in by Roles inside the penalty area, on another day Maghoma could have had a couple more. He was never afraid to take on players and try his luck from range, that’s something which a lot of young English players should take note off. He is such an exciting player with flair and intricacy about his game but like he showed again on Friday night he is a grafter who helps his team out defensively. After starting this season so well I would be quite surprised if Maghoma wasn’t called up for the England under 18 side during the next international break. He oozes class and his performance against Blackburn was one of real maturity and it showed a player who is improving by every game that he plays.

Blackburn Rovers: Fisher, Doyle (Vale 46), Evans, Tomlinson, Carter, Grayson (c), Buckley, Lyons, Simmonds (Candlin 62), Butterworth, Mols. Substitutes (not used): Albinson, Wilson, Saadi.

Spurs: Glover, Hinds, Brown, Amos (c, Bennett 22), Tanganga, Marsh, Maghoma, Skipp, Harrison (Duncan 35), Oakley-Boothe, Roles (Dinzeyi 90). Substitutes (not used): De Bie, Eyoma.

Goals: Spurs – Harrison 4, 29, Maghoma 45; Blackburn – Butterworth 42.

Referee: Simon Mather.

Venue: Lancashire FA County Ground, Leyland.

Spurs under 21/23’s statistics 2018/19:

Goals scored: Shayon Harrison – 5
Paris Maghoma – 2
Samuel Shashoua – 1
Marcus Edwards – 1
Jaden Brown – 1

Assists: Jack Roles – 2
Troy Parrott – 1
Jaden Brown – 1
Shayon Harrison – 1
Paris Maghoma – 1
Oliver Skipp – 1
Tashan Oakley-Boothe – 1

Clean sheets: Brandon Austin – 1

Spurs under 18’s versus Wolverhampton Wanderers: (match preview)

Our under 18’s have started this season in the most superb way possible and after beating West Ham 9-0 in the league last weekend, Matt Wells will be hoping that his side can transfer their excellent league form into the premier league cup which starts on Saturday. Table toppers Tottenham Hotspur will get their under 18 premier league cup campaign underway on Saturday lunch time when they welcome northern division club Wolverhampton Wanderers to Hotspur Way. Spurs went on an excellent run in this tournament last season in the competition. We beat sides such as Liverpool and Arsenal en route to last seasons final in which we lost 2-0 to our old nemesis Chelsea at their Cobham training ground. Spurs will be hoping to go one step further in the competition this season and after starting the domestic campaign with five wins from their opening six league games you’d have to fancy our chances of winning the competition. Our group contains this weekends opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers as well as fellow northern division side Middlesbrough and southern side Swansea City. Only the winners of the group progress automatically to the knockout stages whilst two of the best placed runners up will join them. This is definitely a group that Matt Wells side can top. Last Saturday’s performance against West Ham was outstanding in every respect. The fluidity of their play, movement and high intensity was something to behold. They are proving to be one of the best youth teams in the country at present and they are playing with a remarkable confidence about their game, and understanding of one another. Whilst I don’t confess to have seen a great of Wolverhampton’s under 18 side over recent seasons I know that the Wanderers have produced a lot of England youth internationals. Most notable of which are Morgan Gibbs-White and Niall Ennis, the Midlands club have invested heavily in their academy over recent years. However, some encouraging news for Spurs is that Darren Ryan’s side have started the season poorly.

Winning only one of their opening six league games this campaign Wolves occupy tenth place in the northern division. This game was originally scheduled to take place at Wolverhampton’s Sir Jack Hayward training ground up until it was suddenly switched to Hotspur Way earlier in the week. The irony of that is that it would have been far easier for me to attend the game had it have been in Wolverhampton, due to me traveling back from Lancashire on the Friday night. Whilst it is unlikely that public transport will get me back to London in time for Saturday’s game I will try my very best to attend and report on what is an important cup game for Wells lads. I look forward to seeing who starts on Saturday and even if we are without several key players then our quality should still shine through against the midlanders. I wish all of our lads the very best of luck.

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) J.Oluwayemi, Statham, White, Lyons-Foster, Cirkin, Bowden, A.Shashoua (c), Patterson, Markanday, Clarke, Richards.

Subs from: Kurylowicz, Okedina, Tainio, Pochettino, Asante.

Doubtful: Troy Parrott (Possible involvement with the under 23’s).

Injured/unavailable: Malachi Walcott (injury) and J’Neil Bennett (Involvement with the development side).

Previous meeting: Spurs 7-3 (2016).

My score prediction: Spurs 4-1.

My one to watch: Wolves forward and England youth international Austin Samuels. The 17 year old netted 12 goals for their under 18 side last season.

ICYMI: https://superhotspur.com/2018/09/25/spurs-under-18s-9-0-west-ham-united-match-report/

Spurs under 23’s versus Blackburn Rovers: (match preview)

After suffering a humiliating 6-0 defeat to Everton in their last PL2 game, Wayne Burnett will be hoping his side can bounce back from last Sunday’s drumming, when they face Blackburn Rovers tomorrow evening, at the Leyland county ground. Our under 23’s have endured a difficult start to the new season and last Sunday’s visit to Goodison Park really brought home just how difficult division one can be at times. Burnett’s side sit one place above the relegation zone ahead of tomorrow’s encounter with bottom of the table Blackburn Rovers. The blue and whites came up to division one as champions last season and Damien Johnson’s side are still in search of their first win of the campaign. Blackburn enjoyed an excellent 2017/18 season and they managed to win the second division with real ease. With youngsters such as Joe Nuttall and Joe Rankin-Costello playing majors parts in their title winning season. Whilst both clubs are category one academy sides, one would expect a club like Tottenham Hotspur to have far too much quality for Blackburn. However, that’s not how youth football works and Wayne Burnett will not be underestimating the threat of tomorrow’s opposition. Blackburn have long been famed for their academy set up and as former Blackburn Rovers boss Jim Iley was telling me a couple of weeks back, a significant part of Blackburn’s first team is made up of academy graduates and local lads. I think tomorrow evenings game is a must win for Spurs if they want to distance themselves from the relegation zone. And if players like Oliver Skipp, Shayon Harrison and Jack Roles have travelled up to Lancashire then we should fancy our chances. Our match against Everton was by no means our best performance of this season and Burnett’s side only managed to muster one shot on target in that game. Goals have been hard to come by so far this season as we no longer have the likes of Keanan Bennett’s and Marcus Edwards creating and scoring goals. Experienced centre forward Shayon Harrison has been our biggest goal threat over recent games.

