Looking back at the talented Spurs under 18 side that won the Under 18 Premier League southern division during the 2013/14 season:

The 2013/14 season saw a very talented Spurs under 18 side win the Premier League under 18 league southern division. Under the tutelage of under 18’s coaches John McDermott and Kieran McKenna, Spurs’ under 18 side were fortunate enough to have a group of very talented and promising players on their books for the start of the 2013/14 season, a very memorable one for the players involved. Spurs started the season with a home game against Middlesbrough at Hotspur Way, which they won 4-0, thanks to a brace from striker Daniel Akindayini and goals from Luke Amos and Nathan Oduwa. Spurs would go on to win their next six league games, as they started the league season in sensational form. They did narrowly lose their first game of the season (2-3) to West Ham United at Hotspur Way, it was to be one of only six league games that they lost that season. With Luke McGee in goal as the main goalkeeper, the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters, Connor Ogilvie and Cameron Carter-Vickers in defence, Luke Amos and Josh Onomah in midfield, the fast and skilful Nathan Oduwa and Anthony Georgiou out on the flanks, and Shayon Harrison up front, Spurs had an excellent squad of players. From 31 league games we scored an incredible total of 82 goals, conceded 48 and won 19 of our matches. Going forward we were unstoppable that season, with the likes of Oduwa, Harrison and Georgiou all chipping in with a good amount of goals, our brand of football was very exciting. We recorded some memorable victories along the way to winning the southern division, we beat a talented Chelsea side (away) 7-2 in the April of 2014, we also beat Arsenal 4-2 and we beat Manchester City 4-1.

What is quite staggering from that squad of Spurs players that season is the amount of them who are still playing football at a high level. Kyle Walker-Peters is doing really well at Southampton at the moment, then there’s Harry Winks who is an England international who has played so many competitive games for Spurs, and there is also Luke Amos, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kane Vincent-Young, Christian Maghoma, Luke McGee, Connor Ogilvie and Joe Pritchard who are currently playing in the EFL. You also have Anthony Georgiou, Filip Lesniak and Shayon Harrison who are enjoying good careers in Europe. They are just some of the players who have done really well to make a career in the game at a high level, which is of course a very difficult thing to achieve, and something that all of the lads at Spurs who are coming up the ranks at the club hope to achieve, and dream of achieving. It’s also very difficult to win the Under 18 Premier League southern division, and with such consistently talented teams such as Chelsea who have been dominant at this level for many years and also Arsenal, it just goes to show how talented and how good John McDermott and Kieran McKenna’s side were during the 2013/14 season. It was a really strong squad and competition for places in the side was also very strong, but there would have had to have been great team spirit in the side, for Spurs to have been so consistently good throughout the season. Winning the southern division that season meant that Spurs qualified for the play-offs which included the northern division sides that Spurs did also play during the regular season. Unfortunately Spurs were knocked out by Everton in the semi-finals of the play-offs, losing 1-0 at Goodison Park, in front of 1,450 people.

All of the coaches at Spurs during that season but also in the following seasons played a massive part in the careers of the Spurs under 18 side that won the southern division in 2014. And I must mention the late footballer, England international and Spurs development side head coach Ugo Ehiogu, for every player who played in that Spurs side and who also stayed on at the club and who played or was around the development side (under 19’s, 21’s and 23’s) for following seasons, Ugo helped to shape those young Spurs players into the footballers and people that they are today. A key member of that Spurs under 18 side that won the southern division during the 2013/14 season was Anthony Georgiou, who only very recently left Spurs. I asked Anthony to describe what it was like to play in the southern division that season and also be a part of that very talented Spurs side. The Cyprus international said “ as for the team we had so much quality in that team through the whole squad. Training was always at a very high level technically. I think we also had a very physically good team. We played very good football and didn’t change how we wanted to play for any team. On top of all that I think we had a very good group of people with a good atmosphere. ” In the following piece I will be looking back at every player that played for Spurs’ under 18 side in the league during the 2013/14 season, talking about what kind of player they are/were, providing some statistics and also looking at where they went after leaving Spurs (only two players from the side remain at the club – Harry Winks and Cameron Carter-Vickers). I shall be doing more of these types of articles in the very near future.

The team: 

Luke McGee: A very good shot stopper, goalkeeper Luke McGee was an exciting player, and was regarded as a very exciting prospect at Spurs, when on their books as a young goalkeeper. Edgware born and a Spurs fan, McGee signed scholarship terms with Spurs in the summer of 2012, part of a talented age group which included the likes of Harry Winks and Connor Ogilvie. McGee had made five under 18 league appearances during the previous 2012/13 season as a first year scholar. However, during the following 2013/14 campaign the tall, vocal and commanding goalkeeper became our under 18’s main goalkeeper, and he made 17 league appearances, becoming an important member of the team. The goalkeeper who was great at making good reaction saves at youth level at Spurs, would in fact make his senior competitive debut for Spurs in the following pre-season, before going on to play three more first team games (all non-competitive) during his time at the club. He would become the regular goalkeeper for our under 21 side and third choice goalkeeper at Spurs for a period of time at the club when Mauricio Pochettino was the manager of the club. McGee did go out on loans to Harlow Town (a work experience loan) and Peterborough United, with the latter one proving to be very successful. However, he left Spurs shortly after returning from his loan at Peterborough, and he signed for League One side Portsmouth in the summer of 2017. McGee made 55 competitive appearances for Portsmouth in all competitions and got an EFL Trophy winners medal during his time at the club. He spent a period of time on loan at Bradford City, before departing Portsmouth in 2020. The now 25 year old former England youth international is currently playing for League Two side Forest Green Rovers, where he is the clubs first choice goalkeeper.

Harry Voss: Goalkeeper Harry Voss was a first year scholar at Spurs during the 2013/14 season. From Welwyn in Hertfordshire, Voss made his competitive under 18’s debut for Spurs as a schoolboy during the previous 2012/13 season, but in the 2013/14 season he made ten league appearances for the club. Not a goalkeeper who played lots of competitive games during his time at Spurs as an Academy player, Voss would go on to play a fair bit in our good FA Youth Cup cup run during the following season, including in our semi-final second leg tie against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. A good goalkeeper, Voss also made some appearances for our development side and he impressed at the pre-season Tournoi Europeen for them, one pre-season in France. Harry spent a short period of time out on loan at Stevenage Borough as a back up goalkeeper, before leaving Spurs during the 2016/17 season. Voss then went to play for non-League side Bishop’s Stortford, before spending some time at Northwood on loan, and he most recently played for Hertfordshire based club Ware. While at Spurs Voss was part of the sides that won the Premier League Champions Cup and the IMG Cup in America. Voss also played in the under 18 Premier League play-off semi-final game against Everton at Goodison Park, at the end of the 2013/14 season.

