Spurs under 23’s 3-1 Derby County: (match report)

Our under 23’s hosted Derby County at the Lamex Stadium on Monday evening for their final PL2 game of the 2018/19 season. Still not mathematically safe from the threat of relegation to division two, Wayne Burnett’s needed to record a victory against the ‘ Rams ‘ to rubber stamp their division one status for another season. It was an excellent end of season performance from Burnett’s side on Monday as they over came Derby County 3-1 courtesy of a Jack Roles hat-trick and a really good team performance, when it mattered. Spurs started the league game brightly and with a good energy about them on a cool spring evening in Stevenage. Both sides started the game well but it was Spurs who struck first after just seven minutes through Jack Roles. A lovely lofted pass from Jamie Bowden had managed to pick out Roles inside the Derby penalty area and after bringing the ball down well the 20 year old was able to fire the ball home from a tight angle. Burnett’s side continued to play well but both sides were managing to create good goals scoring chances. Derby’s Cameron Cresswell managed to head the visitors level shortly after the half hour mark however, Spurs managed to respond through none other than Jack Roles who regained Spurs’ lead with a clever finish in first half stoppage time. The ‘ Rams ‘ were the marginally better side during the second period but some excellent defending from the likes of Brooklyn Lyons-Foster and Japhet Tanganga as well as some important stops from Brandon Austin managed to keep the visitors at bay. There was a lengthy delay after Tottenham centre forward received treatment for a nasty looking leg injury. And it was in fact the player who replaced Parrott who helped to set up the goal which put the game to bed. 18 year old Rodel Richards set up Jack Roles on the edge of the Derby penalty area, and the  Cyprus under 21 international clinically slotted the ball home to record an invaluable three points for the young ‘ Lilywhites ‘. Spurs finished the season in tenth place, three points clear of 11th place West Ham, who despite beating Everton on the same night were unable to avoid the drop.

Wayne Burnett’s side lined up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation for Monday’s game with Brandon Austin starting in goal, behind a back four of Tariq Hinds, Brooklyn Lyons-Foster, captain Japhet Tanganga and Harvey White. Tashan Oakley-Boothe and Jamie Bowden paired up in central midfield while the attacking trio of Dilan Markanday, Jack Roles and Shilow Tracey started behind centre forward Troy Parrott who led the line for the second successive game. Derby County got the game underway and it didn’t take long for both sides to assert themselves on the game. Troy Parrott narrowly missed connecting with Harvey White’s early whipped cross inside the Derby penalty area before the ball ran through the legs of Dilan Markanday. A couple of moments later the versatile White played a lofted ball down the left flank for Shilow Tracey to run onto. Tracey managed to get to the ball before surging past Derby defender Ethan Wassall and cutting inside onto his right foot and bringing the ball into the Derby box. However, Tracey was unable to keep his composure in front of goal and he ended up blazing the ball over Henrich Ravas’ crossbar. After a slip from Lyons-Foster had allowed Derby’s Josh Shonibare to dart into the Tottenham penalty area, Spurs looked like they were in trouble. However, captain Japhet Tanganga was on hand to make a crucial interception on Shonibare before helping to get the ball clear. Spurs had started the game brightly and a combination of good vision and skill had resulted in them taking the lead on seven minutes thanks to a classy finish from Jack Roles. After Jamie Bowden had received the ball some 30 yards out from goal, the young central midfielder looked up before picking out Jack Roles inside the Derby penalty area with an inch perfect lofted pass. Roles took the ball down with real class down the left hand side of the danger zone, he then managed to twist his way past Kellan Gordon before firing the ball into the roof of Henrich Ravas’ goal from an acute angle, 1-0. Wayne Burnett called young Bowden’s name before giving him the thumbs up in response to his excellent assist. Japhet Tanganga did well to head Kellan Gordon’s cross away from danger before Josh Shonibare came close to scoring an equaliser.

After sprinting past Japhet Tanganga Tyree Wilson passed the ball to Shonibare inside the Tottenham penalty area but the wingers first time side footed effort flew narrowly over Brandon Austin’s crossbar. Jamie Bowden saw his attempted through ball to Jack Roles snuffed out by Derby captain Joe Bateman, before Roles received Parrott’s pass out on the left flank before drifting inside and seeing his curling effort on goal headed behind by Ethan Wassall. Jamie Bowden’s resulting corner kick was glanced across the face of Henrich Ravas’ goal by Troy Parrott a couple of minutes before Brooklyn Lyons-Foster managed to cut out a dangerous pass from the ‘ Rams ‘ Timi Elsnik before it could come through to Cameron Cresswell inside the Spurs box. There was a brief pause in play after Troy Parrott injured his back after colliding painfully with Derby’s Joe Bateman while attempting to get to Brooklyn Lyons-Foster’s long pass. An in swinging cross from Spurs’ Harvey White was plucked out of the air by Derby goalkeeper Henrich Ravas. After picking the ball up on the left flank Troy Parrott came inside onto his right foot before entering the Derby box and letting fly however, his powerful effort was blocked behind for a corner kick by Ethan Wassall. A couple of minutes later Derby midfielder Timi Elsnik managed to win the ball off of Spurs’ Tariq Hinds, he then went on a driving forward run before having a pop on goal, but his effort was bravely blocked by Lyons-Foster inside the Spurs box. Spurs continued to threaten the Derby defence and after Harvey White received Shilow Tracey’s pass out on the left flank White sent a glorious first time cross into the Derby box. White’s cross picked out Parrott who cleverly flicked the ball over Henrich Ravas and narrowly over the crossbar. However, Derby then went straight down the opposite end of the pitch and equalised. Josh Shonibare managed to pick the unmarked Cameron Cresswell in the middle of the Tottenham penalty area with an inviting cross, and Cresswell was then able to just nod the ball past the helpless Brandon Austin from close range and into the back of the net, 1-1. Burnett’s side tried to respond, Parrott attempted to play Roles through on goal with a clever pass but Derby substitute Sven Karic was able to get in front of Roles and clear the ball. Derby responded through Josh Shonibare who, after receiving the ball down the right hand side of the Spurs box, fired a venomous effort across the face of Brandon Austin’s goal. 

Dilan Markanday had a shot on goal blocked by Ethan Wassall before Lyons-Foster managed to work the ball out to Harvey White down the left wing. White’s resulting cross was menacing and it hit off both Parrott and Bowden inside the Derby box before it was cleared away by Wassall. Lyons-Foster was on hand at the other end to get in front of the speedy Shonibare down the left flank before getting the ball clear. Japhet Tanganga then did well to clear a dangerous cross from Sven Karic before a Derby corner kick which was delivered by Joe Bateman was cleared away by Oakley-Boothe. After Dilan Markanday gave the ball away to Kellan Gordon the Derby right back passed the ball to Tyree Wilson down the right side of the Spurs box. Wilson managed to cut inside White but the Tottenham left back was able to recover to make an important block to prevent Wilson’s powerful resulting effort from testing Austin. The ever reliable Brooklyn Lyons-Foster managed to clear a cross from Timi Elsnik, before Brandon Austin claimed Ethan Wassall’s cross. Then in the first minute of first half stoppage time Spurs managed to retake the lead through Jack Roles who scored his second goal of the game. After Tariq Hinds has received the ball out on the right wing, the Tottenham fullback whipped a delightful cross deep into the Derby penalty area where he looked to pick out either Roles or Parrott. In the end it was Roles who attacked the ball down the left hand side of the box, and the Cyprus under 21 international managed to send a powerful looping header up and over Derby goalkeeper Henrich Ravas and into the top left hand corner of his goal, 2-1. Harvey White had a late cross cleared by Joe Bateman before the referee Christopher Pollard blew for halftime. Spurs got the second half underway and it was Burnett’s side who managed the first goal attempt of the half after Troy Parrot had a shot on goal blocked by Ethan Wassall. Timi Elsnik then managed to clear a cross from Harvey White, a couple of moments before the ‘ Rams ‘ forced Brandon Austin into making his first save of the game. After embarking on a darting run down the left flank Josh Shonibare managed to cut inside Lyons-Foster inside the Spurs box before testing Austin with a powerful effort. The Spurs goalkeeper managed to beat the ball away by getting a strong hand to it, before Tanganga managed to clear it. 

Tariq Hinds was able to clear Alex Babos’ free kick before Tanganga cleared a dangerous cross from Max Hunt, a couple of moments before Hinds managed to block a shot from Cameron Cresswell. Derby were really heaping the pressure on the Spurs defence and their attacking onslaught continued. Ethan Wassall then nodded Sven Karic’s cross over Brandon Austin’s crossbar. Spurs attacked the ‘ Rams ‘ down the other end of the pitch after Bowden played the ball down the right flank to Shilow Tracey who ran onto it. Tracey continued forwards before whipping the ball into the danger zone but it was cleared by Joe Bateman. Tracey and Markanday had switched flanks during the second half. Bateman was on hand to clear a cross from Dilan Markanday a couple of minutes before Japhet Tanganga managed to get across Josh Shonibare inside    the Spurs box before clearing the ball away from danger. Brooklyn Lyons-Foster then did well to clear Kellan Gordon’s cross as the Tottenham defence continued to hold strong. After Jamie Bowden had sprayed the ball out to Dilan Markanday on the left flank the skilful Spurs winger managed to travel into the Derby box where he attempted to slip the ball into Parrott, but Bateman managed to get to the ball and clear it in time. Harvey White then lashed an effort well wide of Henrich Ravas’ goal from long range. Shilow Tracey was shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Sven Karic, before Japhet Tanganga cleared Alex Babos’ resulting free kick. The alert Brandon Austin was then able to claim the same players cross a couple of moments later as Derby continued to trouble the Tottenham defence. Timi Elsnik fired the ball against Brandon Austin’s left hand post with a shot from the edge of the Tottenham penalty area. Unfortunately the tigerish Troy Parrott was the victim of a nasty late challenge from Joe Bateman which after a lengthy pause in play resulted in Parrott being stretchered off the pitch. He had appeared to be in a lot of discomfort, Rodel Richards replaced the 17 year old up top. Brooklyn Lyons-Foster managed to make a superb sliding block to stop Josh Shonibare’s powerful low effort from testing Austin inside the Spurs box, after he had received Alex Babos’ pass. Harvey White headed clear Babos’ resulting corner kick before Spurs managed to put the game to bed after Jack Roles completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute of time. A well worked move resulted in White passing the ball to Roles who then gave it to Richards down the left side of the Derby box. Richards then cut the ball back to Roles on the edge of the penalty area and the Spurs midfielder clinically slotted the ball past Ravas and into the bottom right hand corner of the goal with a powerful first time effort, prompting jubilant celebrations amongst the Spurs players. 

Dennis Cirkin replaced Dilan Markanday before Brandon Austin managed to come out and clear Joe Bateman’s long pass with his head on the edge of his penalty area. Phoenix Patterson then replaced Shilow Tracey for the final minutes of the game. A late Derby attack resulted in Joe Bateman crossing the ball into the Tottenham penalty area. Shonibare managed to head the ball back across goal for Babos who smashed the ball off the underside of Austin’s crossbar. The ball bounced back up off the line and out to Bateman whose resulting low effort was saved by Austin. The referee Christopher Pollard blew his whistle for full time a couple of moments later to bring an end to an impressive end of season performance for Wayne Burnett’s side, who successfully managed to escape relegation to the second division. 