Having said all that we are also still without attacking players such as Anthony Georgiou, Shilow Tracey and our top scorer at this level last season in Kazaiah Sterling. And if Blackburn head coach Damien Johnson has the likes of Stefan Mols, Joe Rankin-Costello and last seasons seasons top scorer Joe Nuttall to choose from, then it could be a very difficult evening for Burnett’s side which will no doubt include a selection of players from the under 18’s. It will be interesting to see whether or not we stick with playing three at the back for the fourth consecutive game tomorrow night. If so I’d expect young Luis Binks to make his fourth successive start at this level. I’m anticipating a very competitive game against Blackburn and one that will hopefully provide us with a nice three points. Friday evenings PL2 game takes place in Leyland, Lancashire. A town made famous for its long history of manufacturing trucks and buses. I shall be reporting from the county ground on tomorrow nights game. However, due to me traveling by public transport there’s a big risk that I won’t make it back to Hotspur way, for our under 18’s premier league cup tie against Wolves the next morning.

My predicted lineup: (3-4-2-1) Glover, Marsh (c), Tanganga, Binks, Eyoma, Oakley-Boothe, Skipp, Brown, Roles, Maghoma, Harrison.

Subs from: De Bie, Dinzeyi, Duncan, Bennett and Parrott.

Doubtful: Kazaiah Sterling, Brandon Austin (first team involvement) and Alfie Whiteman (first team involvement).

Injured/unavailable: Tariq Hinds, Anthony Georgiou and Jamie Reynolds.

Previous meeting: N/A.

My score prediction: Spurs 2-1.

My one to watch: Rovers prolific 21 year centre forward Joe Nuttall. A player who has already featured on many occasions for Blackburn’s first team, Nuttall was Blackburn’s top scorer in the PL2 last season with 14 goals from 15 games.

ICYMI: https://superhotspur.com/2018/09/25/spurs-under-23s-0-6-everton-match-report/

Spurs under 23’s 0-6 Everton: (match report)

Our under 23’s travelled up to Merseyside on the back of an impressive first win of the season against Manchester City the following week. However, Wayne Burnett’s side couldn’t have put in a more different performance to the one that they put in against the sky blues. Despite picking a similar team for our encounter with the toffees at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon. Burnett’s side just could not deal with Everton’s older and much more physical players. Everton were so much more sharper than us in every thing that we did and by no means had Burnett fielded a young and inexperienced side. The likes of Oliver Skipp, Shayon Harrison and Japhet Tanganga all started against Everton. Sloppy and at times lacking in shape Spurs’ distribution out from the back cost them on several occasions throughout the game. And young Belgian goalkeeper Jonathan De Bie had a very difficult afternoon on his PL2 debut and was at fault for a number of our goals. David Unsworth’s Everton side were significantly older and more experienced than Spurs. 24 year old defender Tyias Browning, experienced fullback Brendan Galloway and 20 year old winger Kieran Dowell who spent last season on loan with Nottingham Forest were just some of the talented players in Unsworth’s side. After passing the ball around well in the opening five or so minutes of the game Spurs fell behind after just ten minutes after the unmarked Tyias Browning headed home from a free kick. Then 11 minutes later we fell further behind after George Marsh scored an own goal after attempting to clear Tanganga’s header on the line after another Everton set piece. Young Scotsman Fraser Hornby essentially put the game to bed when he made it 3-0 to the toffees on the stroke of half time in what had been a half of total dominance from the home side. Things didn’t get much better for Burnett’s side in the second half. Antony Evans made it 4-0 to Everton shortly after the restart, before Bassala Sambou converted from the penalty spot in the 69th minute.

And things got even better for David Unsworth’s side after substitute Josh Bowler scored a late thunderbolt to rubber stamp the toffees 6-0 drumming over our young lads, in a game in which they could they could only manage one shot on target in. Burnett’s side lined up with Jonathan De Bie in goal for his first appearance in the PL2, with a back three of Dinzeyi, Tanganga and Binks in front of him. Four players lined up in the midfield as Jaden Brown and TJ Eyoma operated as the two wingbacks who started either side of the central midfield pairing of Tashan Oakley-Boothe and Oliver Skipp. Whilst the skipper George Marsh sat just behind them in the midfield anchor role. The inform Paris Maghoma played as a number ten behind 21 year old forward Shayon Harrison who led the line. Everton got the PL2 game underway at a chilly Goodison Park as Spurs looked to avenge last seasons 4-1 defeat at the famous old ground. The young Lilywhites moved the ball about quite well in the opening stages and after Jaden Brown won a free kick out on the left flank, Spurs had an early opportunity to trouble Everton goalkeeper Joe Hilton. However, Paris Maghoma’s ball into the danger zone was cleared by Harry Charsley. Tottenham goalkeeper Jonathan De Bie got his first touch of the ball a couple of minutes later after he gathered Kieran Dowell’s pacy free kick into the penalty area. However, Spurs suffered an early blow in the tenth minute of time after the toffees took the lead through Tyias Browning. The goal came about after TJ Eyoma had conceded a free kick out on the left wing. The resulting set piece was taken by Dowell who whipped the ball deep into the box, the hesitant De Bie failed to come off his line as Dowell’s delivery found the unmarked Browning at the back post. The 24 year old defender leapt well before powering a header towards the right side of the goal. De Bie managed to get a considerable amount of glove on the ball but he couldn’t prevent Browning’s bullet header from squirming in, 0-1. Perhaps De Bie should have came out to punch the ball clear.