Liam Priestley: A second year scholar at the time of the 2013/14 season, Rochford born goalkeeper Liam Priestley did spend some of the 2013/14 season out on loan with Norwich City where he played for their under 18 side, but he did play five games for Spurs in the league during the same season. The goalkeeper who did also play for Spurs’ under 21 side on occasions, ended up leaving the club that he spent seven years at, at the end of his contract in the summer of 2014. After leaving the club Priestley moved to America, where he combined playing for the Missouri State soccer team for four years up until 2018 (he won the goalkeeper of the year award there in 2017), while also studying at the same time, and during his time in Missouri he won the Premier League graduate Academy award. I don’t believe that Liam is still playing competitive football.

Channing Campbell-Young: A versatile player, defensive midfielder and then first year scholar Channing Campbell-Young made 14 league appearances for the Spurs under 18 side during the 2013/14 season, six of which came as a substitute. Campbell-Young (formerly of Interwood FC) in fact played predominantly as a right back for Spurs that season during those 14 league appearances, but that was to be  his only season at Spurs as a full-time player. Born and raised in Hackney in east London, Channing Campbell-Young departed Spurs in the summer of 2014 when he joined Bolton Wanderers. He played for Bolton’s under 18’s and 21 side for a while, primarily playing as a defensive midfielder, before leaving them and going to play in the non-League. Campbell-Young has so far played for Bromley, Billericay Town, Northwood, Marlow, Hendon, London Colney and most recently Staines Town during the 2018/19 season. However, the Londoner doesn’t appear to have played for any other clubs since 2019.

Cameron Carter-Vickers: Now 23 years of age and a full USA international (he was won eight caps so far), but back in the 2013/14 southern division winning season centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers was playing for Spurs as a schoolboy, primarily for their under 18 side. The Southend born defender was a mainstay in John McDermott and Kieran McKenna’s side during the 2013/14 season, as he went on to play 26 times in the southern division for Spurs, scoring two goals. A talented centre-half with good ability on the ball, the defenders reading of the game and ability to intercept the ball were real strengths of his game at youth level along with being good in the air, and along with Christian Maghoma and Anton Walkes he was an important central defender for the under 18 side. Still on Spurs’ books and currently on loan at Bournemouth who he has made three appearances for so far this season, Carter-Vickers also played at left-back on occasions for the Spurs under 18 side in 2013/14. He rose through the ranks at Spurs well, and was soon playing regularly for the under 21 side as a full-time player at the club, and the former England youth international even made the bench for the first team as a second year scholar back in 2015. Carter-Vickers went out on his first loan in 2017, when he joined Sheffield United, and he has since had loan moves at Ipswich Town, Swansea City, Stoke City, Luton Town and now AFC Bournemouth in the Championship. The player who has so far made four competitive appearances for the Spurs first team, was very very good in the southern division in the 2013/14 and he adapted well to that level of football, and was a consistent performer as well. He has had some good loan moves away from Spurs so far, with the most notable one being at Luton Town last season where he was excellent, and helped them to avoid relegation to League One. Still only 23 years of age, the USA international has a very exciting future in the game to look forward to, in my opinion.

Christian Maghoma: Born in Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997, but brought up in north London, centre-half Christian Maghoma was another consistent player for Spurs in the southern division in 2013/14, and he got plenty of game time as well. Like Carter-Vickers, Maghoma wasn’t full-time at Spurs during the 2013/14 season as he was still a schoolboy, but he stepped up and played under 18 football with ease during that particular season. Excellent in the air and strong in the challenge, Maghoma’s qualities as a leader in that side were evident early on. His constant encouragement and advice to his teammates would have undoubtedly benefitted them, as would have his organisation of the defence. Now an international for the Democratic Republic of the Congo national team (he made his one appearance for them in 2017) Maghoma played in that important play-off semi-final match against Everton at Goodison Park, which Spurs narrowly lost 1-0 at the end of the 2013/14 season. Making 18 league appearances for our under 18’s (scoring two goals) during the 2013/14 season, Maghoma would go on to make his competitive Spurs under 21 debut for Spurs during the following 2014/15 season. It was to be his first of over 60 competitive appearances for the Spurs development side during his time at the club, and he was a regular player for them for many seasons, also captaining the side on a really good number of occasions too. A former England youth international who was part of the last England side that won the Victory Shield, the tall and commanding central defender would leave Spurs at the end of the 2017/2018, at the end of his contract. He would move to Poland where he played for Polish top flight side Arka Gdynia, who he would play for on 39 occasions, until he left them last year.

The defender who is good on the ball and at bringing it out from the back, is now back in England where he is playing for League One club Gillingham, who he signed for at the start of the 2020/21 season. Maghoma has played 11 times in competitive competitions for Gillingham so far this season. 

Joe Muscatt: A hardworking fullback who could play on either side for our under 18 and 23’s team, during his time at Spurs. The former Interwood FC player was good in the challenge and also very versatile during his time at Spurs, and the player from Whipps Cross would made three appearances for our under 18 side as a schoolboy, during the 2013/14 season. Muscatt was a steady player at under 18 and 23 level for Spurs, and he was also a good crosser of the ball. He played a good number of games for Spurs’ under 18 side during the following 2014/15 season as a first year scholar (he also made his under 21’s debut during the following season), before playing for our under 23’s on occasions during the 2016/17 season. However, Muscatt left Spurs at the end of that season upon the end of his contract, and he joined then Championship side Bolton Wanderers for the start of the 2017/18 season, where he would play for their under 23 side. Muscatt did play for Bolton’s first team in a competitive game on one occasion during the following season, and he was also loaned out to Salford City during the same season (he made four competitive appearances for them). However, come the summer of 2019 Muscatt left Bolton and was without a club, but since the start of this season the now full Malta international has been playing for SC Paderborn II (Paderborn’s second team).

Connor Ogilvie: A physical and hardworking but skilled defender who I was always thought was good going forward as well as at defending, the player from Harlow in Essex was a second year scholar at Spurs during the 2013/14 season. The former England youth international made 20 southern division appearances during the league winning season, also scoring one goal for the team. Connor Ogilvie predominantly played at left-back during that season, although he also did fill in as a left sided centre-half on a good number of occasions. Ogilvie was arguably our best player during the southern division winning season, and he was another real leader in the side, who provided constant encouragement to his teammates. A strong player who was very capable of getting up and down the left flank at youth level for Spurs at a good pace, Ogilvie was probably the leader of the side, as an already experienced second year scholar. A player who could take a fine free-kick for Spurs at Academy level, Ogilvie was as solid and effective at centre-half as he was at left-back, and he was always a player who was and still is now just so efficient in what he does. It didn’t take Connor long before he established himself as a regular and important player in the then Spurs under 21 side, and he also signed professional forms with the club in 2014. Making many an appearance for our under 21 side, Ogilvie also played once for our first team during his time at the club, coming on as a substitute in Ledley King’s testimonial match at White Hart Lane in the May of 2014. Ogilvie went out on his first loan in 2015, joining Stevenage Borough, where he really impressed, making 22 appearances, scoring one goal. 