Player reviews:

• Brandon Austin: Making two important saves in total on Monday evening to cap off an excellent season for the 20 year old, who had a flawless game against the ‘ Rams ‘. Austin made a hugely important save right at the beginning of the second half to deny Josh Shonibare before later going onto deny Alex Babos. Austin dealt excellently with all of the set pieces and crosses which came his way, he was authoritative and anticipated the game well and I also thought that his distribution was good on the day.
• Tariq Hinds: This was a very good performance from the young right back who did an excellent job at defending against Derby’s pacy winger Josh Shonibare. Hinds made some important interceptions down the right flank and he also chipped in with a glorious assist to set up Jack Roles’ second goal of the game.
• Brooklyn Lyons-Foster: Once again the second year scholar put in an outstanding defensive performance for Wayne Burnett’s side. Operating at RCB the 18 year old defended solidly alongside Spurs captain Japhet Tanganga who he shared a good understanding of the game with. Lyons-Foster made four vital defensive interventions on Monday evening and everything from his anticipation to the timing of his interceptions and blocks was top class. His positive forward passing once again helped us out massively!
• Japhet Tanganga: The Spurs captain had a strong game at LCB where he put in a commanding performance. Tanganga won the vast majority of his aerial duels, he read the game well and he made some very important defensive interventions.
• Harvey White: Filling in once against at left back before reverting back to CM for the final stages of the game, I thought that the first year scholar did a good job at keeping the ‘ Rams ‘ Tyree Wilson quiet for large periods of the game. White put in a very Ogilvie-esque performance and some of his defending was very similar to the 23 year old Spurs man who is currently on loan at Gillingham. Defensively solid and attentive throughout the game, White got up and down the left flank well and he whipped some glorious crosses into the danger zone.
• Tashan Oakley-Boothe: It was a tidy performance from the central midfielder, who went on some good attacking forays through the middle. 
• Jamie Bowden: At times masterful within the midfield young Bowden put in a very effective performance last night. Constantly keeping things ticking and winning important balls. Bowden set up Jack Roles’ opener with a lovely lofted pass and he also created a number of additional chances during the latter parts of the game.
• Dilan Markanday: Operating on the right wing and later the left wing, Markanday worked hard to try and make an influence on the game although he did come up against some very physical Derby defenders.
• Jack Roles: My motm, see below. 
• Shilow Tracey: The winger had a very strong first half at LW and a good second half out on the opposite flank. Tracey went on some good attacking forays and he made some good runs in and behind the Derby defence.
• Troy Parrott: Unfortunately Parrott’s night lasted only 75 minutes after a strong challenge from Ethan Wassall brought him great discomfort. Parrott held the ball up excellently, linked up play well, and got himself into some good goalscoring positions. Furthermore, Parrott came close to finding the back of the net on a couple of occasions. I wish him a speedy recovery.
• Rodel Richards: It was a lively cameo for the 18 year old who led the line well and managed to set up Jack Roles for his third goal of the game. Richards pressed aggressively throughout his time on the pitch and this unsettled the Derby defence.
• Dennis Cirkin: The left back helped to bolster the Tottenham defence during the final minutes of the game.
• Phoenix Patterson: N/A.

My man of the match: Hat-trick hero Jack Roles has so often been the game changer for our under 23’s during the 2018/19 campaign and his excellent performance on Monday evening against Derby County was nothing unusual. Oozing class from the first to the final whistle the 20 year old was a constant thorn in the Derby defences side with his many ghosting runs from the CAM position. All three of Roles’ finishes were top class and his off the ball movement and tireless running should get the same plaudits. I would love to see Jack get a call up to the Cyprus senior team next month. Roles’ form this season has been sensational!

Spurs: Austin, Hinds, White, Oakley-Boothe, Tanganga (c), Lyons-Foster, Markanday (Cirkin 85), Bowden, Parrott (Richards 75), Roles, Tracey (Patterson 90+5). Substitutes (not used): Kurylowicz, Dinzeyi.

Derby County: Ravas, Gordon, Anya (Karic 17), Bateman (c), Wassall, Hunt, Wilson (Bird 67), Elsnik, Cresswell (Whittaker 80), Babos, Shonibare. Substitutes (not used): Yates, Knight.

Goals: Spurs – Roles 7, 45+1, 81; Derby – Cresswell 31.

Yellow cards: Spurs – Tracey 66; Derby – Bateman 71.

Referee: Christopher Pollard.

Venue: Lamex Stadium, Stevenage.

Attendance: 483.

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

Goals scored: Jack Roles – 13

Shayon Harrison – 5

Kazaiah Sterling – 5

Paris Maghoma – 4

Jaden Brown – 2

Vincent Janssen – 2

Troy Parrott- 2

Samuel Shashoua – 1

Marcus Edwards – 1

Dylan Duncan – 1

Phoenix Patterson – 1

Harvey White – 1

Tashan Oakley-Boothe – 1

Shilow Tracey – 1

Anthony Georgiou – 1

Assists: Jack Roles – 6

Kazaiah Sterling – 3

Vincent Janssen – 3

J’Neil Bennett – 3

Tariq Hinds – 3

Paris Maghoma – 2

Jaden Brown – 2

Jamie Bowden – 2

Troy Parrott – 1

Shayon Harrison – 1

Oliver Skipp – 1

Tashan Oakley-Boothe – 1

Dylan Duncan – 1

George Marsh – 1

Anthony Georgiou – 1

Shilow Tracey – 1

Dennis Cirkin – 1

Dilan Markanday – 1

Rodel Richards – 1

Clean sheets: Brandon Austin – 2

Alfie Whiteman – 1

Some notes on Spurs loanee Samuel Shashoua’s performance against Valencia CF Mestalla:

Spurs loanee Samuel Shashoua was in action for Atlético Baleares on Sunday  afternoon in the Spanish Segunda Division B Group III, when Manix Mandiola’s table toppers welcomed Valencia CF Mestalla to the Son Malferit. The inform Samuel Shashoua completed the entirety of the ‘ Balearicos ‘ 3-2 win over Valencia as Manix Mandiola’s edge ever closer to clinching the Spanish Segunda Division B Group III title and a place in the simplified section of the play offs, on what was his 30th competitive appearance for the Spanish club. Samuel put in an outstanding performance for the Balearic club on Sunday as he started the game out on the left wing. At times very David Silva-esque, it was a highly influential performance from the 19 year old. His intelligent movement, reading of the game, stamina, passing and all round craftsmanship proved to be pivotal in Atlético securing all three points and overcoming Valencia. Shashoua chipped in with an assist but on another day he could have had a hat trick of assists. Manix Mandiola’s side started the game well and after putting pressure on the Valencia defence during the opening stages of the game the visitors started to look vulnerable. After receiving Francesc Fullana’s pass out on the left flank Samuel did well to hold off Valencia fullback Guillem before attempting to cross the ball into the danger zone, but it was blocked by Valencia captain Miki Muñoz. A couple of moments later Shashoua was found once again by Fullana down the left flank, this time he opted to put a first time delivery into the Valencia box. Shashoua clipped an excellent first time cross into the danger zone where he managed to pick out Atlético striker Nuha who sent a dangerous looping header narrowly wide of Christian’s goal. Around five minutes later Samuel was given the ball by Nuha out on the left wing but Samuel’s resulting low cross into the Valencia box was cleared by Muñoz. Shashoua had been making some good sprints during the early periods of the game and he was constantly looking to create space for himself. After being given the ball by Peris out on the left flank Samuel laid the ball off for Fullana on the edge of the Valencia box but his resulting effort was saved relatively comfortably by Valencia goalkeeper Christian.

Despite being tightly marked by the oppositions defence Samuel continued to work hard in order to try and influence the game. A nice bit of skill down the left flank resulted in Samuel side stepping his way past Guillem before passing the ball to the overlapping Peris, but his resulting cross was cleared away by a Valencia defender. Another fine cross from Shashoua on the left flank caused more problems for the Valencia defence after it picked out Canario who was in space inside the danger zone, the Atlético wingers resulting overhead kick flashed narrowly wide of Christian’s goal. However, the visitors took a surprising lead in the 34th minute of the game through Javi Jiménez who scored from a Valencia free kick. Mandiola’s side tried to respond, after Nuha managed to head the ball down to Samuel inside the Valencia box the Spurs man attempted to pass the ball across the face of the goal but it was cleared away by a Valencia defender. A nice bit of play resulted in Shashoua controlling Canario’s long pass out on the left wing, he then shimmied his way around Pascu as he surged forward into the penalty area where he was met by Javi Jiménez who managed to put Samuel off, and he ended up putting the ball behind for a goal kick. Atlético Baleares managed to respond shortly before the interval after Villapolos headed home a free kick from Francesc Fullana a matter of moments before the referee blew his whilstle for halftime. The second half couldn’t have started any better for Samuel’s team, less than three minutes into the second half Atlético took the lead for the first time in the game and Shashoua had a lot to do with the goal. After sending an excellent clipped cross deep into the Valencia box Samuel managed to pick out the head of Vallori who headed the ball towards goal. However, it was jabbed past Christian by the alert Nuha from close range to give the home side the lead. Shashoua started to become even more involved in the game during the second half, after being given the ball by Kike López down the right side of the Valencia box, Samuel cut inside onto his left foot before laying the ball off to Marcos De la Espada on the edge of the penalty area. However, the Atlético midfielders resulting effort was deflected behind for a corner kick. A couple of moments after Nuha had had a goal harshly ruled out, Samuel managed his first goal attempt of the game. A clever move started with Marcos De la Espada who passed the ball to Shashoua who, then sprinted his way past both Muñoz and Guillem and into the Valencia penalty area before coming inside onto his right foot and curling an effort wide of Christian’s goal. Samuel’s effort was deemed to have taken a deflection off a Valencia defender by the referee and so a corner kick was given. Atlético’s third goal of the game duly arrived on the hour mark and it was set up by Samuel. After latching onto Kike López’s pass down the right flank Samuel cleverly turned his way past Guerrero      

and into the Valencia box, before clipping an inch perfect cross into Marcos De la Espada. The Atlético midfielder rose up to meet Shashoua’s cross before powering an unstoppable header perfectly into the top right hand corner of the goal. A couple of minutes later the lively Samuel Shashoua decided to try his luck from long range but his shot was blocked by Valencia defender Miki Muñoz. The visitors did manage to pull a goal back through Sekou however, Atlético managed to see out the remaining minutes of the game with relative ease. An ambitious but cleverly thought of through ball from Samuel to Nuha was cut out by Javi Jiménez a couple of minutes before Samuel came inside from the right flank before lashing an effort well wide of Christian’s goal from long range. That was to be Shashoua’s final involvement in the game. It was an outstanding performance from the inform 19 year old, the West Londoner played like he was a seasoned pro. Not only was he excellent on the ball and highly productive as you would have just read, there was a remarkable intelligence about Shashoua’s game. I really paid close attention to his movement off the ball and it really was top class. His crossing, passing, vision, hold up play and ball control were all fantastic on the day but I thought that it was Samuel’s desire to run and create space for himself as well as the sharpness of his movement which were the important of all. This is a young man who is maturing by each passing game.