After having taken the lead so early on in the game Everton seemed to be sparked into life and were now looking a lot sharper with the ball. Conceding early had damaged us and Burnett’s side now found themselves on the back foot. The towering Fraser Hornby glanced Dowell’s cross narrowly wide from inside the penalty area as the blues looked to extend their lead. And they did just that from a corner kick only a couple of moments later. Once again Spurs had come unstuck from a set piece. Kieran Dowell’s delivery into the penalty had caused panic amongst the Spurs defenders. Tanganga rose high to meet the ball but ended up heading it goal bounds. George Marsh tried desperately hard to clear it on the line however, he ended up kicking the ball into the roof of the Spurs goal, 0-2. Once again De Bie had decided not to come off his line and attempt to get to the ball. Spurs tried desperately hard to get back into the game, shortly after the restart Oakley-Boothe won a free kick out on the right flank. Maghoma whipped the ball into the danger zone as Binks tried to attack it, the defender headed the ball across goal but it was cleared by Irishman Harry Charsley. Binks landed awkwardly and had to receive some treatment for a short time after the ball had gone out of play. Burnett’s side looked quite leggy and they were taking far too long on the ball. They lacked the swiftness that they had shown against Man City the previous week. Oliver Skipp conceded a free kick in a dangerous position out on the right wing meaning that Everton could exploit our weaknesses once more. Dowell whipped the ball into the penalty area and was able to find the Hornby who nodded the ball narrowly wide of De Bie’s goal. The Belgian goalkeeper flapped as he gathered the Scotland under 21 internationals cross a couple of moments later as Everton continued to put pressure on our defence.

Japhet Tanganga had to be alert to block Evans diving header after the forward had met Dowell’s cross inside the box. The deflection off of the spurs defender had taken the sting off the ball and it was therefore an easy save for De Bie. A matter of minutes later Unsworth’s side made it 3-0 after centre forward Fraser Hornby found the back of the net. It was all too easy for Everton to pick apart the Spurs defence, Antony Evans had spotted the run of Hornby down the left hand side of the penalty area. Evans threaded a nicely weighted pass through to the Scotsman which had just rolled through the Tottenham defence. Hornby took a touch before firing the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net as De Bie stepped away from his near post, 0-3. Everton almost made it 4-0 just before halftime after Hornby slipped the ball into Galloway inside the penalty area. Galloway dragged the ball across goal and into the feet of Evans at the back post. However, the Englishman slipped at the last moment and was unable to make sufficient contact with the ball. Spurs captain George Marsh made a vital block to prevent Broadhead from playing in Hornby shortly afterwards as Everton looked to add to their three goal lead before the referee blew for the half time. After cutting inside from the left wing Charsley tested De Bie with a powerful low drive towards the bottom right hand corner of the goal. The Belgian spilt the ball and it ended up going out for a corner for Everton. Kieran Dowell’s resulting corner kick was punched away by De Bie as the ball came out to Charsley on the edge of the six yard box. The right backs powerful first time strike was well blocked by Dinzeyi, bringing a much welcomed end to an exceptionally difficult first half for Burnett’s side.

Spurs got the second half underway as they looked to find a way back into the game. A half chance early on in the half resulted in Harrison slipping the ball into Maghoma inside the penalty area. Maghoma tried to trick his way past a sea of Everton defenders but ended up getting crowded out. Everton extended their lead a couple of moments later when Liverpudlian forward Antony Evans found the back of the net after a well worked move from Unsworth’s side. It was all too easy for Everton as Galloway darted past Eyoma down the left side of the penalty area with such ease before finding Evans at the back post. As the forward just tapped the ball home into the empty net despite the best efforts of the outstretched Binks. Eyoma’s lack of pace had been the issue for that goal. The 17 year old centre half picked up a yellow only a matter of minutes later after kicking the ball away after the referee had awarded a free kick against the England youth international. After receiving Maghoma’s pass from around 25 yards out from goal Shayon Harrison managed to have our first and only attempt on target of the game when he tested Hilton with a powerful low effort at goal. Everton caught us on the break at the other end as Evans forced a decent stop out of De Bie at the Tottenham goalkeepers near post. Jack Roles was introduced for TJ Eyoma a couple of minutes later as Burnett looked to bolster the Lilywhites attack. Following Roles introduction Spurs reverted to playing with four at the back as Marsh moved to right back. Unsworth’s side continued to dominate proceedings. Nathan Broadhead fired an effort into the side netting after some good build up play, before Charsley blazed an effort well wide of De Bie’s goal. We were also second to every ball and it was clear to me that we lacked the sharpness and bite that we had shown in previous games. Things got even worse for the young Spurs lads after Skipp gave away a penalty in the 68th minute. Skipp had misplaced a pass on the edge of his own box which went straight to the newly introduced Bassala Sambou. Sambou sprinted into the box where he was chased down by Skipp who made a desperate lunge on the Everton forward, which ended up bringing him to the floor without getting anything on the ball.