During the 2016/7 season Connor joined Stevenage on loan again, before stepping up a league during the following season when he joined League One side Gillingham on loan for the 2017/18 season. Another season on loan at Gillingham followed for Ogilvie, who continued to get regular game time for Gillingham, and he eventually joined them on a permanent basis in the summer of 2019. The defender has done really well for himself, and he has become a really important player for the club from Kent. Already having made 148 competitive appearances for Gillingham, scoring seven goals, Ogilvie was a very talented Academy player at Spurs, and it is great to see him doing so well in the game.

Chris Paul: Still a schoolboy during the 2013/14 season, Chris Paul made only two appearances for Spurs’ under 18 side in the southern division, scoring one goal. Paul was primarily a right-back, although he was a versatile player who could also play at centre-half. Born in Edmonton but raise in Barnet, Paul represented Northern Ireland at youth level (he was capped for them as high up as under 21 level), and he would sign scholarship forms with Spurs for the start of the following 2014/15 season. Later going on to play more competitive games for our under 18 side, and also some for our under 21’s as well, Chris Paul played for our under 18 side in the second leg of our FA Youth Cup semi-final tie with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 2015. He was released by Spurs at the end of the 2015/16 season, and he joined Queens Park Rangers for the start of the 2016/17 season, where he would play for their under 23 side. He left Queens Park Rangers in 2018 after his contract came to an end, and he then joined then National League side Havant & Waterlooville. Paul spent two seasons at Havant & Waterlooville before leaving them last summer. He is now playing for National League South side in Hemel Hempstead who he is doing well at, mainly playing as a defensive midfielder.

Kane Vincent-Young: Camden born right-back Kane Vincent-Young (second year scholar during the 2013/14 season) made 10 appearances for the Spurs under 18 side during the 2013/14 season, primarily playing at right-back, although he did fill in at centre-half and at left-back on occasions. Vincent-Young had good pace and was good going at forward with the ball, and he was also good in defence as well. At the end of the 2013/14 season he left Spurs after his contract had come to an end, after spending seven years with the club. He joined non-League side Banbury United for a short time before Colchester United signed him, and he made 126 competitive appearances for Colchester during his time there, before League One club Ipswich Town signed him in 2019. Kane made nine competitive appearances for Ipswich and scored two goals, before getting injured, and although he didn’t play any more games for them during the 2019/20 season he did return to playing for them this pre-season (he played in their friendly against Spurs). However, the full-back who can play on either flank unfortunately picked up an Achilles injury during that pre-season, and he hasn’t played a competitive game for Ipswich so far this season. Still only 24 and a player with real potential to play in leagues higher up in England, hopefully Vincent-Young can return to playing again in the very near future, as he was doing very well before he got injured.

Kyle Walker-Peters: A highly skilful right-back who was very good and reliable on the ball and very difficult to disposes at Academy level for Spurs, Edmonton born defender Kyle Walker-Peters was another first year scholar during the 2013/14 season who impressed greatly over the course of the season. Walker-Peters made 25 southern division appearances during the season that we finished top of the league (he scored one goal), and the player who loved to take players on from wide positions during that season, also played at left-back and even in central midfield on one occasion. An England youth international who would end up being capped by his country all the way up to under 21 level, Walker-Peters also contributed a lot to the defence, with his well timed and strong challenges, as well as his fine reading of the game. With Walker-Peters on the right flank and Ogilvie on the left we were really potent going forward, but both players also remained defensively disciplined. Such was Kyle’s ability on the ball with his skill and quick feet, he would be used as a winger on occasions in the future at Academy level. A regular and very important player for John McDermott and Kieran McKenna’s side, Walker-Peters went on to rise up the various Academy ranks at Spurs (he was just as impressive when he used to play for the development side) before going on to make 24 competitive appearances for Spurs’ first team between 2017 and 2019. Kyle would initially join fellow Premier League side Southampton on loan until the end of the 2019/20 season, and he impressed during his time in Southampton. He joined the south coast club on a permanent deal in the summer of 2020, and he is now one of the first names on the Southampton team sheet, so far making 30 competitive first team appearances for them. I personally can see Walker-Peters becoming a full England international in the not so distant future.

Anton Walkes: A versatile and adaptable player, then first year scholar Anton Walkes made 24 appearances during the 2013/14 season, starting 18 of those games and scoring three goals. The Lewisham born player played as a defender (at right back and centre-back) and also in midfield for our under 18’s, but would later play as a centre-forward on occasions for our development side. Good at bringing the ball out from the back, and good in the air and in the challenge, Walkes was a real mainstay in the side that season. A good player technically, Anton is also a commanding defender and in 2013/14 he showed this throughout the season, putting in a number of very fine defensive performances. A future development side captain, Anton Walkes was another player from the southern division winning side who would work his way up the various ranks at Spurs. Walkes would become a regular player for the development side, playing in a great variety of positions, and whereever he played for Spurs at that level he always worked very hard for the team. Walkes featured in pre-season for Spurs’ first team in the 2016/17 season, putting in a notably impressive performance in an International Champions Cup game against Atlético Madrid in central defence. And during that season he would make his one and only senior competitive appearance for Spurs, when he came off the bench to feature in a League Cup third round tie against Gillingham at White Hart Lane in 2016. An impressive loan spell at American MLS side Atlanta United would follow during that 2016/17 season and he returned to Spurs halfway through the following 2017/18 season, where he made a couple of appearances for our under 23 side before joining Portsmouth on loan until the end of that season. 

Walkes joined League One side Portsmouth on a permanent transfer in the July of 2018, and during his two spells there he made 66 competitive first team appearances, scoring three goals and also getting an EFL Trophy medal. The Englishman left Portsmouth in January 2020 when he signed for Atlanta United on a permanent transfer, and the 23 year old has so far made 43 competitive appearances for them.