Samuel Shashoua for Atlético Baleares this season: 

Appearances: 30

Goals: 6

Assists: 3

Spurs under 18’s 3-4 Leicester City: (match report)

Our under 18’s played their final league game of the 2018/19 season on Saturday when they welcomed Leicester City to Hotspur Way. John McDermott’s side were still in with a chance of winning the Premier League South title going into Saturday mornings game against the ‘ Foxes ‘ however, it wasn’t to be for the wonder boys of Hotspur Way who surprisingly lost their final game of the season 4-3 to Leicester while Arsenal defeated Fulham 3-0. Today’s game was a strange one not only due to the importance of it, but more so because it was really a game of two halves. Spurs dominated the game from start to finish but they were sloppy on occasions during the second half, and they let the scrappy nature of the game get the better of them in the end. McDermott picked a strong team for the game of which was made up predominantly of second year scholars, with Paris Maghoma and J’Neil Bennett dropping down from the under 23’s. After a good start to the game which had seen some lovely early passing and movement from the young Spurs lads, McDermott’s side took the lead in the 13th minute of the game. Rodel Richards who had only just returned from a long spell on the sidelines, was the man to give Spurs the lead. Richards had been able to tap Rayan Clarke’s pacy low cross past Leicester goalkeeper Oliver Bosworth from close range to put Spurs ahead. Spurs continued to dominate the game and less than seven minutes later J’Neil Bennett doubled McDermott’s sides advantage. However, Leicester managed to pull a goal back against the run of play after Malachi Walcott conceded a penalty less than three minutes later. The ‘ Foxes ‘ Dempsey Arlott-John stood up to fire the ball past Tottenham goalkeeper Kacper Kurylowicz and into the middle of the goal. However, Spurs managed to regain their stranglehold on the game and after creating a number of good chances throughout the remainder of the first half the clinical Rodel Richards scored his second and Spurs’ third of the game on 38 minutes with a smart finish, after taking the ball around the Leicester City goalkeeper. Although Spurs did continue to dominate possession throughout the second half, McDermott’s side started it poorly.

Ethan Fitzhugh pulled a goal back for the visitors shortly before the hour mark before the ‘ Foxes ‘ managed to draw level from the penalty spot through Ed Elewa-Ikpakwu, after Kurylowicz had conceded the penalty. Ethan Fitzhugh then scored his second of the game in the 71st minute to cap off a disappointing day for the wonder boys of Hotspur Way who despite creating some good late chances were unable to respond. John McDermott’s side lined up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation on Saturday morning as Kacper Kurylowicz made a rare start in goal, while a back four of Jubril Okedina, Malachi Walcott, Luis Binks and Maxwell Statham lined up in front of him. Captain Armando Shashoua and Phoenix Patterson partnered up in central midfield behind the attacking trio of Rayan Clarke, Paris Maghoma and J’Neil Bennett. 18 year old Rodel Richards made his first appearance for our under 18’s since January as he led the line following his return from injury. Leicester got the game underway on a windy morning in Enfield and it took a good piece of defending from Spurs’ Luis Binks to prevent an early Leicester attack. Binks did well to make a timely challenge on Ollie Ewing inside the Tottenham penalty area to stop the Leicester midfielder from advancing down the right hand side of the box. Malachi Walcott did well to head clear Liam Loughlin’s resulting corner kick before Spurs looked to break forward down the opposite end of the pitch. A corner kick from Phoenix Patterson hit off the heads of both Rodel Richards and Lukas Husek before it was attacked by Walcott whose headed effort deflected off of Ollie Ewing and behind for another corner kick. Spurs were seeing considerably more of the ball during the opening stages of the game and they were creating some decent chances. After embarking on a surging run through the middle of the pitch Luis Binks passed the ball to Rayan Clarke on the right wing. Clarke continued to come forward down the flank before cutting inside onto his left foot and firing a powerful low effort wide of Oliver Bosworth’s goal. A couple of moments later Clarke picked the ball up again, this time on the edge of the Leicester penalty area but once again he fired the ball wide of the mark. 

Spurs continued to threaten the Leicester defence and after Armando Shashoua managed to pick out J’Neil Bennett inside the ‘ Foxes ‘ box the Spurs winger tried to test Bosworth. However, the wingers header lacked power and it was saved comfortably by Oliver Bosworth. The wonder boys of Hotspur Way continued to control the game and on 13 minutes John McDermott’s side made the breakthrough. After Maghoma managed to shift the ball out to Rayan Clarke on the right flank, the winger darted forward before whipping the ball into the Leicester penalty area where he managed to pick out Rodel Richards in the middle of the Leicester box. The alert Tottenham striker managed to sort his body out well before tapping the ball past the helpless Oliver Bosworth on the volley and into the back of the net with a clever first time finish, 1-0. Tottenham goalkeeper Kacper Kurylowicz did well to gather a corner kick from Ollie Ewing shortly afterwards, and the Polish youth international came close to setting J’Neil Bennett through on goal at the other end of the pitch with a long kick up field. However, Leicester goalkeeper Oliver Bosworth was able to gather the ball before Bennett could get to it. A couple of minutes later Kurylowicz did well to gather a dangerous low cross from Terrel Pennant. Spurs were playing some wonderful one and two touch football and it was only a matter of time before they doubled their advantage. Spurs’ second goal of the game duly arrived in the 21st minute of the game after J’Neil Bennett managed to turn home Phoenix Patterson’s free kick. After Paris Maghoma had won a free kick out on the right wing, Patterson whipped a menacing ball deep into the penalty area, it came to Malachi Walcott who was lurking at the far post. Walcott attempted to shoot on the turn but his shot was blocked by Ed Elewa-Ikpakwu but the loose ball was snapped up by J’Neil Bennett who managed to sweep the ball past Bosworth and into the bottom right hand corner of the goal, 2-0. However, less than three minutes later the ‘ Foxes ‘ managed to pull a goal back. After Leicester’s centre forward Will Russ had received Liam Loughlin’s pass inside the Spurs penalty area Russ managed to get around Malachi Walcott who ended up bringing Russ down from behind. With little hesitation the referee pointed straight to the penalty spot. 

Leicester’s Dempsey Arlott-John stood up to take the resulting spot kick and he confidently fired the ball past Kurylowicz and straight down the middle of the goal, 2-1. McDermott’s side tried to respond and after the high pressing Paris Maghoma managed to win the ball off of Ollie Ewing the 17 year old went on a surging run through the middle of the park. Maghoma played a clever one two with Bennett inside the Leicester box before being taken clean out by the sliding Lukas Husek who got nothing of the ball however, the referee chose not to give the penalty despite being placed in a perfect position when the challenge was made. Shortly afterwards Rayan Clarke played a quick one two with J’Neil Bennett on the edge of the Leicester penalty area before firing the ball over Oliver Bosworth’s crossbar. A couple of minutes later Leicester’s Ed Elewa-Ikpakwu blasted the ball off of Maxwell Statham inside the Leicester penalty area but fortunately for him it came back to Oliver Bosworth who managed to gather it. Spurs continued to put pressure on the Leicester defence and after Maghoma had passed the ball to Patterson inside the Leicester box the Spurs midfielder tried to beat Bosworth with a curling effort but it was blocked by Ollie Ewing before Bosworth was able to gather the ball. Luis Binks made a good interception on Will Russ at the other end of the pitch before Spurs regained their two goal cushion through Rodel Richards. It was a lovely move which started with Phoenix Patterson passing the ball to Maghoma who then slipped a perfectly weighted pass through to Richards to run onto inside the Leicester box. Richards took a good first touch as Bosworth came rushing out to meet him, he then managed to successfully round the Leicester City goalkeeper before clipping the ball into the empty net, 3-1. A couple of minutes later the influential Paris Maghoma managed to find J’Neil Bennett down the left side of the Leicester box. Bennett tried to pull the ball back across goal for Richards but his pass was cleared by Justen Kranthove. Malachi Walcott then did well to clear a dangerous cross from Ed Elewa-Ikpakwu at the other end of the pitch. The referee blew his whistle for half time a couple of seconds later to bring an end to an eventful first half. 

Spurs got the second half underway and it was the young ‘ Lilywhites ‘ who managed to create the first chance of the half. After Rodel Richards had passed the ball to Rayan Clarke on the right flank the Spurs winger whipped a low ball into the Leicester penalty area where he managed to pick out Richards, who volleyed the ball against the base of Oliver Bosworth’s left hand post. A dangerous cross from Phoenix Patterson was turned back to Bosworth by Justen Kranthove, luckily for the Leicester defender Bosworth managed to catch the ball. A couple of minutes later Paris Maghoma passed the ball to Rodel Richards inside the Leicester box. Richards took a couple of nice touches before firing the ball straight at Lukas Husek. The ball then came back to Richards who slipped the ball into the feet of Bennett down the left side of the box but he ended up firing the ball into the side netting. The beginning of the second half had been very end to end and McDermott’s side had been unable to regain their stranglehold on the game. Unfortunately the ‘ Foxes ‘ managed to pull a goal back through Ethan Fitzhugh on 59 minutes. A good passing move resulted in Will Russ passing the ball to the newly introduced Adam Leathers who slipped the ball into Ethan Fitzhugh down the left side of the box. Fitzhugh took a touch before tucking the ball past the out rushing Kurylowicz at his near post, and into the bottom left hand corner of the goal, 3-2. Less than six minutes later Ethan Fitzhugh set Johnny Yfeko racing through on goal with a well weighted pass into the Tottenham penalty area. Yfeko was met by Kurylowicz who attempted to close him down and get to the ball however, as Kurylowicz attempted to get the ball he ended up colliding with Yfeko and for the second time in the game the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Ed Elewa-Ikpakwu stepped up before firing the ball past Kurylowicz and into the bottom left hand corner of the goal, 3-3. John McDermott responded by making a substitution, he brought off Maxwell Statham for left back Dennis Cirkin. Jubril Okedina nodded a corner from Phoenix Patterson over Oliver Bosworth’s crossbar a couple of minutes before McDermott made his second substitution. This time he brought off Rodel Richards for Maurizio Pochettino as J’Neil Bennett moved up top. A slightly disorganised looking Spurs team tried to fight back against the Leicester resurgence. After receiving Malachi Walcott’s pass Phoenix Patterson came close to beating Bosworth with a thumping effort from 22 yards out, but his dipping effort came crashing off the crossbar after Bosworth had managed to get a touch on the ball. 