Sambou stood up to take the resulting penalty in which he calmly despatched into the bottom left hand corner of the goal as De Bie went the other way, 0-5. Phoenix Patterson came on in place of Dinzeyi a couple of moments later to make his debut at this level. Burnett’s side had crumbled and for the home team it was nothing more than a training match. Mampala caught the Spurs defence napping when he threaded a pass through to the substitute Josh Bowler inside the penalty area late on. Bowler came desperately close to extending the toffees lead as the former QPR teenagers powerful low effort struck the inside of De Bie’s right hand post, before rolling across goal and away to safety. Bowler had another good chance shortly afterwards when he skinned Brown down the right flank before taking the ball into the penalty area and cutting across Skipp before firing the ball narrowly over the crossbar. Paris Maghoma played a clever one – two with Harrison down the right side of the penalty area at the other end before firing a low effort slightly wide of Hilton’s goal, in what was a rare late Tottenham attack. Burnett’s side begun to look a bit livelier as we entered the final stages of the game and they were moving the ball around a lot quicker. The lively Phoenix Patterson almost met George Marsh’s low cross into the penalty area but for a fine piece of defending from Browning who managed to get in front of the Tottenham forward at the right time. Everton then caught us on the break as Mampala drove through the middle of the park before forcing a decent save out of De Bie with an ambitious effort from long range. The icing was put on top of the cake for Unsworth’s side when substitute Josh Bowler netted the toffees sixth goal of the game four minutes from time. After Markelo had passed the ball to Bowler the midfielder looked up before driving a powerful low effort into the top bottom right hand corner of the Spurs goal, 0-6. That brought to an end an extremely difficult game for Wayne Burnett’s side who had been played off the park in every respect. They lacked leadership throughout the game and although they moved the ball around well at times they lacked that final ball. Spurs will be hoping to bounce back from Sunday’s drumming when they face newly promoted Blackburn Rovers in county Lancashire on Friday evening.

Player reviews: – Jonathan De Bie: This was the young Belgians first appearance at this level for Spurs. However, it was a tough one to say the very least. De Bie really struggled to deal with the physicality of the Everton forwards and ended up finding himself at fault for two of their goals after he had failed to come off his line. De Bie’s distribution also put us under pressure and whilst he did make a couple of decent saves I really felt for the young Belgian who was put under great pressure at Goodison Park. However, it’s a learning curve for the 18 year old.
– Jonathan Dinzeyi: Dinzeyi played on the right side of the Tottenham back three and managed to do an ok job for the most part in his defending. Although his passing was often sloppy and inaccurate Dinzeyi did manage to drive out from the back successfully on numerous occasions.
– Japhet Tanganga: The 19 year old operated in the middle of the back three and was the most experienced Tottenham centre half. However, he struggled to deal with the physicality and bite of Fraser Hornby and his passing often put us under pressure.
– Luis Binks: I thought the 17 year old did the best off all our centre backs on Sunday. Don’t get me wrong it was an incredibly tough game for him but he maintained excellent positioning throughout and defended well whilst looking very comfortable on the ball. He also showed a real maturity and leadership about his game.
– TJ Eyoma: Eyoma operated as a right wing back for our encounter with Everton and his lack of pace made it difficult for him to deal with the speed of Galloway and Broadhead. He had a tough game but worked exceptionally hard. He was withdrawn just before the hour mark.
– George Marsh: The skipper played in the holding midfield role and covered large areas of the pitch. Working hard and managing to make some important blocks, his passing however, let him down on numerous occasions.
– Oliver Skipp: The 18 year old central midfielder worked tirelessly in the centre of the park but like the rest of the team it just wasn’t his day. Skipp conceded a penalty in the second half after losing the ball to Sambou.
– Tashan Oakley-Boothe: The 18 year old started in the middle of the park after his impressive performance for our under 19’s in midweek. Oakley-Boothe had an ok game for Burnett’s side and managed to show glimpses of his talent with the ball at his feet. Like Skipp he covered a large amount of ground.
– Jaden Brown: Brown was tasked with defending against the tricky Kieran Dowell out on the right flank and all in all did he a decent job. He also went on some promising attacking forays of his own.
– Paris Maghoma: My motm, see below.
– Shayon Harrison: The centre forward had our only shot on target of the game, and whilst he worked hard and pressed high he was unable to influence the game as he had such little support.
– Jack Roles: The substitute livened things up for Spurs after coming on and we looked a much better side with him on the field.
– Phoenix Patterson: The 18 year old put in an impressive late cameo on his PL2 debut. Patterson looked sharp and helped to create a couple of good moves for Spurs. It was a shame that he didn’t start the game as his movement was very good.

My man of the match: Paris Maghoma. There were no stand out performers within Burnett’s side on Sunday afternoon, I’m not going to exaggerate or say otherwise. However, the one player who I thought showed that creative spark with in the side was Maghoma. Operating as a number ten for large periods of the game where he combined well with Harrison on several occasions. Maghoma worked extremely hard and like Binks he showed leadership, the 17 year old dropped into the centre of midfield for the last 20 or so minutes of the game and it was then that Burnett’s side enjoyed their best period in the game. Maghoma was intricate and went on some nice runs through the middle and even grabbed a late consolation goal for Spurs. He offered Spurs something different from the centre of the park. He should be proud of how he conducted himself.

Everton: Hilton, Charsley, Galloway, Adeniran, Browning (c), Foulds, Dowell, Markelo, Hornby (Sambou 56), Evans (Bowler 56), Broadhead (Mampala 70). Substitutes (not used): Hewelt, Feeney.

Spurs: De Bie, Eyoma (Roles 57), Brown, Tanganga, Dinyezi (Patterson 68), Binks, Maghoma, Marsh (c), Harrison, Skipp, Oakley-Boothe. Substitutes (not used): Freeman, Duncan, Mukendi.

Goals: Everton – Browning 10, Marsh (OG) 20, Hornby 37, Evans 49, Sambou 67 (pen), Bowler 84.

Yellow cards: Everton – Galloway 59; Spurs – Binks 52, Skipp 79, Maghoma 88.

Referee: Leigh Doughty.

Venue: Goodison Park, Liverpool.