Luke Amos: A tenacious and intelligent midfield player with great potential, who made 12 appearances in the southern division in 2013/14. Former Ware FC player Luke Amos (former England youth international) played in both defence and in midfield from his 12 competitive league appearances. A defensive minded midfield player who can also contribute well to play in the final third, the Welwyn Garden City born player is really good at breaking up play and keeping the ball moving in the central areas of the pitch. The then first year scholar made more appearances for the under 18 side during the following season, before becoming a regular in the development side during the next couple of seasons. An exceptionally hardworking and versatile player, Luke made over 50 appearances for our development side and he also spent time out on loan with Southend United and Stevenage Borough which helped his development as a player. A player who would feature on a good number of occasions for Spurs’ first team in friendlies, Amos was a part of the Spurs under 21 side that won the Tournoi Europeen in France in 2017, before enjoying an excellent pre-season with the Spurs first team in 2018/19. A tenacious and real team player, Luke Amos made his one and only competitive Spurs first team appearance, when he came off the bench to play against Newcastle United in a Premier League game at the beginning of the 2018/19 season. Unfortunately Luke got injured playing in an under 23 game the following month, which ruled him out for the remainder of that season. However, he returned in time for the beginning of the following 2019/20 season, when he joined Championship side Queens Park Rangers on loan for the whole of that season. After impressing a lot on loan at Queens Park Rangers, Amos signed for them on a permanent basis in the summer of 2020, but really unfortunately Luke suffered a cruciate ligament injury early on in the 2020/21 season, which has ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Charlie Hayford: Watford born central midfielder Charlie Hayford made two appearances as a schoolboy for the under 18’s in the 2013/14 season. Like Amos, Hayford is a midfield player with a great work ethic, and who also has good ability, and who does his job efficiently in the centre of the park. Hayford signed scholarship terms with Spurs for the beginning of 2014/15 season, but sadly he missed quite a bit of that season through injury. Hayford did play more games for the under 18’s during his second year of scholarship, and he also made some appearances for the under 21 side, but he left the club in the summer of 2016 after his contract came to an end. He joined Sheffield Wednesday for the start of the 2016/17 season, playing for their under 23 side, before then moving to South Africa for a period of time to play for Bidvest Wits. However, Charlie returned to England and he has been enjoying a good career in the non-League, playing for Hemel Hempstead, Biggleswade Town, Chesham United, Barton Rovers, Bedford Town, Baldock Town, Hitchin Town and most recently Northwood FC.

Cy Goddard: Chelsea born but raised in Pimlico, midfielder and former Japan youth international Cy Goddard’s technical ability and creativity made him another important player for under 18’s in 2013/14, and from his 19 league appearances he scored two goals for the team. Goddard’s low centre of gravity, hard work, and eye for a forward pass meant that he was an important creative outlet in the side, regardless of whether he was playing as a central midfielder or as a CAM. A skilful and very tidy player who used his skill to good effect, the then first year scholar rose up the Academy ranks at Spurs to play for the development side in competitive games on over 35 occasions, Cy Goddard scored one goal for development side, and it was a sumptuous volley against Leicester City’s under 21 side in the 2015/16 season. Goddard left Spurs at the end of the following 2016/17 season, and he joined Italian side Benevento Calcio in the summer of 2018 (he has so far made two competitive appearances for them). He joined Cypriot First Division side Pafos FC on loan in the September of 2019 and made six competitive appearances for them. Still a Benevento player, Goddard is currently on loan at Indian Super League side Mumbai City, who he has made nine competitive appearances for to date.

Filip Lesniak: Another versatile player in the under 18 side in the 2013/14 season, former Slovakian under 21 international Filip Lesniak was a stalwart of the side, making 24 league appearances during the 2013/14 season. A really reliable and consistent player at under 18 level, the midfielder from Kosice was a second year scholar in 2013/14 and he already had plenty of experience playing competitive under 18 football during the previous season. Primarily a defensive midfielder, but a player who could also fill in in defence as he did on a couple of occasions during the 2013/14 season, Lesniak did a really good job at protecting the back four and also breaking up play, and keeping the ball moving in the central areas of the pitch. Also a regular at under 21/23 level for Spurs (he also spent a period of time on loan at Slovan Liberec), Lesniak made over 50 competitive appearances for Spurs at this level. He would go on to make one competitive appearance for Spurs, coming on as a substitute in a Premier League game against Leicester City in the May of 2017, and Lesniak registered an assist in that game after setting up a Harry Kane goal as Spurs won 6-1. Filip left Spurs at the end of that season and joined Danish side AaB Fodbold, who he made 44 competitive appearances for. Lesniak (24) has since played for Silkeborg IF on loan, and he is currently playing for Polish Ekstraklasa side Wisła Płock, who he has so far made 17 competitive appearances for. 

Will Miller: A former England under 18 international with great balance, skill and vision, attacking midfielder Will Miller scored seven under 18 goals for Spurs from 25 league appearances in 2013/14, also registering a good number of assists. A former actor, the Londoner was a really clever and creative player in McDermott and McKenna’s side, and he played in a variety of positions in 2013/14, playing as a left winger, CAM and central midfielder, and also captaining the under 18 side on occasions as well. The former Leyton Orient youth player was a tricky player with very quick feet, whose footballing brain was very good in my opinion. Now retired from playing the game and currently involved in the music and film industry, Will Miller would rise up the ranks at Spurs to play well over 40 competitive games for our development side, and I always thought that he replicated his under 18 form at both under 21 and 23 level. Of slight build and never the most physical of players, Miller more than made up for it with his skill and intelligence on the pitch, and I always thought that he was quite a quick player who also had a nice weight of pass. He would play for Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs first team on occasions in friendlies although he would never play for them in a competitive game. Miller had a loan spell with Burton Albion during the 2016/17 season before signing for them on a permanent basis during the 2017/18 season. In total Miller made 54 competitive appearances for Burton Albion before retiring from the game in 2019.

Josh Onomah: A direct and skilful midfielder with a good eye for a forward pass, Josh Onomah showed his quality at his new club Fulham throughout last season (2019/20). The former England youth international who was capped up to under 21 level for his country and who also won the 2017 Under 20 World Cup with England, was excellent at youth level for Spurs. With his influential driving forward runs from midfield and good weight of pass, the player from Enfield was soon playing regular under 21 football for Spurs after signing scholarship terms with the club in the summer of 2013. However, in the 2013/14 season Josh Onomah made 17 southern division appearances (he mainly played in central midfield) for Spurs’ under 18’s, scoring one goal. Having already played competitive under 18 football in the previous two seasons before 2013/14, Onomah was another player who provided the side with invaluable experience. Going on to make 32 competitive appearances (scoring one goal) for Spurs’ first team after making his debut for them in an FA Cup third round replay against Burnley at White Hart Lane in January 2015, Onomah had loan spells with Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday before leaving Spurs on a permanent basis to sign for then Championship side Fulham for the 2019/20 season. The dynamic midfielder was instrumental in helping Fulham to get promoted to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs, and Onomah has so far made 45 competitive appearances for Fulham, but an injury before the start of the 2020/21 season meant that he wasn’t registered to play for the first half of this seasons Premier League. However, he is now back and making Premier League match day squads again, and will hopefully get a good run in the team during the remainder of the season.