Things got even worse for McDermott’s side after Leicester City completed the comeback in the 71st minute of the game through Ethan Fitzhugh’s second goal of the game. Ed Elewa-Ikpakwu’s deep swinging cross managed to find its way to Fitzhugh at Kurylowicz’s far post, the Leicester man hadn’t been picked up and he was able to slot the ball across Kurylowicz and into the bottom right hand corner of the goal, 3-4. Shortly after the restart Elewa-Ikpakwu came close to turning Jubril Okedina’s cross into his own net before Rayan Clarke fired an effort over Oliver Bosworth’s crossbar on the turn after receiving J’Neil Bennett’s pass on the edge of the Leicester box. It was a very scrappy game of football, substitute Dennis Cirkin did well to clear a free kick from Terrel Pennant before then blocking Ed Elewa-Ikpakwu’s cross a matter of moments later. Leicester continued to catch us on the break. After Lukas Husek had managed to find Ethan Fitzhugh down the left side of the Tottenham penalty area the Leicester midfielder was closed down by Kurylowicz who subsequently made a smart stop to keep out his low effort. A corner kick from Ethan Fitzhugh picked out Ollie Ewing inside the Spurs box and the Leicester midfielders resulting looping header looped dangerously onto the top of Kurylowicz’s crossbar before going over. Elliot Thorpe came onto replace Rayan Clarke for the final stages of the game. After winning the ball off off Spurs captain Armando Shashoua, Liam Loughlin fired a low effort narrowly wide of Kacper Kurylowicz’s goal. A dangerous cross from Dennis Cirkin was clipped onto Thorpe at the back post by Bennett but the Welshman just failed to connect with the ball and it subsequently went behind for a goal kick. Terrel Pennant blazed an effort wide of Kurylowicz’s near post after picking up the ball down the right side of the Spurs box. A couple of minutes later J’Neil Bennett had a late goal ruled out for offside after he managed to turn home a free kick from Phoenix Patterson after it was nodded on by Thorpe. Spurs came desperately close to scoring a dramatic late equaliser in second half stoppage time after Maghoma passed the ball to Patterson down the left side of the Leicester box. Patterson pulled the ball back to Cirkin who fired a venomous effort at goal which was somehow kept out courtesy of a stunning reflex save from Oliver Bosworth, who parried the ball. 

The referee blew his whistle for full time a couple of moments later to bring an end to a disappointing final game of the season for the wonder boys of Hotspur Way. However, this incredible season has been anything but disappointing and I have felt truly privileged to travel the length and breadth of the county to watch this special group of players, all of whom have so much to be proud of for their achievements this season. 

Player reviews: 

• Kacper Kurylowicz: On only his third ever appearance at this level I thought that the first year scholar had a good game inbetween the sticks. Kurylowicz only made one save on the night but it was an impressive one to deny Ethan Fitzhugh from scoring a hat trick. Kurylowicz distribution was impressive and he dealt well with crosses and set pieces, he also communicated effectively with the back four. He was very unfortunate to concede a penalty. I look forward to seeing a lot more of Kacper for our under 18’s next season.
• Jubril Okedina: I thought that the 18 year old put in a solid shift at right back where he defended well against tricky Leicester winger Dempsey Arlott-John. Okedina made some important interceptions against the ‘ Foxes ‘.
• Malachi Walcott: Another player who had a solid game was RCB Malachi Walcott who apart from giving away a first half penalty had a very good game alongside Luis Binks. Walcott got the assist for J’Neil Bennett’s goal and the 17 year old was excellent in the air against Leicester.
• Luis Binks: On his return from suspension Binks slotted seamlessly back into McDermott’s back four for our final league game of the season. The LCB made two crucial interceptions and I thought that his all round game was impressive.
• Maxwell Statham: The 18 year old defended well against Leicester’s potent winger Terrel Pennant who I thought he managed to keep in check for the majority of the time that he was on the field. 
• Armando Shashoua: The Spurs captain performed his duties as a CDM with great diligence, winning many balls in the centre of the park Shashoua recycled possession effectively and he made some clever passes throughout the match.
• Phoenix Patterson: Operating at both CM and later CAM Patterson had a good game for McDermott’s side. He was energetic and lively throughout the match, whipping some good crosses into the box and creating some good goal scoring chances. Patterson also came close to finding the back of the net during the latter stages of the game. 
• Rayan Clarke: The right winger had a good game particularly during the first half where he really caused problems for Leicester defender Johnny Yfeko with his many driving runs down the right flank. Clarke did well to assist Rodel Richards’ opener. 
• Paris Maghoma: So many of the chances which Spurs created on Saturday stemmed from the vision of 17 year old midfielder Paris Maghoma. The central midfielder started the game at CAM before later dropping deeper. Maghoma’s surging forward runs through the middle opened up the Leicester defence on several occasions and his eye for a pass was second to none. Maghoma created more chances than any other player on the pitch and he unsurprisingly chipped in with the assist for Rodel Richards’ second goal. It was an excellent performance from the skilful second year scholar.
• J’Neil Bennett: The 17 year old made a positive impression on Saturday’s game out on the left flank. Bennett used the ball well and he went on some nice attacking forays down the left wing. His hard work and good tracking back was rewarded when he scored his tenth goal of the season in the first half. 
• Rodel Richards: My motm, see below.
• Dennis Cirkin: It was an impressive cameo from the 17 year old left back, Cirkin made some important blocks and interceptions but from an offensive  point of view he offered Spurs something different after he came on, through his many lung bursting and overlapping runs down the left flank.
• Maurizio Pochettino: N/A.
• Elliot Thorpe: N/A.

My man of the match: On his return from injury centre forward Rodel Richards put in a superb performance for our under 18’s on Saturday afternoon. Richards looked as sharp as ever and the skilful forwards excellent movement and anticipation resulted in him netting a well deserved brace against the ‘ Foxes ‘. Richards took both of his goals with aplomb and he was unlucky not to have scored more. It was a really positive performance from a player who you would never have thought had been out injured for over three months. Richards’ off the ball work was very, very good on the day.

Spurs: Kurylowicz, Okedina, Statham (Cirkin 65), A Shashoua (c), Walcott, Binks, Clarke (Thorpe 83), Patterson, Richards (Pochettino 69), Maghoma, Bennett. Substitute (not used): Lo-Tutala.

Spurs under 18’s statistics 2018/19:

Goals scored: Troy Parrott – 15

Dilan Markanday – 12

J’Neil Bennett –  10

Rayan Clarke – 8

Armando Shashoua – 7

Rodel Richards – 7

Harvey White – 6

Paris Maghoma – 4

Luis Binks – 3

Maurizio Pochettino – 3

Dennis Cirkin – 2

Jeremie Mukendi – 2

Brooklyn Lyons-Foster – 2

Phoenix Patterson – 2

Kion Etete – 2

Jubril Okedina – 1

Tarrell Whittaker – 1

Elliot Thorpe – 1

Assists: Harvey White – 12

Armando Shashoua – 12

Rayan Clarke – 9

Troy Parrott – 6

Dilan Markanday – 6

Jamie Bowden – 5

Phoenix Patterson – 4

J’Neil Bennett – 4

Rodel Richards – 3

Chay Cooper – 3

Paris Maghoma – 3

Brooklyn Lyons-Foster – 2

Dennis Cirkin – 2

Luis Binks – 2

Elliot Thorpe – 2

Malachi Walcott – 2

Maurizio Pochettino – 1

Rafferty Pedder – 1

Maxwell Statham – 1

Jeremie Mukendi – 1

Nile John – 1

Kion Etete – 1

Tarrell Whittaker – 1

Oliver Skipp – 1

Michael Craig – 1

Clean sheets: Joshua Oluwayemi – 7

Jonathan De Bie – 2

Spurs under 23’s versus Derby County: (match preview)

Our under 23’s will play their final PL2 game of the 2018/19 on Monday evening when they welcome Derby County to the Lamex Stadium, for what is a massive game for Wayne Burnett’s side. Still not safe from the threat of relegation to the second division, Burnett’s side need to win their final game of the season to rubber stamp their division one status for the 2019/20 season. Spurs are two points above 11th place West Ham, the ‘ Hammers ‘ host league champions Everton in their final game on Monday night and if our London rivals fail to beat the ‘ Toffees ‘ then we will avoid the drop regardless of how we do against Derby. Last time out Spurs recorded an impressive 2-1 victory over Swansea City in South Wales to bolster their chances of survival. It was a very refreshing performance which saw us overcome the ‘ Swans ‘ and the energy with which we played, and the zip of our passing and movement was great to see. A delightful brace from 17 year old striker Troy Parrott secured the victory for Burnett’s side, and I am sure that the Tottenham head coach will be looking to start Parrott once again for the visit of Derby County. The ‘ Rams ‘ have enjoyed a successful season under their head coach Darren Wassall and they sit comfortably in fifth place in the league table, after picking up 30 points from their 21 matches. Derby are a technical and well organised side who are always very difficult to break down as we found out when we played them in the reverse fixture at Pride Park last October when we lost 1-0. Burnett’s side barely managed to produce a shot on target that day. Spurs will be looking to go for the win on Monday night but they will have to be wary of the threat which the Derby attack pose. Centre forward and Derby’s top scorer in the PL2 this season with six goals Cameron Cresswell is the ‘ Rams ‘ main danger man. However, the Tottenham defence will also have to monitor the likes of winger Josh Shonibare, midfielder Jacob Butterfield and overage players such as internationals Efe Ambrose and Ikechi Anya who could well feature for Wassall’s side. There were so many positives to take away from our win against Swansea City the other week and it was really great to see a number of our under 18’s make the step up for that game. Players such as Dilan Markanday, Brooklyn Lyons-Foster, Harvey White and Troy Parrott will all be hoping to start Monday’s game.

This is a must win game for Wayne Burnett’s and it will be a good test for the young ‘ Lilywhites ‘ to experience such pressure. I would like to wish the lads all the very best of luck for the game. My in-depth match report will be published late on Wednesday night, once I get back home from the Spurs and AJAX game!

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Austin, Hinds, Lyons-Foster, Tanganga (c), White, Marsh, Bowden, Markanday, Roles, Tracey, Parrott.

Subs from: De Bie, Dinzeyi, Duncan, Maghoma, Patterson. 

Injured/unavailable: Luke Amos, Luis Binks, Jeremie Mukendi, Maximus Tainio, Enock Asante.

Doubtful: TJ Eyoma, Jamie Reynolds, Rodel Richards, J’Neil Bennett.

Previous meeting: Spurs 0-1.

My score prediction: Spurs 3-1.

My one to watch: The ‘ Rams ‘ main goal threat is centre forward Cameron Cresswell (19). The Derby striker has scored six goals for Darren Wassall’s side in the PL2 so far this campaign.

Spurs under 18’s versus Leicester City: (match preview)

Regardless of what happens in our under 18’s final league game of the 2018/19 season, the wonder boys of Hotspur Way should all be extremely proud of what they have achieved during the current campaign. To go almost a whole season unbeaten in the league is something, but to play the kind of football that our lads have over the course of the season has been something else. The high tempo with which Matt Wells’ and later John McDermott’s side have played has been astonishing. The lads fitness levels, skill and in game management are just some of the things which have made them such a pleasure to watch and report on. However, they have played so well as a team throughout the current campaign and it is that togetherness along with the obvious quality that the lads possess which has made them such a formidable team to play against. John McDermott’s side are still in with a chance of clinching the Premier League South title on Saturday afternoon when they welcome Leicester City to Hotspur Way. However, McDermott’s side will be relying on their arch rivals Arsenal dropping points when they take on Fulham at their Motspur Park training ground. Although Arsenal have been winning games for fun this year there is still a good chance that they could fail to beat the ‘ Cottagers ‘ who have lost just one home league game this season. That match kicks off half an hour earlier than ours at 11 AM so unfortunately I will be constantly checking live score updates on my phone during the match, hoping for a miracle to occur! Without dwelling on Arsenal’s game, the young Spurs players will be solely focused on this Saturday’s opposition. Trevor Peake’s Leicester City side haven’t had the best of seasons but even though they lurk in eighth place in the league table, they will be no pushovers for McDermott’s side who will be desperate to win the game despite the fact that they will be missing a number of key players. Leicester are a well structured side and they proved difficult to break down during the reverse fixture back in December at their Belvoir Drive training ground when we beat them 4-0, thanks to an inspired performance from Troy Parrott.