Spurs under 21/23’s statistics 2018/19:

Goals scored: Shayon Harrison – 3
Samuel Shashoua – 1
Marcus Edwards – 1
Jaden Brown – 1
Paris Maghoma -1

Assists: Troy Parrott – 1
Jaden Brown – 1
Shayon Harrison – 1
Paris Maghoma – 1
Oliver Skipp – 1

Clean sheets: Brandon Austin – 1

Spurs under 18’s 9-0 West Ham United: (match report)

An outstanding high energy performance from Matt Wells under 18 side on Saturday morning, saw Spurs overcome West Ham to record an emphatic 9-0 victory over the Hammers at their Little Heath sports ground. That win sees Spurs remain at the top of the southern division with an unsurprisingly healthy goal difference. On what was our under 18’s head coach Matt Wells’ 30th birthday, the young Spurs lads gave him a birthday to remember. Putting in an outstanding performance against our London rivals, Spurs played with an attacking intensity which totally blew away what was a strong West Ham team albeit with a couple of under 16’s. After a fairly even first half Spurs found themselves two goals to the good at half time. The first was slightly fortuitous after Emmanuel Longelo put Harvey White’s cross into the back of his own net on the stroke of halftime. Then deep into stoppage time Spurs made it 2-0 courtesy of a fine strike from Rodel Richards. However, it was in the second half that Spurs took real control of the game. Playing at a much higher intensity, Wells side looked far more energetic, they moved the ball around a lot quicker and managed to express themselves a lot more. We really turned it on in that second half and our superb intricate attacking football, masterful defending and domination across the centre of the park proved far too much for the Hammers. Our lads were quite simply unstoppable and some of the football that they played at Little Heath was absolutely glorious. Our seven goal blitz in the second half saw a wide variety of players get on the score sheet. The ever impressive Troy Parrott scored a brace before laying off two goals for his teammates, whilst the likes of Dilan Markanday, Harvey White and J’Neil Bennett added to their tallies this season to ensure that Spurs recorded one of their highest scoring victories at this level, and to make it even sweeter it was against one of our bitter London rivals in their own backyard.

Troy Parrott and J’Neil Bennett dropped down to the under 18 side for Saturday mornings game. Matt Wells side lined up with Joshua Oluwayemi in goal, in front of him was a back four made up of Tainio, Lyons-Foster, White and Cirkin. Jamie Bowden and the captain Armando Shashoua paired up in the centre of the park whilst an attacking trio of Markanday, Richards and Bennett lined up behind centre forward Troy Parrott who led the line. The home side got the game underway on a rainy autumnal morning at Little Heath. And both sets of players looked lively in the opening couple of minutes of the game. A well worked move from the Hammers almost caught us out after Sebastian Nebyla picked up Longelo’s pass out on the right wing. Nebyla continued forwards before squaring the ball to Vernon Parkes who was waiting inside the penalty area. Luckily for Oluwayemi, Parkes fired over from close range. Spurs then responded down the other end after Bennett cut inside from the left wing before curling a wonderful effort from around 20-25 yards out from goal on to Joseph Anang’s crossbar. Some good defending from Okotcha inside the West Ham penalty area prevented Parrott from connecting with Dilan Markanday’s cross shortly afterwards as both sides tried to take control of the game. 17 year old centre half Brooklyn Lyons-Foster headed Jamie Bowden’s free kick wide a couple of moments later. And Wells side went close again when Bennett fired a deflected effort narrowly wide of goal after receiving Markanday’s pass inside the six yard box. Tottenham skipper Armando Shashoua then saw his effort blocked by Jamal Baptiste with the ball rolling out to Markanday on the right flank. The forward whipped a menacing ball into the danger zone which took a hefty deflection off of a West Ham defender before troubling Anang who did just about enough on the line to palm the ball away to safety.

The young Lilywhites were seeing more of the ball in the opening stages however, it was an incredibly even and end to end game of football. Hammers fullback Will Greenidge had a penalty claim waived away by the referee Matthew Pollington after Cirkin had brought him down inside the penalty area. Josh Oluwayemi was forced into making his first save of the game shortly afterwards to gather Nebyla’s long range effort. Frustratingly for Troy Parrott his numerous well timed runs through the middle weren’t being picked up and this was evidently frustrating the Dubliner. We then had a scare after West Ham came close to opening the scoring. After having the ball fed into him by Nebyla down the right, Longelo squared it for Parkes who was lurking at Oluwayemi’s far post. However, the Hammers forward squandered the chance and ended up clipping the ball narrowly wide of the goal. Parkes had been allowed far too much space inside the six yard box. Our skipper Armando Shashoua picked up the first yellow card of the game shortly afterwards, after the 17 year old cynically tugged on the racing Jamal Baptiste’s shirt to break up a dangerous West Ham attack. A lapse in concentration from centre half Harvey White presented the home side with a promising chance a couple of minutes later. After the Tottenham man had mistimed a pass the lively Longelo was quickest to the loose ball. The winger managed to prod the ball through to Parkes inside the box. However, Oluwayemi came rushing out and managed to produce an important stop with his right foot to prevent the forwards low effort. Young J’Neil Bennett could be seen getting increasingly frustrated out on the left flank, the 16 year old was finding himself in acres of space out on that side but his teammates weren’t shifting the ball out to him enough. Matt Wells side produced an incisive attacking move after Shashoua received Parrott’s pass on the edge of the penalty area. The Tottenham captain spotted the run of Richards into the penalty area and fed a well weighted pass into him. Unfortunately the slightly rusty Rodel Richards couldn’t convert, with only the goalkeeper to beat. Richards had got his body shape all wrong and the 18 year old ended up scuffing his effort wide of Anang’s goal, much to the relief of the Hammers goalkeeper.