Josh Onomah is another player from that squad who I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see play for England in the future, as he certainly has the quality to play for them.

Charlie Owens: Islington born former Northern Ireland youth international Charlie Owens was a schoolboy during the 2013/14 season, but he stepped up to play for the under 18’s in the southern division on two occasions. The former Clissold Rangers player who plays as a central midfielder, is a bit like current Spurs under 23 player Jamie Bowden in his style of play, in certain ways. A good passer of the ball, Owens is also a player with a good work ethic and a real tenacious side to his game, and he demonstrated this at both under 18 and development side level during his time at Spurs. Owens signed scholarship terms with Spurs for the start of the 2014/15 season, and he would go on to make a good number of appearances for our under 18’s and development side in the following seasons. The defensive minded midfielder left Spurs at the end of the 2016/17 to join another London club in Queens Park Rangers, where he initially played for their under 23 side, before so far going on to make three competitive first team appearances for them so far. Owens also spent some time on loan at Wycombe Wanderers.

Joe Pritchard: An industrious central midfielder who also has a good creative side to his game, Watford born player Joe Pritchard could also play out on the right at youth level for Spurs, and also as a CAM. Pritchard made 16 southern division appearances for Spurs in 2013/14, scoring two goals, and the then first year scholar   would mainly play in central midfield during that season. Joe Pritchard played again for the under 18’s in the next season (2014/15) and he was making really good progress at the club until he suffered a bad injury in a southern division game against Norwich City at their Colney training centre, which set him back. However, he showed the resilience to come back from that injury to return during the 2015/16 (in a friendly against Brentford) season as a first year professional. Pritchard made over 60 appearances for our development side up until leaving the club at the end of the 2017/18 season (he was very good for our under 23 side that season, and he often captained them). He joined Bolton Wanderers for the start of the 2018/19 season and he made five competitive appearances for the Lancashire club before leaving them at the end of that season. However, the midfielder has since joined League One side Accrington Stanley who he has made 63 competitive appearances for, and has been directly involved in over 20 goals for them, and he is doing really well for them.

Lloyd Ross: Playing in a number of positions from 12 appearances (he scored one goal) for our under 18 side during the 2013/14 season, Harlow born midfield player Lloyd Ross was a first year scholar back in the southern division winning season. However, after some making some more appearances for the under 18 side during the following season, the team player with good ball control left Spurs in the summer of 2015. Ross went to the Franklin Pierce University in America, before returning to England and joining Billericay Town for a period, and he has also played for Walthamstow FC, but since then I don’t think that that the versatile player has played for anybody else.

Zenon Stylianides: A tenacious and hardworking central midfielder who can also fill in at left-back, north Londoner Zenon Stylianides from Edmonton near White Hart Lane, made three appearances for Spurs’ under 18 side in 2013/14. A player who I always liked, as he had skill and was always willing to make that extra run for the team, Stylianides was a schoolboy in 2013/14, and he didn’t sign scholarship forms until the end of that season. The player who is eligible to represent Cyprus at international level, was a regular at under 18 level during the next two seasons, before stepping up to play for the Spurs under 23 side in the 2016/17 season. However, Zenon left Spurs at the end of that season after his contract came to an end, and he ended up joining Queens Park Rangers, where he played for the clubs under 23 side up until leaving them in the summer of 2018. Stylianides then joined Cypriot Second Division side Omonia Aradippou, and he played for them until July 2019, when he returned to England. This season the midfielder had been playing for Isthmian Premier Division side East Thurrock United, up until their season was paused last year. 

Kash Wallace: A trialist from Arsenal, who played just one game for Spurs’ under 18 side during the 2013/14 season. Kash Wallace came on as a late substitute (he replaced Joe Muscatt) against Norwich City in the 2013/14 season, playing the closing stages of the game at left-back. I was unable to find out where the former Arsenal Academy player went after returning to Arsenal, and I am not sure whether he is still playing the game. 

Harry Winks: Always a composed and reliable player for our under 18’s, central midfielder Harry Winks from Hemel Hempstead, made 14 appearances for our under 18 side in 2013/14, scoring four goals. Always a very tidy player who is efficient and effective at his job, the now 24 year old midfielder is the player from the 2013/14 squad who has made the most first team appearances for Spurs. A second year scholar at Spurs in 2013/14, Winks divided his time playing under 18 and under 21 football during the season. A former England youth international turned full international (he has won eight caps for his country so far), Winks primarily played in central midfield for McDermott and McKenna’s side. Winks quickly worked his way up the ranks at Spurs, and by the 2014/15 season he had already made his Spurs first team debut. A player with good pace, who reads the game well and who also is very good at making accurate passes, Winks has made a further 161 competitive first team appearances for Spurs, started in a UEFA Champions League final and also captained the team that he has always supported. He has done exceptionally well to achieve all of that in his relatively short career so far, and he still has a lot to look forward to in the game.

Anthony Georgiou: A left winger with outstanding pace, Cyprus international (he has won seven caps so far) Anthony Georgiou was a key player for Spurs in the southern division during the 2013/14 season. Georgiou chipped in with eight goals from 26 southern division appearances, as well as setting up plenty of goals for his teammates. Born in Lewisham but brought up in Potters Bar not far from Hotspur Way, Georgiou’s direct and strong running down the left flank caused lots of problems for opposition defenders throughout the 2013/14 season (he played both as a winger and a full-back), and his hard work and tracking back to help out the defence proved invaluable over the course of the season. A very unselfish player, the former Watford Academy player was one of the most influential attacking players, and his creativity from out wide (he is a great crosser of the ball) helped to provide a good number of goals for the Spurs forwards. Georgiou stepped up to play for the under 21 side in 2013/14, he made over 50 competitive appearances for our development side during his time at the club, and he would go on to become an important player for them in future seasons. He would play for Spurs’ first team three pre-seasons in a row starting from the summer of 2017, and Anthony would also make one competitive first team appearance for Spurs, coming off the bench in a UEFA Champions League group stage game against APOEL Nicosia in Cyprus. After a long time in north London, the now 23 year old departed Spurs to sign for Cypriot First Division side AEL Limassol earlier this month. He made his debut for them against Ermis last Friday. 

Armani Daly: Winger Armani Daly (able to operate on either flank despite being right footed) made three southern division appearances for Spurs in 2013/14 as a schoolboy. Daly signed scholarship forms with Spurs at the end of the season, and the player who could link the play well and who worked hard from out wide, would spend the next two seasons almost exclusively with our under 18 side, bar the odd appearance for our under 21’s. Daly left Spurs at the end of the 2015/16 season, and after trialling with a number of clubs he stopped playing football.