Some of the ‘ Foxes ‘ key players include defender Ed Elewa-Ikpakwu, centre forward and top scorer this season with seven goals Dempsey Arlott-John, and midfielder Sidnei Tavares. I would like to wish all of the Spurs lads all the very best of luck for our final league game of the 2018/19 season on Saturday. Arsenal’s under 23’s are playing a PL2 game the night before so Ken Gillard’s side could be without key players Bukayo Saka and Xavier Amaechi’s for Saturday’s game against Fulham. That on top of the fact that Fulham have been so difficult to beat at Motspur Park this season should fill us all with hope. I will be reporting on Saturday’s game and my in-depth match report shall be out late on Saturday night. I continue to believe!

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Oluwayemi, Okedina, Muir, Walcott, Statham, A.Shashoua (c), Pedder, Pochettino, Patterson, Clarke, Whittaker.

Subs from: Kurylowicz, Cirkin, John, Thorpe, Cooper.

Injured/unavailable: Luis Binks, Jeremie Mukendi, Maximus Tainio, Enock Asante, Dermi Lusala.

Doubtful: Rodel Richards.

Previous meeting: Spurs 4-0. 

My score prediction: Spurs 4-1.

My one to watch: The ‘ Foxes ‘ centre forward and top scorer at this level this season with seven goals – Dempsey Arlott-John.

Some notes on Spurs loanee Samuel Shashoua’s performance against Atlético Levante:

Spurs loanee Samuel Shashoua was in action for Atlético Baleares on Saturday afternoon in the Spanish Segunda Division B Group III, when Manix Mandiola’s high flying side traveled to the Spanish mainland to face Atlético Levante. It was a very special game for young Samuel as he came up against his Spurs teammate Anthony Georgiou who is currently on loan at Atlético Levante. Shashoua put in yet another excellent performance for Mandiola’s side who managed to grind out a hard fought 2-1 win in Southern Spain to consolidate their place at the top of the league table to seven points. Young Samuel excelled out on the left flank as Atlético played in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation and he even chipped in with another goal, his sixth of the campaign. Samuel and the ‘ Balearicos ‘ started the game well and it didn’t take the 19 year old Spurs loanee long to get into the game. After Kike had played a quick one two with Samuel from a corner kick, the Atlético fullback whipped the ball into the danger zone where he managed to pick out the head of Marcos De la Espada who could only head the ball over Olmedo’s crossbar. A couple of minutes later Shashoua tracked back extremely well to try and close down Shaq Moore who had been in space down the right hand side of the ‘ Balearicos ‘ penalty area. Shashoua’s hard work paid off and after Moore had managed to latch onto Cantero’s cross, he seemed to be put off by the presence of Samuel, and he ended up firing the ball wide of Carl Klaus‘ goal. Atlético Baleares took the lead in the 11th minute of the game through none other other than a certain West Londoner. It was a well worked goal which came about after Rovirola played a defence splitting pass through the Levante defence which set Marcos De la Espada through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat. Levante goalkeeper Olmedo came rushing out to meet De la Espada but he managed to keep his cool and he slipped the ball into the feet of Samuel, who had made a good run down the left side of the six yard box. Shashoua then cooly placed the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the empty goal from seven yards out, with a composed side footed finish. 

Samuel continued to play well during the opening stages of the game and after he managed to win the ball off of Levante’s Shaq Moore down the left flank, Samuel was able to hold off the USA international and advance forward into the Levante box. However, Genís managed to get in front of Samuel who then gave away a free kick for a supposed push on the Levante man. Atlético Baleares continued to dominate the game and on 18 minutes the Balearic club doubled their advantage courtesy of a fine finish from Marcos De la Espada. The lively Samuel Shashoua did well to intercept a pass from Levante goalkeeper Olmedo out on the left wing. After some good footwork from the skilful young winger, Shashoua swivelled around before trying to play a quick one two with Marcos De la Espada before darting into the Levante penalty area. However, a Levante defender managed to get in front of the Atlético forward to make an important interception. Manix Mandiola’s side were playing some lovely one and two touch football during the first half and the opposition found it very difficult to deal with. Rovirola showed the right idea after he tried to feed the ball into Samuel down the left hand side of the Levante penalty area, but his pass had far too much pace on it and Samuel was unable to prevent it from going out of play. Atlético Baleares could well have extended their lead right at the beginning of the second half after captain Francesc Fullana received the ball down the right hand side of the Levante box, but instead of cutting the ball back to Samuel who had created space for himself in the middle of the box, Fullana decided to go for goal but he was unable to test Olmedo and his shot went behind for a goal kick. Unfortunately Manix Mandiola’s side had allowed Cantero to pull a goal back for the home side however, the visitors were still in control of the game. After being picked out by Francesc Fullana down the left side of the Levante box, Pedro was able to knock the ball down to Samuel who controlled the ball well. Shashoua then nutmegged  ‘ Granotas ‘ defender Pablo Serrano in sublime fashion before laying the ball off to Fullana whose side footed effort went over Olmedo’s crossbar.

Samuel had a possible penalty shout after being brought down by Pablo Serrano inside the Levante box however, nothing was given by the referee. Atlético Baleares were then reduced to ten men after Pedro was shown a straight red card for a reckless sliding challenge on Cantero. Following Pedro’s dismissal Samuel was playing a lot deeper and he was essentially playing as an LWB in front of Peris. Shashoua was brought off in the 75th minute of the game for Alvaro Vega. After the final whistle had went Samuel and his teammates all went over to celebrate with the traveling ‘ Balearicos ‘ fans as the reality of them winning the league became that little bit more real after Sunday’s impressive away win. In my humble opinion Samuel was Atlético’s best player yesterday for a whole number of reasons. He took his goal well to open the scoring early on in the game but he did an awful lot more than just score what proved to be a crucial goal. The 19 year olds excellent movement and dazzling skill caused numerous problems for Levante’s talented young right back and USA international Shaq Moore. And I thought that Shashoua’s unpredictability made him very hard to defend against. The teenager from Chelsea played with an air of confidence about him on Saturday afternoon and with his many weaving runs intricate pieces of play and at times mesmeric skill, the hardworking and defensively disciplined Shashoua put in another man of the match display for Manix Mandiola’s unstoppable side. Up next for Samuel and the ‘ Balearicos ‘ is a home league game against Valencia B next Sunday morning, if Samuel plays that game then it will be his 30th competitive appearance of the season for Manix Mandiola’s side!

Samuel Shashoua for Atlético Baleares this season: 

Appearances: 29

Goals: 6

Assists: 2

Some notes on Spurs loanee Anthony Georgiou’s performance against Atlético Baleares: 

Spurs loanee Anthony Georgiou completed the second half of Atlético Levante’s 2-1 home defeat to league leaders Atlético Baleares, in the Spanish Segunda Division B Group III on Saturday afternoon. Georgiou would have started today’s game at the Ciudad Deportiva De Buñol but for a hamstring injury which he picked up during Levante’s previous game. This was a special game for the Cypriot international who was reunited with his Tottenham teammate Samuel Shashoua who is as we all know, one of Atlético Baleares’ most important players. Anthony’s introduction brought with it much needed pace to Luis Tevenet’s side and his positive and purposeful runs down both the left and right flanks helped to create a number of good chances for the home side, who started the second period with a two goal deficit to over turn. After replacing Eneko at halftime Anthony started the second half out on the left wing. Soon after coming on Levante fullback Rulo won a free kick out on the left flank. Anthony elected to take the resulting free kick but his ball into the Atlético Baleares penalty area was cleared away by Rubén. A couple of moments later Georgiou was shown a harsh yellow card by the referee for pulling back Kike inside his own half. A couple of minutes after Levante had a goal ruled out for offside, the ‘ Granotas ‘ managed to pull a goal back through Cantero, and our very own Anthony Georgiou played a part in the goal. After picking the ball up on the left flank Anthony cut inside onto his right foot before picking out Shaq Moore with a lovely floated pass out on the opposite flank. Moore took the ball into the oppositions penalty area before crossing the ball into Cantero who leapt up before planting a header into the top left hand corner of the goal. Anthony had made a similarly impressive pass to Joan out on that same flank just a couple of minutes earlier. Following Cantero’s goal Levante started to put a lot of pressure on the ‘ Balearicos ‘ defence. Anthony continued to be involved in the game and after receiving Shaq Moore’s pass inside the middle of Atletico danger zone the 22 year old had a shot on goal. Georgiou had done well to steady himself in a crowded space before letting fly on his right foot.

The Lewisham born wingers effort on goal was blocked by Villapolos, Georgiou then raced to meet the loose ball and he did well to latch onto it but he was met by three ‘ Balearicos ‘ defenders who were able to block his second shot behind for a corner kick. Anthony took the resulting corner kick but his whipped delivery was headed away Villapolos, but only to Arthur Molina on the edge of the box and Molina’s rushed effort was blocked once again by an Atlético player. A couple of minutes later Georgiou whipped another dangerous corner into the visitors penalty area but after an initial lack of communication from the Atlético defenders, it was eventually cleared away. Anthony had now switched out onto the right wing. After picking the ball up down the right channel the speedy young Spurs man drove forwards with the ball before he was intercepted by Peris on the edge of the danger zone. Interestingly it looked as if Peris didn’t win the ball and as a result of this Georgiou looked up to the referee for a free kick however, nothing was given. Levante were trying their very best to find an equaliser and it was the energetic Anthony Georgiou who was proving to be one of the ‘ Granotas ‘ most dangerous players. A couple of moments after having a corner kick cleared away by the oppositions defence, Georgiou drifted inside from the right flank before curling the ball into the danger zone however, it was gathered by Atlético goalkeeper Carl Klaus. Some impressive skill and strength from Georgiou out on the left flank resulted in him winning Levante a free kick in a promising position. Anthony played the remainder of the game out on the left flank however, he was unable to help Levante find an equaliser and Luis Tevenet’s side suffered their second consecutive league defeat. Although Anthony was probably not 100% fit going into this game as he didn’t train the previous day, he still looked remarkably sharp and without exaggerating I thought that he was the player who really sparked Levante back into life during the second half, such was the positivity in which he brought to the game.

Anthony was arguably one of Levante’s most influential players during the second period with his many penetrating forward runs, fancy foot work, good movement and his ability to create chances all helping Luis Tevenet’s side to mount a second half comeback. The energetic young winger played his part in creating Cantero’s goal early on in the second half and he went onto create a number of decent chances throughout the remainder of the match. I greatly admired Anthony’s great desire to impact Saturday’s game and that alongside his tireless defensive work and versatility made it a very positive afternoon for the young man from South London. I am sure that both Anthony and Samuel enjoyed catching up with one another after the game.