The 18 year old forward who had looked lively in the opening stages to say the least, then glanced a dangerous looping header across the face of Anang’s goal after going to meet Bowden’s excellent, pacy cross in the box. The uneven and slightly frantic nature of the game continued, West Ham defender Jamal Baptiste’s ball over the top of the Spurs defence, caused a few problems for Lyons-Foster as Nebyla raced past the Tottenham defender to find himself one on one with the Spurs goalkeeper. Oluwayemi had come rushing off his line as Nebyla tried to delicately dink the ball over the Spurs goalkeeper. Thankfully the effort lacked pace and Lyons-Foster was able to get back to clear the ball to safety before it crossed the line. An injury sustained by the referee shortly afterwards meant that the players had a good four minute break. I couldn’t help but noticing goalkeeping coach Rob Burch giving Oluwayemi advice. Harvey White forced a decent stop out of Anang shortly after play got started up again. After receiving Bennett’s pass on the edge of the West Ham penalty area White hit a powerful low effort at goal which was comfortably gathered by the West Ham United goalkeeper. The alert Lyons-Foster nodded over White’s corner kick a couple of moments later as our intricate attacking football continued to show no real signs of bearing fruit, against what could only be described as a very solid West Ham defence. Spurs were continuing to test Anang in the West Ham goal. After being slipped in down the left wing by Richards the speedy J’Neil Bennett whipped the ball into the danger zone but it was deflected out into the path of Bowden who was waiting on the edge of the penalty area. The midfielder tested Anang with a stinging first time side footed effort which the 18 year old managed to tip over the bar. Troy Parrott should have gotten on the scoresheet a couple of moments later, after the Irishman was played through on goal by Rodel Richards. With Parrott one on one with Anang from only six yards out you’d have expected the net to bulge. However, the 16 year olds rather tame effort was easily gobbled up by the West Ham goalkeeper as Parrott looked to the sky in desperation.

Emmanuel Longelo cut inside from the right wing before testing Oluwayemi in the Spurs goal shortly afterwards, as both sides continued to go for the game. Right back Maximus Tainio sustained a head injury a couple of minutes later this caused a short delay to proceedings. The potent Markanday forced a good move shortly after the restart when he passed to Parrott on the edge of the penalty area. Parrott laid the ball off to Richards but Greenidge managed to get in front of him to make a crucial interception. Just when it appeared that both teams were going to head into the break all level, Matt Wells side took a slightly fortuitous lead right on the stroke of halftime. Central defender Harvey White picked the ball up on the right wing before sending a typically inviting cros into the danger zone on his left foot. White’s curling cross unsettled the West Ham defenders who were trying desperately hard to mark Parrott, and White’s cross ended up coming off of the leg of West Ham’s Emmanuel Longelo with the ball managing to creep inside the bottom left hand corner of Anang’s goal, 1-0. This seemed to spur Tottenham on and only a matter of three minutes later and deep into stoppage time, Matt Wells side doubled their advantage. It was a devastating attacking move from Spurs as Markanday passed the ball to Richards inside the penalty area. The forward took a good first touch before slotting the ball around the West Ham United goalkeeper and into the bottom right hand corner of the net. Richards did well to stay on his feet after being taken out by Okotcha’s sliding challenge in the process, 2-0. It would be fair to say that the scoreline somewhat flattered the young Lilywhites as they went into half time with a healthy two goal cushion. Spurs got the second half underway as the rain continued to pour down in east London, and it was quite evident from the opening 30 seconds of the half that Spurs had started with a different energy about their game. The ever impressive Jamie Bowden curled a free kick narrowly over from the edge of the penalty area less than a minute into the half.

Okotcha did well a couple of moments later to snuff out Dilan Markanday’s low cross towards Parrott at the back post, to prevent a certain goal for the Irishman. Brooklyn Lyons-Foster then found himself playing an exquisite one – two with Richards inside the West Ham penalty area, but the youngster was crowded out inside the box. The ball then came rolling out to Markanday whose effort forced a Tottenham corner. And it was from the resulting corner kick that Spurs were awarded a penalty. Bowden’s corner kick came out to Lyons-Foster at the near post. The central defender controlled the ball well before attempting to go past Okotcha who panicked and ended up bringing Lyons-Foster to the floor without winning the ball. 17 year old Harvey White stepped up to take the resulting penalty kick and the young midfielder was as cool and composed as you like, as the Kent born teenager slotted the ball straight down the middle of Anang’s goal to make it 3-0 to Spurs. The excellent Brooklyn Lyons-Foster made a superb, last ditch sliding challenge to prevent the ever threatening Vernon Parkes from getting a shot away inside the Tottenham penalty area. J’Neil Bennett then had a penalty claim waived away at the other end after he was brought down by none other than Vernon Parkes. Noticeable cracks in the West Ham defence were starting to become more and more evident. Dilan Markanday combined well with Bennett on the edge of the box a couple of minutes later before curling an effort wide of Anang’s gaol. The solid Tainio whipped an inviting ball into the danger area shortly afterwards in which Parrott only just missed as he came darting across the Hammers defence. After such an excellent start to the second half Spurs were looking a lot more confident with the ball at their feet. And things got even better for Matt Wells side after they netted their fourth of the game in the 58th minute. The electric Rodel Richards picked up Shashoua’s pass from around 20-25 yards out from goal. The 18 year old looked up before curling a wonderful effort into the bottom left hand side of Anang’s goal, it was a truly marvellous finish from the former Arsenal schoolboy, 4-0.