Nathan Oduwa: Central London born winger Nathan Oduwa (then second year scholar) was an incredibly skilful forward who could produce moments of magic on the pitch for Spurs at Academy level (he spent part of his first year at the club out on loan at West Brom). With pace, outstanding skill and an eye for goal, Oduwa’s ten goals (he scored some important ones over the course of the season) from 24 southern division appearances made him a key player. Able to get past defenders with ease, Oduwa is an extremely unpredictable player who is capable of producing the spectacular, and the former England youth internationals great balance and pace makes him very difficult to defend against. Oduwa would become a development side mainstay in future seasons, and he would also go on to play once for the Spurs first team, coming off the bench to feature for Spurs in Ledley King’s testimonial at White Hart Lane. Nathan would play for Luton Town, Colchester United, Peterborough United and Rangers on loan, before leaving Spurs in 2017 to play for Slovenian side NK Olimpia Ljubljana, before then playing for Danish team Vejle Boldklub. He would later play for Israeli side Hapoel Hadera and Irish side Dundalk, but for now he is currently without a club after his contract with Dundalk ended after the end of their most recent season. 

Emmanuel Sonupe: A fast, skilful, direct and effective winger who made a good impact on the under 18 side in 2013/14, as he helped them to win the southern division, Emmanuel Sonupe scored five goals (three of those came in a 4-0 win over Stoke City) from 22 southern division appearances. A traditional winger like former teammate Anthony Georgiou, who likes to take players on and whip crosses into the box, the then second year scholar who was born in Denmark Hill, south London, played both on the left and right flank during the 2013/14 season for our under 18 side. Sonupe would later become a regular starter for Spurs’ old under 21 side, and he also went out on loan for a period of time with Scottish side St Mirren. Emmanuel left Spurs in the summer of 2016 after his contract came to an end, he then joined EFL club Northampton Town who he made four appearances for, before joining Kidderminster Harriers on loan. Sonupe has since played for Stevenage who he made 51 appearances for and Yeovil Town who he is currently playing for, and he has so far made five appearances for the National League club.

Daniel Akindayini: Our top scorer during the 2013/14 season, centre forward and then second year scholar Daniel Akindayini scored 15 goals (he scored a hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 5-1 win) from 27 southern division appearances. A good finisher who is also good in the air and able to hold the ball up well, Akindayini was promoted to the Spurs under 21 side for the following 2014/15 season. However, the former Spurs striker left the club after the end of that season, and he would join Brighton where he would play for their development side. Since leaving Brighton in the summer of 2016 Akindayini has played for Margate, Norwegian side FK Gjovik-Lyn, Dutch side Hoek, AFC Hornchurch, Great Wakering Rovers, Cheshunt and Haringey Borough, a side that Daniel was playing for up until this seasons Isthmian Premier Division was paused last year.

Shayon Harrison: A skilful forward with an impressive goal scoring record for Spurs at youth level, Hornsey born player and then first year scholar Shayon Harrison was prolific at under 18 and development side level for Spurs, during his time at the club. A centre forward with good movement off the ball, Harrison can also play as a CAM or out wide on the flanks. Harrison scored 12 goals from 22 southern division appearances in 2013/14, and the player who made one competitive appearance for Spurs’ first team in a League Cup fourth round tie against Liverpool in 2016 (he also featured for them in the 2016/17 pre-season), would become a very important player for Spurs’ under 23 side. Shayon went on loans to Yeovil Town, Southend United and Melbourne City FC during his time at Spurs, but he left the club at the end of his contract which came to an end in the summer of 2019. Harrison joined Dutch Keuken Kampioen Divisie side Almere City FC that summer, and he has since made 33 competitive appearances for them, scoring eight goals.

Ryan Loft: Signed from non-League side Ebbsfleet United (he had played for Dartford before that) not too long before that 2013/14 season, tall and physical centre forward Ryan Loft is a player who is good at holding up the ball and and at getting himself in the oppositions penalty area, and causing problems for defenders, as well as playing with his back to goal. Loft is particularly good in the air which is where he scores a good amount of his goals. In the 2013/14 season he was a schoolboy at Spurs, but he still made three southern division appearances, scoring one goal. Loft scored a good number of goals at under 18 level for Spurs after joining the club full-time in the summer of 2014, and he would later go on to play for their under 21 and 23 side. The player from Gravesend went out on loan to Braintree Town, Stevenage and Exeter City before leaving Spurs at the end of the 2017/18 season, after his contract came to an end. Loft joined Leicester City on a two year contract that summer, and he would play for their under 23 side during his time at Leicester.  He went out on loan to Carlisle United before leaving Leicester City at the end of the 2019/20 season. Loft is currently playing for League Two side Scunthorpe United, who he currently has seven goals for from 28 competitive appearances.

Some notes on Spurs loanees Jubril Okedina and Shilow Tracey’s performances against Crawley Town:

Spurs Academy loanees Jubril Okedina and Shilow Tracey were in action for League Two club Cambridge United against Crawley Town on Saturday afternoon (Cambridge United won 3-1). Okedina (he was excellent on the day) started the game at centre-half (League Two debut) and completed the full 90 minutes of the match, while Shilow Tracey came on in the 78th minute, and the winger registered an assist on his Cambridge United debut after joining them on loan earlier in the week. Starting the game at right centre back in a back four, 20 year old defender Jubril Okedina started the game well, and he calmly headed a long forward ball from a Crawley player to his teammate Kyle Knoyle on the right flank. After Crawley forward Tom Nichols received a pass from Sam Matthews down the left hand side of the Cambridge United box, Okedina did well to get in front of the Crawley man before getting on the ball and getting it clear, in what was a really good piece of defending. A couple of minutes later Okedina cleared Tom Dallison’s ball into the Cambridge United box, and in the early stages of the game Okdedina was playing the ball forward quite a lot. Cambridge United took the lead not long afterwards before Crawley equalise not long after the home side had taken the lead. A pass to Tom Nichols in the home sides penalty area (Okedina was covering at LCB at this point) resulted in the Crawley player back-heeling the ball for Jake Hessenthaler who finished off the move to draw Crawley level.

An inviting cross from Crawley’s Josh Wright was headed away well by Jubril in the box, before Jack Powell’s pass to Tom Nichols down the left in a forward position resulted in Okedina getting in front of the Crawley man well, and letting the ball go behind for a goal kick. Winning virtually everything in the air throughout the game, the Spurs defender did well again to head away a good cross into the Cambridge United box from George Francomb on the right flank. Another cross into the box, this time from Sam Matthews a couple of moments later, was headed up in the air by Okedina before the Cambridge United goalkeeper Callum Burton gathered the ball. Maintaining good positioning during the first half, Jubril once again managed to get in front of Tom Nichols, this time down the left hand side of the Cambridge United penalty area, after the Crawley forward was almost picked out from a long forward pass, but Okedina leant into his man and let the ball go out of play. A couple of minutes later the Spurs defender blocked an effort from Sam Matthews inside the Cambridge United box, as he stayed tight to the Crawley forward. A simple but effective long forward ball from Okedina managed to find Cambridge United forward Joe Ironside on the edge of the Crawley box, he won the ball, before Paul Mullin had a shot blocked and then Kyle Knoyle scored with a fine effort as Cambridge United regained the lead just before half-time.