Anthony Georgiou for Atlético Levante this season:

Appearances: 9

Goals: 1

Assists: 0

Some notes on Spurs loanee Samuel Shashoua’s performance against UE Cornellà:

Spurs loanee Samuel Shashoua was in action for Atlético Baleares on Sunday morning in the Spanish Segunda Division B Group III, when Manix Mandiola’s table topping side welcomed UE Cornellà to the Son Malferit. Shashoua (19) completed 81 minutes of the ‘ Balearicos ‘ 2-0 win over Cornellà and it was a match winning performance from the West Londoner, who netted Atlético’s second goal of the game to extend Atlético’s lead at the top of the league table to seven points. Samuel put in a match winning performance against Cornellà and his impact on the game from out on the left wing was immense. The teenager started Sunday’s match out on the left wing as Atlético lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Shashoua’s first involvement in the game arrived early on in the match and it was a significant one. After receiving Francesc Fullana’s pass out on the left flank Shashoua decided to come inside onto his right foot before whipping the ball into the Cornellà penalty area. Samuel’s dangerous delivery caused a bit of a scramble inside the box. Cornellà defender Richard tried to clear the ball but Marcos De la Espada managed to get a toe on the ball to poke it through to Nuha who fired the ball home from close range to give Atlético an early lead. An overhit cross from Canario was picked up by Samuel at the back post shortly afterwards. Shashoua tried to head the ball down but it ended up striking Borja who eventually got the ball clear. Samuel was making some good early runs and his movement inside the final third was nice and sharp, I was also impressed by his tracking back to help out Atlético left back Peris during the early parts of the game. After Nuha Marong had managed to knock down Carl Klaus’ long kick up field to Samuel, the nimble footed teenager managed to turn his man before darting into the Cornellà penalty area where was intercepted by Borja who then cleared the ball. Around five minutes later Samuel came inside from the left flank before whipping a glorious ball into the Cornellà penalty area, where he managed to pick out his teammate Marcos De la Espada whose resulting headed effort on goal was well kept out by Cornellà goalkeeper Ramón.

Shashoua could be seen switching flanks with Canario during the latter stages of the first half, so as to test the Cornellà defence even more. Manix Mandiola’s side were defending well and the sending off of Cornellà defender Ricard on 42 minutes gave the ‘ Balearicos ‘ a big boost. Samuel’s first involvement in the second half occurred a matter of moments after the restart. After receiving Peris’ pass down the left flank Shashoua brought the ball forward before making a lovely defence splitting pass to set Nuha through on goal. However, the Gambian internationals resulting effort was saved by Ramón and even if he had have scored it wouldn’t have counted as he was adjudged to be in an offside position when Samuel made the pass. Then in the 47th minute of the game none other than our very own Samuel Shashoua managed to double Atlético’s lead by scoring his fifth goal of the season. Shashoua reacted sharply to Marcos De la Espada’s pass over the top of the Cornellà defence and this set Samuel racing between the defenders, and he had the pace to take the ball into the penalty area. While in the danger zone Samuel took a couple of nice, quick touches before calmly side footing the ball down into the turf and into the bottom right hand corner of Ramón’s goal. A couple of minutes later an ecstatic looking Samuel whipped  another good ball into the oppositions box, but it was cleared away by Leo. After latching onto the ball down the right side of the Cornellà penalty area Nuha attempted to square the ball for Shashoua in the middle of the danger zone. However, his pass was smothered by the Cornellà goalkeeper Ramón before Samuel could get to the ball. Young Samuel continued to have a positive influence on the game for the remainder of it, and the energy levels in which he showed on Sunday were superb. Shashoua’s last involvement in the game came only a couple of minutes before he departed the field. After Canario’s lofted pass had found its way out to Samuel on the left flank the young winger decided to burst forwards down the left side of the Cornellà penalty area before passing the ball to Fullana, whose powerful effort on goal was well saved by Ramón. The 19 year old was replaced by Hugo Diaz in the 81st minute of the game.

This was a match winning performance from Samuel who will have been relieved to have found the back of the net again. It was a very intelligent performance from the left winger who adapted well to the game despite the tight defending of Pere down the left flank and the physicality of the opposition. Essentially creating Nuha’s opener, Shashoua went onto create a number of very good chances for Manix Mandiola’s side and he got his rewards for his excellent movement and hard work when he scored Atlético’s second of the game early on in the second half, with a really smart finish. The former England under 18 international was superb in every department against Cornellà and  his contribution to the game at both ends of the pitch was of the highest quality. Samuel’s next game is against Anthony Georgiou’s Atlético Levante on Sunday morning, hopefully Anthony will be fit enough to face his Spurs teammate!

Samuel Shashoua for Atlético Baleares this season: 

Appearances: 28

Goals: 5

Assists: 2

Spurs under 23’s 2-1 Swansea City: (match report)

Our under 23’s penultimate PL2 game of the 2018/19 season was a must win game for Wayne Burnett’s side who languished in the division one relegation zone, going into Monday nights match. Burnett and his coaching staff made a number of changes from the team which started the previous Monday’s disappointing 3-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers, with fresh starts handed to a whole batch of our under 18’s for the game in South Wales. It was the perfect response from our under 23’s on Monday night and after putting in a superb high energy performance, Burnett’s side thoroughly deserved to beat Swansea 2-1 courtesy of two fine strikes from the excellent Troy Parrott. Already on the cusp of relegation to the second division the leagues basement club Swansea City needed to beat Spurs to stand any chance of beating the drop. Burnett’s side on the other hand were also desperate to record a win and get themselves out of the relegation zone. Spurs started yesterday’s match at the Liberty Stadium with an energy about them which I hadn’t seen for a long while. We lined up to win the game and our positive and attacking approach to the game was evident from the back four right up to our centre forward Troy Parrott. It was a highly entertaining and competitive game of football and it was Burnett’s side who started the first half the better of the two sides. The lively Troy Parrott hit the woodwork early on in the game as Spurs created a number of good chances. The game was being played at a high tempo and both sides were looking to catch one another on the break. Spurs’ best player Troy Parrott gave the young Lilywhites the lead five minutes before the interval after he curled home a sumptuous free kick from the edge of the Swansea penalty area. However, less than four minutes later the ‘ Swans ‘ drew level after Liam Cullen finished off a smart passing move from inside the Tottenham penalty area. Spurs managed to maintain their high energy levels throughout the second half as both sides really started to go for the win. Chances came and went for both teams however, it was the more technical side who ended up netting the winner in the 80th minute of the game.

The unplayable and bullish Troy Parrott managed to create space for himself on the edge of the Swansea penalty area, to receive Dilan Markanday’s pass. Parrott’s good feet and quick thinking resulted in him twisting his way around Swansea defender Ben Cabango before clinically slotting the ball into the bottom right hand corner of Steven Benda’s goal to score his and Spurs’ second goal of the game. Spurs defended excellently to see out the remainder of the game and record a vital three points. It was one of our development sides best performances of the season on Monday night, and it will give them a huge boost of confidence going into their final league game against Derby County at the end of the month. Burnett’s side are currently two points above 11th placed West Ham and a win against the ‘ Rams ‘ in their final PL2 fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would secure their division one status. Wayne Burnett’s side linedup in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation on Monday evening, but the Tottenham head coach made a number of changes from their last game. Brandon Austin started in goal while a back four of Tariq Hinds, Brooklyn Lyons-Foster, captain Japhet Tanganga and Harvey White lined up in front of him. George Marsh partnered Jamie Bowden in central midfield, as Dilan Markanday and Shilow Tracey operated out on the flanks either side of CAM Jack Roles. The inform Troy Parrott led the line for Spurs on what was his 11th appearance of the season for our development side. The Spurs players huddled around one another prior to kick off due to the importance of Monday’s game. Wayne Burnett’s side got the game underway on a cool evening at the Liberty Stadium in front of a crowd of a couple of hundred or so spectators. Spurs were knocking the ball about well during the first few minutes of the game before they launched their first meaningful attack. After Lyons-Foster had passed the ball to Markanday on the right flank he gave the ball to Tariq Hinds whose whipped cross was cleared by Ben Cabango inside the Swansea penalty area. A couple of minutes later Spurs came desperately close to taking the lead through the lively Troy Parrott. After Shilow Tracey had passed the ball to Parrott the Irishman managed to sidestep his way past Swansea’s Simon Paulet before having a pop on goal from just over 20 yards out. Parrott’s powerful low effort seemed to be heading for the bottom left hand corner of Steven Benda’s goal however, it ended up striking the base of his right hand post before bouncing behind for a goal kick, even though Parrott had claimed that Benda had got a finger on the ball. 

After the alert Jamie Bowden had pounced on a sloppy pass from the Swansea goalkeeper Steven Benda, the 17 year old gave the ball to Parrott who quickly slipped the ball into Shilow Tracey down the left hand side of the Swansea penalty area. However, the Spurs winger took too long to get his shot away and both Tyler Reid and Ben Cabango had been able to get back in time to close down Tracey’s angles. The 20 year old eventually fired the ball wide of the goal at Steven Benda’s near post. At the other end of the pitch the rapid Jordon Garrick managed to breeze past Harvey White down the right flank before cutting the ball back to Keiran Evans on the edge of the Spurs box. Evans’ resulting first time strike flew a fraction wide of Brandon Austin’s goal. The high tempo to the game continued as both sides looked to attack one another’s defences. Troy Parrott attempted to play Shilow Tracey through on goal with a clever pass however, the talented Tyler Reid managed to get in front of Tracey and clear the ball. A couple of moments later Tyler Reid was on hand again, this time to clear Harvey White’s teasing cross into the danger zone. At the other end of the pitch Tottenham captain Japhet Tanganga was on hand to block a cross from Jordan Garrick behind for a Swansea corner kick. The speedy Jordon Garrick was continuing to cause young Harvey White problems down the right flank. After surging past the makeshift left back, Garrick brought the ball into the Spurs penalty area. However, Lyons-Foster was on hand to make an important challenge to win the ball off of Garrick inside the Spurs box before getting it clear. A whipped low cross from the potent Jordon Garrick was then well cleared by Lyons-Foster inside the Spurs box before Harvey White fouled Garrick out on the right flank, to concede a free kick in a dangerous position. Just as the rain started to come down, Keiran Evans whipped the ball into the danger zone from the resulting free kick. Swansea defender Ben Cabango attacked the ball inside the Spurs box before heading the ball over Brandon Austin’s crossbar courtesy of a deflection off of Tariq Hinds.