The ever alert Lyons-Foster blocked Diallo’s powerful attempt at goal shortly after the restart as Spurs continued to boss the match. Rodel Richards was brought off in place of Rayan Clarke on the hour mark as Wells looked to give as many of his substitutes as much game time as possible in the remaining half an hour of the match. A little under five minutes after Rodel Richards had made it 4-0 to the Lilywhites, Dubliner Troy Parrott got a well deserved goal to make it 5-0 on 63 minutes. A menacing driving run through the middle from Markanday took place after he had received Lyons-Foster’s well weighted pass out from the back. Markanday continued to skip though the middle unopposed before slipping a nice pass into the feet of Clarke who found himself one on one with Anang down the left side of the penalty area. The powerful winger showed good composure in front of the outrushing West Ham goalkeeper before being taken out by the 18 year old. The ball then came to Parrott in the centre of the penalty area as he tapped home from close range, 5-0. And Spurs netted their sixth goal of the game a mere two minutes later as the relatively quiet and uninvolved J’Neil Bennett got on the score sheet. It was another well worked move from Wells side as Troy Parrott spotted the run of J’Neil Bennett down the right side of the penalty area. Parrott slipped the ball into Bennett with a nicely weighted pass, the winger took a touch before composing himself and calmly tucking the ball past Anang and into the far corner of the goal, 6-0. Bennett was brought off in the place of Maurizio Pochettino a couple of moments later as Spurs continued to humiliate the Hammers who were unable to cope with the intensity that Matt Wells side were injecting into the game. The excellent Brooklyn Lyons-Foster made an important block to thwart Amadou Diallo’s effort shortly after the restart as Spurs looked to keep their clean sheet. Every time Spurs got the ball they wanted to drive at the West Ham defence, there was a real willingness and hunger to add to their already emphatic lead. Dilan Markanday went close after his curler from the edge of the penalty area forced Anang into making a smart diving stop.

Dennis Cirkin blocked Longelo’s effort at the other end of the pitch before Lyons-Foster made a similarly important block a couple of moments later, to prevent Appiah-Forson from getting his shot away from inside the penalty area. Maxwell Statham replaced the captain Armando Shashoua just before that chance for Appiah-Forson, as Harvey White reverted back to his natural position of central midfield. What was so impressive about the way in which Spurs played in the second half was the fact that they never lowered their intensity. There was a real attacking intent and urgency to keep the ball moving and this was absolutely tearing the tiring Hammers defence to shreds. We made it 7-0 on 77 minutes after Parrott netted his second goal of the game with a cheeky finish past Anang. It was an exquisite piece of play which led to the goal as Jamie Bowden received Markanday’s pass in the centre of the park. Bowden immediately spotted the run of Parrott across the West Ham defence, he then fed his fellow Irishman in with a peach of pass. Timing his run to perfection, Parrott skipped into the penalty area where he was met by the outrushing Anang. However, Parrott showed great composure to dink the ball over the West Ham United goalkeeper and into the bottom left hand corner of the net, 7-0. A rare chance for West Ham shortly after the restart meant that Oluwayemi had to be alert to punch clear Amadou Diallo’s free kick into the penalty area. Spurs were hungry for more goals and Matt Wells side extended their lead in the 84th minute of the game, through the impressive Markanday. The goal came about after left back Dennis Cirkin went on a driving run down the flank before finding Markanday inside the six yard box with a low cross. The forwards initial effort was blocked by a West Ham United defender, but the 17 year old made no mistakes on the follow up as he swivelled around his man before rifling an unstoppable strike into the top right hand corner of the goal, 8-0.

Harvey White threw his body in the way of Nebyla’s strike at the other end as Spurs looked to protect Oluwayemi’s clean sheet, only a couple of moments after Diallo had fired over after going on a galavanting run down the left wing. And things got even better for Matt Wells talented side when they netted their ninth and final goal of the game in the 88th minute of time. Right back Maximus Tainio played a big part in the goal after the Finnish youth international won the ball on the halfway line. The fullback drove forwards down the right wing before slipping the ball into Parrott who quickly released it to Clarke who darted down the left side of the penalty area before slotting the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the goal, 9-0. Tottenham’s emphatic victory over West Ham was one of their biggest wins at this level of all time (and I have been studying results going back to the early 1960’s!), and it occurred just a matter of months after we beat Arsenal by the very same score line. It was an exceptional team performance from Spurs who played with an attacking intensity that Mark Phillips Hammers side just couldn’t match. Our players understanding of one another was superb as too was the way in which they moved the ball around in the final third. They were so slick and crafty, it was dare I say it total football from Matt Wells side. After consolidating their place at the top of the southern league in extraordinary circumstances, Matt Wells side will now turn their attentions to this seasons premier league cup campaign which they get underway at home to Wolves next Saturday. Spurs reached the final of this competition last season.