At the beginning of the second-half Okedina came running forward to make a strong challenge on Jordan Maguire-Drew near the halfway line, as he won the ball.  It was a very lively game of football, and a couple of minutes after that challenge on Jordan Maguire-Drew, Okedina made a good sliding challenge to stop the same Crawley player from getting further up the pitch and into a good forward position. The Spurs defender did well to head behind a promising looping cross into the Cambridge United box from Crawley substitute Archie Davies, before getting to another cross in the box from the right flank inside the Cambridge United box, before passing it away from the penalty area. Composed and alert in defence but good with his passing, Okedina was really impressing throughout the game, and even in difficult situations during the game he still showed great composure in defence. With Crawley Town playing well as they looked to get an equaliser, Cambridge United made a change on 78 minutes, as Shilow Tracey came on to replace Joe Ironside, and he went to play out on the right flank. After being shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Josh Wright, the Spurs player received a pass from Paul Mullin out on the right hand side of the pitch. Tracey entered the Crawley penalty area before attempting to beat Crawley goalkeeper Glenn Morris from quite an acute angle with a powerful effort on goal, but Morris managed to make a fine save to push the ball away from the goal.

After receiving a pass out on the right flank in the 85th minute of the game Shilow Tracey knocked the ball past the Crawley left-back, before sprinting forward at pace with the ball at his feet. The 22 year old entered the Crawley box before deciding to lay the ball back off to Wes Hoolahan on the edge of the Crawley box, and the former Republic of Ireland international managed to find the corner of the goal with a fine effort, to make it 3-1 to the home team. After making a good run into space in a promising forward position Wes Hoolahan tried to thread a pass through to Tracey, but the Spurs player slipped at an important moment. In the final moments of the game Hoolahan tried to find Tracey who had made a good run in behind the Crawley defence with a ball over the top of the Crawley defenders. Tracey managed to get to the ball as Crawley goalkeeper Glenn Morris came rushing out of his box, but his first touch let him down a bit (it was difficult to control) and Crawley managed to get the ball away, in what was the last real action of the game. Okedina had an excellent league debut in central defence, while Tracey made a really good impact off the bench on his Cambridge United debut, to help them to secure all three points on the day.

Spurs under 18’s versus Brighton & Hove Albion: (match preview)

Spurs’ under 18 side face Brighton in the Premier League South, on Saturday morning (the game starts at 11:30am) at Hotspur Way. Matt Taylor’s side will be looking to return to winning ways in the league by recording their first league win of 2021 (their previous and only league game of 2021 was a 4-1 away defeat to Arsenal). Spurs are still in with a chance of winning the Premier League South and they currently occupy third place in the league table, while tomorrow’s visitors Brighton are currently in sixth place in the league, after picking up 18 points from 12 matches. The last time that these sides met earlier on in the season, the game finished 1-1 after Odeluga Offiah’s opener was cancelled out by Dane Casanova’s second half penalty. Brighton who are managed by Mark Beard, have only lost one of their last seven league games, and in recent seasons they have been quite a difficult side to win against. Last season we lost 3-2 at home to Brighton in the league, before very narrowly beating them 1-0 away, thanks to a fine goal from J’Neil Bennett. Tomorrow’s game is likely to be another close one, but with both teams having scored a lot of goals in the league this season, it could also be a very exciting game of football. I would like to wish Matt Taylor’s side all the very best of luck for the game.

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Lo-Tutala (c), Cesay, Muir, Paskotši, Kyezu, Matthew Craig, John, Mathurin, Robson, Santiago, Scarlett.

Subs from: Hayton, Michael Craig, Mundle, Donley.

Injured/unavailable: N/A.

Doubtful: Dermi Lusala.

Previous meeting: Spurs 1-0.

My score prediction: Spurs 3-2.

My one to watch: Brighton’s Australian former Sydney FC forward Cameron Peupion (18), who has scored seven goals from ten Premier League South appearances so far this season.

Spurs under 23’s versus Arsenal: (match preview)

Having won their last three Premier League 2 games, Wayne Burnett’s Spurs under 23 side will go into Friday’s (the game starts at 12pm) north London derby against Arsenal in great confidence, at Hotspur Way. Spurs’ last three league wins have seen them beat Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham respectively, while Arsenal have impressively won their last five Premier League 2 matches, scoring 17 goals in the process. Steve Bould’s Arsenal side sit in sixth place in the league after picking up 17 points from 12 games, and are a very talented side, with players who could potentially really test us in today’s behind closed doors fixture. One of those players is centre-forward Folarin Balogun who has scored six league goals and registered three assists so far this season, but there are also many other really exciting players in this Arsenal side. Forward Nikolaj Moller has scored five league goals so far this season, while midfielder Ben Cottrell has scored three league goals so far this season. Former Spurs Academy player Jonathan Dinzeyi is currently playing for Arsenal’s under 23 side after leaving Spurs after his contract came to an end last summer, so it will be interesting to see if he starts in central defence against us today. Arsenal are a side at this level who like to have the ball and love to go forward with it, and they did this against us in the reverse fixture at their London Colney training ground earlier in the season, although we ended up winning that game 1-0, thanks to a goal from Rodel Richards. I’m anticipating a very interesting and end to end game today, although I do believe that Spurs do have the quality to do the double over Arsenal in the league this season. Since our Premier League 2 win over West Ham last Friday, Spurs have loaned out under 23 players Brandon Austin and Malachi Fagan-Walcott, who have joined Orlando City and Dundee FC respectively. I would like to wish current league leaders Spurs all the very best of luck for today’s game against Arsenal. 

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Oluwayemi, Marsh, Lyons-Foster (c), Omole, Lavinier, Bowden, Thorpe, Bennett, Roles, Markanday, Etete.

Subs from: Kurylowicz, Muir, Devine, Pochettino, Sterling.

Injured/unavailable: N/A.

Doubtful: N/A.

Previous meeting: Spurs 1-0.

My score prediction: Spurs 2-1.

My one to watch: Clinical 19 year old Arsenal centre-forward Folarin Balogun, who has scored four goals from his last three Premier League 2 appearances. Balogun’s movement off the ball and excellent finishing ability means that the Spurs defence will have to be alert to stop him from scoring today.