Ben Cabango headed Kees De Boer’s corner kick narrowly wide of Austin’s near post as the Tottenham defence started to become a little bit anxious. The impressive Brooklyn Lyons-Foster made another important defensive intervention after Ben Cabango passed the ball to Liam Cullen the edge of the Spurs penalty area. However, the decisive Lyons-Foster was able to step in front of Cullen before clearing the ball. Spurs responded down the other end through Troy Parrott. After Marsh had passed the ball to Markanday the creative Tottenham winger slipped the ball into Parrott inside the Swansea box. However, the Dubliner’s quickly taken effort down the right hand side of the penalty area was blocked by Swansea captain Cain Harries, as Jack Roles appealed for a handball. An ambitious pass from Jamie Bowden shortly afterwards came close to picking out Dilan Markanday who was in space down the right side of the Swansea penalty area. However, the winger only just missed meeting the ball on the volley and it went behind for a goal kick. Spurs continued to try and test the ‘ Swans ‘ defence and after White received Bowden’s pass on the left flank the Tottenham fullback played the ball down the line to Shilow Tracey, who whipped the ball across the face of Steven Benda’s goal. A couple of minutes later Swansea defender Ben Cabango was on hand to clear away an inviting cross from Jamie Bowden. Jack Roles then had an effort on goal blocked by Cabango on the edge of the Swansea box as Burnett’s side continued to put pressure on the home side. A good passing move resulted in Markanday passing the ball to Marsh who then gave it to Parrott on the edge of the Swansea penalty area. Parrott’s first touch was sublime and it allowed him to take the ball away from Ben Cabango, but the Swansea defender panicked and ended up tripping Parrott who elected to take the following free kick. The Confident Dubliner who had scored a free kick from a similar position against Chelsea’s under 18’s the previous week, had set himself up well. Parrott managed to get his trademark side footed dipping free kick, up and over the Swansea wall, before it nestled into the top left hand corner of the helpless Steven Benda’s goal, 1-0. 

Parrott sprinted over to the nearest photographer, as he and his teammates celebrated his first ever goal at this level. Shortly after the game got back underway Shilow Tracey gave the ball to Jack Roles on the edge of the Swansea box. The Cyprus under 21 international managed to sort his feet out well but he rushed himself and his resulting curling effort flew well over Steven Benda’s crossbar. Both Harvey White and Jamie Bowden did well to clear successive corners from Swansea’s Kees De Boer, before Spurs broke forward down the other end of the pitch. After Roles had shifted the ball out to Hinds on the right wing the Goodmayes born fullback floated a nice cross into Parrott who was in the middle of the Swansea box. However, the Ireland under 19 international could only glance his resulting header wide of the Swansea goal. Despite all of the good football which Spurs had played during the first half, Burnett’s side were unable to prevent the ‘ Swans ‘ from drawing level in the 44th minute through their top scorer Liam Cullen. After Keiran Evans picked up the ball he drove forward towards the Tottenham penalty area, before slipping a nicely weighted pass into Cullen who had made a run down the left side of the box. Cullen’s run wasn’t picked up by Spurs’ right back Tariq Hinds and he was able to slot the ball past the helpless Brandon Austin at his near post, and into the bottom left hand corner of the goal, 1-1. Spurs launched one final late attack after Shilow Tracey managed to find Jack Roles inside the Swansea penalty area, but his resulting effort was blocked by Ben Cabango, and Roles‘ subsequent appeals for a penalty were waived away by the referee Richard Hulme before he blew for half time. Gary Richards and Cameron Toshack’s Swansea side got the second half underway as the rain continued to pour down on the Liberty Stadium. An early Tottenham attack resulted in Bowden passing the ball to Parrott who then slipped the ball into the feet of Dilan Markanday down the right hand side of the Swansea box. Markanday brought the ball towards the byline where he then tried to find Parrott in the centre of the box, but his lofted pass was gathered by Steven Benda.

Harvey White did well to clear a menacing cross from Jordi Govea at the other end of the pitch, a matter of moments before Swansea came close to taking the lead for the first time in the game. After Kees De Boer managed to pass the ball to Mason Jones-Thomas down the left side of the Spurs box, the Swansea winger had only Austin to beat but his powerful low effort was spectacularly kept out by the diving Austin who managed to get a strong hand on the ball, before Tanganga managed to clear it. A couple of minutes later Jones-Thomas was found once again down the left side of the Tottenham penalty area, this time by Keiran Evans. However, his resulting shot was blocked superbly by the sliding Tanganga before it could trouble Austin. The game was quickly gathering pace as both sides began to really attack one another’s defence. After Jamie Bowden had passed the ball to Dilan Markanday the skilful winger decided to try his luck with a low drilled effort some 20 or so yards out from Steven Benda’s goal. Markanday’s powerful effort had caught Benda by surprise and the outstretched German goalkeeper was unable to get to the ball as it struck the base of his left hand post before going wide. Shilow Tracey was shown a yellow card shortly afterwards for pulling back Swansea’s Simon Paulet. After Dilan Markanday had received Jack Roles’ pass out on the right flank, the skilful 17 year old cut inside onto his left foot before forcing a good save out of Steven Benda from his powerful long range, curling effort on goal. After Swansea substitute Adam King’s misplaced pass came to Jack Roles just inside the Spurs half, nobody in the stadium expected the 20 year old to do what he did next. Instead of attempting to play Troy Parrott through on goal, Roles had looked up and spotted that Benda was off his line. Roles’ speculative first time effort had good pace on it, and it ended up looping dangerously over the panicked Swansea goalkeepers head before clipping the top of the crossbar before going over. It had so nearly been an incredible goal from young Jack Roles.

Brooklyn Lyons-Foster did well to clear a dangerous cross from Mason Jones-Thomas before it came to Adam King at Brandon Austin’s near post. A couple of moments later the Spurs goalkeeper came out to confidently claim a corner kick from Kees De Boer. It continued to be a highly entertaining game and after Jamie Bowden managed to find Troy Parrott down the left flank, the Spurs striker came close to reestablishing our lead. Parrott had tried to take the ball past Swansea defender Ben Cabango who managed to step in front of him. However, the ball bounced kindly off of Cabango and into Parrott who was allowed to advance into the Swansea penalty area. One on one with Steven Benda, you’d have fancied the inform Irishman to score but his low sided footed effort lacked the pace needed to beat Benda, who was able to make a relatively comfortable save. At the opposite end of the pitch, Japhet Tanganga did well to block a shot from Adam King inside the Spurs box, before Harvey White managed to block an effort from Jordi Govea after a Swansea free kick had found its way out to the Spaniard on the edge of the Spurs box. There was a brief pause in play after Spurs captain Japhet Tanganga had collided with Liam Cullen inside the Spurs box, before Lyons-Foster was able to head clear a cross from Jordon Garrick. Troy Parrott was shown a yellow card for a late sliding challenge on Simon Paulet, before Spurs made their first substitution of the game after Wayne Burnett brought off Shilow Tracey for Tashan Oakley-Boothe. A couple of seconds after coming on Oakley-Boothe managed to win a free kick out on the left flank. Harvey White’s resulting delivery hit Adam King inside the Swansea penalty area, but the Tottenham players appeals for a handball were instantly dismissed by the referee. The flawless Japhet Tanganga managed to clear a corner from Jordi Govea before a dangerous Swansea attack ended in Tariq Hinds blocking a shot from Keiran Evans inside the Spurs box. A lofted pass from Jamie Bowden managed to pick out Troy Parrott on the edge of the Swansea box. He did well to hold off Ben Cabango after entering the box before twisting around and giving the ball to Jack Roles who showed some fancy footwork before firing an effort straight at Steven Benda on the turn, and he was able to make the save. 

Wayne Burnett’s side continued to push for that all important winner, after Markanday had latched onto Tariq Hinds’ pass down the right side of the Swansea box he attempted to cut the ball back to Parrott who was waiting in the centre of the box. However, Markanday’s pass was intercepted and then cleared by Ben Cabango. A couple of minutes later Japhet Tanganga picked up the ball before bursting forward through the middle of the park before firing a venomous effort narrowly over Steven Benda’s crossbar, from long range. Wayne Burnett made an attacking change after he brought on Phoenix Patterson for George Marsh in central midfield as the clock started to tick down. Spurs scored a dramatic late winner in the 80th minute of the game through none other than Troy Parrott who netted his and Spurs’ second of the game with another fabulous goal. A sloppy pass from the Swansea goalkeeper Steven Benda came out to Dilan Markanday who did well to control it out on the right flank. Markanday darted inside as he travelled towards the Swansea penalty area before passing the ball to Troy Parrott on the edge of the box who had done really well to create space for himself. Parrott sorted his feet out well before cleverly going around Swansea defender Ben Cabango and into the box, and then clinically firing the ball past Benda and into the bottom right hand corner of the Swansea goal, 2-1. It was an excellent finish from the first year scholar who showed such intelligence to create the space for himself in order to get the shot away. Swansea almost made an immediate response after Keiran Evans slipped the ball into Liam Cullen down the right side of the Spurs box. Cullen cut the ball back to Kees De Boer whose powerful low effort was heroically cleared on the line by Brooklyn Lyons-Foster. Spurs were in no rush to get the game back underway and for the remainder of the game Spurs preferred to knock the ball around inside their own half. Wayne Burnett introduced some fresh legs when he brought on the energetic Armando Shashoua for Jack Roles. 

The tireless Dilan Markanday made a hugely important interception to win the ball off of Swansea substitute Brandon Cooper inside the Spurs box. A late free kick for the home side deep in second half stoppage time was pumped into the Spurs box by Brandon Cooper, Austin attempted to punch the ball clear but he failed to make sufficient contact with the ball. Thankfully Japhet Tanganga was on hand to get to the loose ball and he managed to bring it out of the Spurs box before being fouled by the ‘ Swans ‘ substitute Adnan Maric. The referee Richard Hulme blew his whistle for full time a couple of moments later much to the delight of the Tottenham players and coaching staff alike. A fantastic team performance from the young Spurs lads in South Wales means that they only need to beat Derby County in their final league game at the end of the month to secure their division one status.

Player reviews:

• Brandon Austin: The Spurs goalkeeper put in another impressive performance on Monday night on what was his 20th appearance for our development side this season. Austin may have only made one save but it was a hugely important one from the 20 year old, at a hugely important moment in the game. Austin dealt authoritatively and effectively with set pieces and crosses and he communicated well with the back four throughout Monday’s important game. Austin made a fantastic reaction save to deny Mason Jones-Thomas from close range early on in the second half and that proved to be a decisive moment in the game.
• Tariq Hinds: Overall I thought that Hinds put in a solid shift at right back and I felt that he defended well against Swansea winger Mason Jones-Thomas for the most part of the game. I think it would be very harsh to say that Hinds should have defended better during Swansea’s goal and I think that he had a solid game from a defensive point of view.
• Brooklyn Lyons-Foster: My motm, see below.
• Japhet Tanganga: The Spurs captain was imperious at LCB on Monday evening alongside Brooklyn Lyons-Foster who he formed a rock solid partnership with. Tanganga read the game really well alongside Lyons-Foster and he made some very intelligent decisions during the match. He dealt well with the physicality that Swansea centre forward Liam Cullen posed and he constantly managed to get in front of his man when he was defending. Excellent in the air and committed in the challenge, Tanganga also made some crucial blocks. I could only describe the 19 year olds performance as being flawless!
• Harvey White: Although regular left back Dennis Cirkin did travel and train with the Spurs squad before and during the game, the Dubliner wasn’t named in Wayne Burnett’s match day squad and this meant that midfield anchorman Harvey White had to fill in for him. White has played at left back on a number occasions this season and despite the fact that he had a difficult opening 10-15 minutes against the speedy Jordon Garrick, the first year scholar grew into the game as it went on and I thought that he defended well down his side of the pitch. White read the game well and although he couldn’t match Swansea winger Jordon Garrick for pace, he made up for it with his excellent positioning and the good timing of his challenges. The 17 year olds passing was nice and crisp, and he made a number of important defensive interventions.
• George Marsh: It was a workman like performance from the holding midfielder who broke up play well during his 79 minutes on the pitch. 
• Jamie Bowden: After returning from injury only last week when he completed 70 minutes of our under 18’s 2-0 league win over Chelsea. I thought that Bowden was absolutely outstanding last night alongside George Marsh in central midfield. Defensively sound and nice and alert throughout the match, the 17 year olds well roundedness enabled him to pull the strings from central midfield. Bowden made many an ambitious forward pass and his excellent movement and quick thinking helped Spurs to move the ball around well in the middle of the park. Once again the second year scholar looked really sharp and I thought that from an offensive and defensive perspective he was flawless, and he was also a highly influential player for Wayne Burnett’s side. His footballing brain is remarkable for a player so young, and I thought that his positivity and deftly accurate passing proved to be crucial to us winning Monday’s game.
• Dilan Markanday: The 17 year old had a magnificent game out on the right wing against Swansea on what was only first ever competitive start at this level. Exciting and creative, Markanday’s directness and close ball control caused huge problems for Swansea’s left back Jordi Govea. The second year scholar tracked back excellently after him and he made a number of important interceptions inside his own half. However, it was the unpredictability of his attacking play which really helped Spurs to open up the ‘ Swans ‘ defence. He played with confidence about him and after coming close on two occasions to finding the back of the net during the second half, Markanday did well to set up Troy Parrott’s late winner. I thought it was an excellent performance from the North Londoner!
• Jack Roles: Another player who had a big impact on Monday nights win was CAM Jack Roles. Constantly looking to initiate chances and try different things, the Cyprus under 21 international linked up really well with the centre forward Troy Parrott and the pair seemed to have a good understanding of one another. Furthermore, the 20 year old was involved in a number of good Spurs attacks and his razor sharp movement got him into some good goalscoring positions. The highlight of the hardworking midfielders game was his audacious effort from long range which came so close to catching Swansea goalkeeper Steven Benda out from inside his own half. 
• Shilow Tracey: Operating out on the left flank the 20 year old linked up well with left back Harvey White during his 70 minutes on the pitch. Tracey gave a very talented young right back in Swansea’s Tyler Reid some real problems and his pace did catch Reid out on a number of occasions. 
• Troy Parrott: Since returning from injury 17 year old centre forward Troy Parrott has been in red hot form. And that fine form continued on Monday evening after the Dubliner put in an outstanding match winning performance at the Liberty Stadium. Parrott led the line with aplomb. He was bullish, extremely hard working and he held the ball up excellently, but he was also our most creative player on the night and he was constantly bringing other players into the game. The Ireland under 19 international was dominant in the air but it was his razor sharp movement, skill and clinical finishing which won the game for Spurs. Parrott scored his first and second ever goals at this level last on Monday. His first was a glorious dipping free kick while his second was as a result of some excellent movement, skill and finishing. This was an outstanding performance from Parrott who has now scored five goals from his last three matches since returning from a toe injury earlier this month. I really wouldn’t be surprised if he made the bench for our first team before the end of the season.
• Tashan Oakley-Boothe: I thought that the second half substitute had a positive effect on Monday’s game after he replaced Shilow Tracey out on the left flank. Oakley-Boothe went on some nice purposeful runs down the left channel and his skill helped him to hold up the ball during the latter stages of the game.
• Phoenix Patterson: It was a tidy late cameo from Phoenix Patterson who brought some much needed energy to the Tottenham midfield for the final moments of the game.
• Armando Shashoua: It was only a very brief cameo from the 18 year old but it was an important one. Shashoua pressed the Swansea players aggressively during his short time on the pitch.

My man of the match: This was a very difficult decision to make and I do feel really bad for not giving it to the outstanding Troy Parrott who singlehandedly won Burnett’s side Monday nights game. However, for me the performance of second year scholar Brooklyn Lyons-Foster at RCB was just as impressive but for totally different reasons. The ball playing centre half made only his 11th ever appearance for our development side on Monday evening but the 18 year old looked as if he had played over 100 games at this level, such was the quality of his performance. Lyons-Foster anticipated danger and read the game so well against Swansea, and some of the defensive interventions in which he made were just as important as Troy Parrott’s goals. Right from the get go he was looking to play positive forward balls, something which we greatly missed when we played Blackburn the previous week. The composed centre back played really well alongside the more combative Japhet Tanganga and his heroic late clearance on the line to prevent Kees De Boer from scoring an equaliser, along with his many perfectly timed challenges, interceptions and clearances ensured that Spurs came back from South Wales with all three points. After having a series of frustrating injuries during the early parts of the season Lyons-Foster has performed excellently on a consistent basis since the start of the year. I personally thought that he didn’t put a foot wrong on Monday night.

Swansea City: Benda, Reid, Govea (Cooper 79), De Boer (Maric 84), Harries (c), Cabango, Jones-Thomas, Paulet, Cullen, Evans, Garrick (King 59). Substitutes (not used): Zabret, Price.

Spurs: Austin, Hinds, White, Marsh (Patterson 79), Tanganga (c), Lyons-Foster, Markanday, Bowden, Parrott, Roles (A.Shashoua 88), Tracey (Oakley-Boothe 70). Substitutes (not used): De Bie, Dinzeyi.

Goals: Swansea – Cullen 45; Spurs – Parrott 40, 80.

Yellow cards: Swansea- Harries 15, Cabango 39, Paulet 75; Tracey 56, Parrott 69.

Referee: Richard Hulme.

Venue: Liberty Stadium.

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

Goals scored: Jack Roles – 10

Shayon Harrison – 5

Kazaiah Sterling – 5

Paris Maghoma – 4

Jaden Brown – 2

Vincent Janssen – 2

Troy Parrott- 2

Samuel Shashoua – 1

Marcus Edwards – 1

Dylan Duncan – 1

Phoenix Patterson – 1

Harvey White – 1

Tashan Oakley-Boothe – 1

Shilow Tracey – 1

Anthony Georgiou – 1

Assists: Jack Roles – 6

Kazaiah Sterling – 3

Vincent Janssen – 3

J’Neil Bennett – 3

Paris Maghoma – 2

Jaden Brown – 2

Tariq Hinds – 2

Troy Parrott – 1

Shayon Harrison – 1

Oliver Skipp – 1

Tashan Oakley-Boothe – 1

Dylan Duncan – 1

Jamie Bowden – 1

George Marsh – 1

Anthony Georgiou – 1

Shilow Tracey – 1

Dennis Cirkin – 1

Dilan Markanday – 1

Clean sheets: Brandon Austin – 2

Alfie Whiteman – 1

Some notes on Spurs loanee Anthony Georgiou’s performance against Barcelona B:

Spurs loanee Anthony Georgiou was in action for Atlético Levante on Saturday evening in the Spanish Segunda Division B Group III, when Luis Tevenet’s side took on Barcelona B at the Mini Estadi. Georgiou completed 54 minutes of the ‘ Granotas ‘ 3-2 defeat to Barcelona however, despite Anthony putting in an impressive performance it was overshadowed by the fact that he picked up an injury early on in the second half, which forced him to come off. From the 54 minutes of the game that I watched, it was a frantic end to end match. Anthony started the game out on the left wing as Levante lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The game began in disastrous fashion for Anthony’s team, after a goalkeeping error from Picón led to Barcelona striker Mujica giving the home side the lead inside the first minute of the match. Georgiou’s first involvement in the match occurred a couple of minutes later. After the Cyprus international had received Rulo’s pass on the left flank Georgiou decided to drive forward with the ball, before picking out Cantero in the middle of the Barcelona box from his low cross. However, the Levante striker was quickly intercepted by Barcelona defender Miranda who then managed to clear the ball. Levante managed to respond and after Joan Monterde managed to beat Barcelona goalkeeper Iñaki Peña from close range in the seventh minute of the game, the visitors found themselves on level terms. Luis Tevenet’s side started to grow in confidence and after Arturo shifted the ball out to Georgiou on the left flank shortly after the restart, he decided to power forwards. The nimble footed 22 year old surged past two Barcelona players before entering the oppositions penalty area where he decided to let fly on his left foot. However, Georgiou’s powerful effort on goal was blocked by Araujo before the ball came back to Georgiou, whose resulting sliced effort was easily gathered by Barcelona goalkeeper Iñaki Peña. Anthony was looking nice and sharp during the opening stages of the game and he was doing well at vacating space for himself out on the left flank. 

I spotted a good bit of defensive work from Georgiou after he tracked back all the way into the Levante penalty area to close down Carles Pérez’s space inside the box, just as Monchu was about to pump the ball into the danger zone. Georgiou bravely got himself in between the Levante goalkeeper and Pérez, as Picón managed to gather the ball however, he ended up painfully clattering into Georgiou as he did so. Levante then went on a promising attack down the other end of the pitch. After Pepelu embarked on a surging forward run options opened up for the Levante winger, but instead of passing the ball to Georgiou who had made a good run down the left side of the Barcelona box, Pepelu decided to go for goal. However, his powerful low effort failed to test Iñaki Peña and the ball went behind for a goal kick. Levante managed to take the lead for the first time in the game on 34 minutes through Cantero. The Levante striker was able to head home from inside the Barcelona penalty area after he had latched onto Arturo’s cross. However, something which may not have been picked up was Georgiou’s contribution to the goal. After sprinting across the Barcelona defenders as he made a run towards to the near post, Georgiou managed to suck in the Barcelona defence who failed to pick up Cantero who was in acres of space in the centre of the box. I thought that this was a very intelligent piece of play from young Anthony to draw in the Barcelona defence. However, Levante’s lead didn’t last long and less than three minutes later Barcelona managed to draw level through Carles Pérez. Anthony’s last involvement during the first half came in stoppage time. After picking the ball up on the left flank the Lewisham born winger darted down the flank before whipping a low cross into the Barcelona penalty area, but it was cleared behind for a corner kick by Guillem. Sadly Anthony’s game came to an abrupt end just eight minutes into the second half. The youngster had appeared to pull something in his leg as he was running, and Barcelona’s Collado then collided into the back of him. After a couple of seconds of limping about the park he then fell to the floor unable to continue.

It was such a shame to see Anthony have to be replaced with just 54 minutes on the clock, and you could tell by the look on his face that he was absolutely gutted. I am really hoping that this isn’t anything serious for Anthony who has already missed almost three of months of this season through injury. It was a sad end to what had been another very positive and well rounded performance from the speedy young winger, against a very good side in Barcelona B. Overall I thought that the 22 year old gave a really good account of himself on Saturday evening against Barcelona right back Guillem. As always Georgiou did his best to help out Levante’s Rulo at fullback even though it wasn’t always his responsibility to do so. And from an offensive point of view he created a number of good chances for the away side from his many sprints down the left flank. One thing which I have always admired about the Cyprus international is his directness and positivity while he has the ball at his feet. That side of Georgiou’s game has really helped out Levante since he joined them on loan back in January, I just hope that Anthony will recover in time to face his Spurs teammate Samuel Shashoua when Levante go head to head with league leaders Atlético Baleares next Sunday in their next league game.

Anthony Georgiou for Atlético Levante this season:

Appearances: 8

Goals: 1

Assists: 0