Player reviews: – Joshua Oluwayemi: It was another impressive performance from the second year scholar who managed to make a number of important stops (particularly in the first half) to ensure that Wells side kept their second clean sheet of the season. Oluwayemi made some really smart stops and managed to read the game well. His excellent save to deny Parkes from a one one position in the first half proved to be so very important. Whilst Oluwayemi’s distribution was at times a little inaccurate, the 17 year old made a string of really important saves as he continues his fine start to the new season.
– Maximus Tainio: It was a solid showing at right back from the young Finn who managed to defend well against Amadou Diallo down that side of the pitch. Tainio was good at anticipating danger and he played a big part in our ninth and final goal of the game.
– Harvey White: The 17 year old operated at centre half for Spurs’ latest game at this level, and once again he put in another really impressive showing as he showed off his versatility. White formed a particularly strong partnership with Lyons-Foster at the back which helped to thwart the attacking threat of some of West Ham’s most potent players. White was so calm under pressure and played the ball out from the back well. In addition he also made so crucial interventions before switching to central midfield for the last 20 minutes of the game. His deftly accurate passing and vision helped to create some nice openings for Spurs. It’s also worth mentioning that the teenager converted a nice penalty at the beginning of the second half as well as getting the assist for our opener on the stroke of halftime.
– Brooklyn Lyons-Foster: My motm, see below.
– Dennis Cirkin: Cirkin stayed deep for large periods of the game but the 16 year old protected that side incredibly well. Defending well against the speedy Emmanuel Longelo, Cirkin kept his man in check and the Dubliner managed to make some important blocks and interceptions. Cirkin looked very good on the ball and he played a big part in setting up Dilan Markanday’s goal after going on a powerful driving run down the left wing before finding the Tottenham forward inside the box with a well weighted cross.
– Jamie Bowden: Exactly the type of creative midfield player that our under 23’s missed during our game against Everton the following day. However, I won’t go into that as Bowden was excellent once again for Wells side on Saturday morning. He played slightly deeper than he had done in recent games but he played just as a big a part in the game. Tigerish and confident in the centre of midfield, Bowden mopped up well after him and helped to break up play effectively. He used the ball resourcefully and looked so good on it. Whilst he got stuck in in the centre of the park, the midfield anchorman also managed to create a number of good chances for the forwards and bagged his fifth assist of the campaign when he set up Troy Parrott’s goal in the second half.
– Armando Shashoua: Despite being replaced on 69 minutes for centre half Maxwell Statham, captain Armando Shashoua put in another really mature performance in the centre of midfield. He rarely misplaced a pass and helped to dictate play with his swiftness and energy in the centre of the park. Shashoua also made some really clever passes throughout the game. Under 23 football cannot be far away!
– Dilan Markanday: Markanday was excellent out on the right wing, he was tireless and willing to track back after him and pick the ball up before going on some really tricky attacking forays. His speed, excellent balance and many clever twists and turns managed to open up the Hammers defence on numerous occasions. He was so creative and decisive with the ball. Markanday finished the game with a goal and an assist to his name.
– Rodel Richards: Despite this being Rodel Richards first under 18 appearance of the season, the number ten put in an excellent performance behind centre forward Troy Parrott. Whilst at times a little rusty, Richards still managed to look so very sharp with the ball at his disposal. Tricky and lively, Richards made some excellent and well timed runs into the danger zone. The south Londoner was involved in three of our goals (scoring twice and assisting once) and that fellow Spurs fans is just a little indication of what is to come from the 18 year old this season.
– J’Neil Bennett: Frustrated and isolated for large periods of the game despite finding himself in acres of space out on the left wing, Bennett was quite involved and rarely managed to beat his man. However, Bennett still managed to get on the score sheet with an excellently taken second half finish. Hammers right back Will Greenidge defended against him very well.
– Troy Parrott: The young Dubliner led the line for only the second time at this level, this season. However, the highly rated centre forward put in an excellent performance and managed to score a richly deserved brace. Hardworking and willing to drop deep and pick the ball up in the centre of midfield, Parrott was excellent on the ball and impressed with his hold up play. He also made many excellently timed runs through the middle (many of which were ignored in the first half!). Parrott’s strength made it difficult for the West Ham defenders to deal with him and after missing a golden chance in the first half. Parrot redeemed himself by scoring two really well taken goals in the second half as well as creating two goals for his teammates.
– Rayan Clarke: Clarke was introduced to the game with 30 minutes remaining after he replaced Rodel Richards. Playing on the left wing, Clarke went on some powerful runs down that side. The wide man scored a well taken finish late on in the game, to net Spurs’ ninth and final goal.
– Maurizio Pochettino: It was a decent but fairly uninvolved second half cameo for Pochettino out on the right wing during the second half.
– Maxwell Statham: Appeared to bolster our defence after coming on with 19 minutes remaining. However, the centre half didn’t have an awful lot to deal with. I would imagine that he will start the Wolves game next Saturday.

My man of the match: Brooklyn Lyons-Foster. It was a masterful performance from the 17 year old ball playing centre half. This was only Lyons-Foster’s third start at this level since last March. However, the Stones-esque teenager was flawless against the Hammers. I felt obliged to give my award to one of our prolific attacking players, but for me Lyons-Foster’s superb defending was just as important. He read the game exceptionally well and made some really important recoveries throughout the game. Good in the air and so calming with the ball at his feet, the Islington born defender made some lovely and influential passes through the lines. He also dealt with the likes of Parkes and Nebyla incredibly well and managed to produce a magnificent sliding challenge to stop the former getting a shot away inside the penalty area in the first half. The teenager also won Harvey White’s penalty in the second half. However, it was Brooklyn’s many important blocks, clearances and interceptions which were so crucial to the way in which the game panned out for Wells side. Lyons-Foster’s impeccable defending and exemplary runs out from the back were first class. After Malachi Walcott picked up an injury last week I would expect Lyons-Foster to start our UEFA youth league game against Barcelona next week.

Spurs: Oluwayemi, Tainio, Cirkin, Bowden, Lyons-Foster, White, Markanday, A Shashoua (c, Statham 71), Parrott, Richards (Clarke 60), Bennett (Pochettino 64). Substitutes (not used): Kurylowicz, Okedina.

Spurs under 18’s statistics 2018/19:

Goals scored: J’Neil Bennett – 5
Troy Parrott – 4
Dilan Markanday – 3
Paris Maghoma – 2
Dennis Cirkin – 2
Jeremie Mukendi – 2
Rayan Clarke – 2
Rodel Richards – 2
Luis Binks – 1
Brooklyn Lyons-Foster – 1
Armando Shashoua – 1
Phoenix Patterson – 1
Harvey White – 1

Assists: Harvey White – 5
Jamie Bowden – 5
Armando Shashoua – 4
Phoenix Patterson – 2
Troy Parrott – 2
Paris Maghoma – 1
Maurizio Pochettino – 1
J’Neil Bennett – 1
Malachi Walcott – 1
Luis Binks – 1
Rodel Richards – 1
Dilan Markanday -1
Brooklyn Lyons-Foster -1
Rayan Clarke – 1

Clean sheets: Joshua Oluwayemi – 2