Some notes on Spurs youngster Malachi Fagan-Walcott’s loan move to Dundee FC:

On Thursday it was announced that Spurs’ promising central defender Malachi Fagan-Walcott (18) had joined Scottish Championship (second division) side Dundee FC on loan until the end of the 2020/21 season. Fagan-Walcott had in fact missed the majority of the season so far with an injury which he picked up last June, but the England youth international did return to play for our under 23 side on two occasions recently (he started one of those games). Edmonton born but brought up in Waltham Abbey, the tall central defender who is good on the ball and at passing, as well as at anticipating situations, divided his time playing for the under 18’s, 23’s and under 19 side last season, after returning to action slightly later than most of the other players, because of an injury that he picked up towards the end of the previous 2019/20 season. A quick defender who made his competitive senior debut for Spurs’ first team as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League round of 16 game against RB Leipzig last March, Malachi has been a very consistent performer at Academy level for the club, since joining them full-time in the summer of 2018. The former Norsemen F.C. player primarily plays as a right sided centre-half, although he can also play at right-back, which is where he played against West Ham United under 23’s last week, in his last full competitive 90 minutes of football since last March. Dominant in the air, good and skilful with the ball at his feet, and excellent at making last ditch blocks and challenges, Fagan-Walcott is also a good communicator on the pitch, and he has consistently demonstrated good leadership qualities over the last couple of seasons.

Dundee FC are currently playing in the Scottish Championship, and they currently sit in third place in that league, ten points behind league leaders Hearts. A club that will obviously be hoping to win promotion back to the Scottish Premiership, Dundee  as it stands would qualify for the end of season play-offs (quarter-finals). However, still with a good amount of games remaining, the Scottish club could well finish the season higher up the table than they currently are. Dundee seem to play with a back four, and Malachi will likely be competing with centre-halves Jordan McGhee, Lee Ashcroft, Liam Fontaine, Jordon Forster and Sam Fisher for a place in the side at central defence. Although the defender who turns 19 in March, can also play at right-back, and in the current Dundee squad there are two right backs – Christie Elliott and Cammy Kerr. Wherever he plays in that back four, the most important thing is that Malachi Fagan-Walcott will hopefully be getting regular game time for  Dundee, although he might not get starts immediately, as he has not long come back from quite a bad injury. However, the experience of being a part of a first team in a competitive senior football environment will be so invaluable for the Spurs youngster, as he continues to learn and develop in the game. Fagan-Walcott’s new club Dundee are playing Raith Rovers away in the Scottish Championship on Saturday, so it will be interesting to see if the Spurs player goes straight into the match day squad for that game. I look forward to following Malachi’s progress at Dundee, and also hopefully watching some of his games as well. I would like to wish Malachi all the very best of luck on loan at Dundee during the remainder of their season. 

Some notes on Spurs loanee TJ Eyoma’s performance against Portsmouth:

It was a good and solid all round performance from 20 year old Spurs loanee TJ Eyoma for Lincoln City on Tuesday night, as they beat Portsmouth (Harvey White was an unused substitute) 1-0 at Fratton Park in a League One game. Eyoma operated at right-back as Lincoln lined up in a back four, and he was arguably one of their most impressive players during the game. Staying deep when he needed to, but also making intelligent forward runs on occasions as well, the England youth international completed the whole of the match. Early on in the game the Londoner did quite well to stop Republic of Ireland international and Portsmouth winger Ronan Curtis from getting past him with the ball, down Eyoma’s right hand side, and while it was nothing too important, it was good that Eyoma did stop Curtis from travelling forward with the ball. After Portsmouth right-back Callum Johnson received the ball down the right flank the 24 year old delivered the ball into the Lincoln penalty area, towards Curtis at the back post. However, Eyoma watched Curtis carefully and he got to the ball in time to make a good and important headed clearance. A couple of minutes later the Spurs man headed away a Ronan Curtis free kick from inside the box, as the game started at a good pace. The alert TJ Eyoma then did well to cut out Andy Cannon’s attempted pass to John Marquis inside the Lincoln box (Lincoln were the better team early on in the game). Eyoma was getting up and down the right flank well during the first half, and his decision making in general was good. 

Portsmouth left-back Lee Brown attempted to get past Eyoma down his flank, but the Lincoln defender did really well to hold off the Portsmouth player, get on the ball and drive forward with it before passing it to Jorge Grant who was fouled by Jack Watmough, who was then shown a red card. After receiving Anthony Scully’s pass out on the right flank, Eyoma was in an advanced position and he sent in a low whipped cross into the Portsmouth box, which went across the face of the goal (the final real piece of action from the first half, that TJ was involved in). Having kept Ronan Curtis quiet during the first half, Eyoma’s first involvement in the game in the second half came as a result of him getting in an advanced position. Jorge Grant tried to slip the ball into the path of Eyoma after he had made an intelligent run down the right hand side of the Portsmouth box, but a defender managed to intercept the ball in time. Soon afterwards Eyoma cleared a free kick from Ronan Curtis, as the Portsmouth players looked for a handball, but the referee was having none of it. Operating almost as a winger/wingback during the second half as Lincoln went in search of a winner, TJ’s constant forward runs down the right flank were rewarded in the 79th minute of the game. After receiving Jorge Grant’s pass down the right hand side of the Portsmouth box, Eyoma cleverly got past Curtis before putting the ball agonisingly across the face of the goal. 

Eyoma’s cross was latched onto inside the Portsmouth box by Conor McGrandles, who passed the ball to Morgan Rogers who finished from close range. Eyoma did drop deeper after Lincoln had scored the opener, as he looked to help them hold onto their lead during the closing stages of the game. The Spurs man did concede a free kick in quite a promising position for Portsmouth, not long after the game started again. However, the resulting effort from Ronan Curtis went high and wide, as Lincoln held on to claim a precious three points, in what was another good and influential performance from Eyoma.

Where are they now? Former Spurs Academy player Nathan Oduwa:

Nathan Oduwa was a very exciting winger during his days at Spurs as an Academy player. Born and raised in central London, Oduwa’s quick feet, pace and outrageous pieces of skill wowed many watchers of the Spurs under 18, 21 and 23’s side, during his time at the club as a full time player, from 2012 to 2017. Oduwa was at Spurs for quite a while before signing scholarship forms with the club in the summer of 2012, and he did spend a period of time (around six months) away from the club at West Bromwich Albion on loan, during the 2012/13 season. Making his competitive under 18 debut for Spurs during the 2011/12 season (Oduwa made a further three appearances in that particular campaign) during the following season Nathan Oduwa scored three goals from his first three under 18 league appearances. He made an additional three league appearances for the club at that level that season, as well as playing for Spurs in the NextGen Series, and also representing England at under 17 level. In fact the talented winger who was comfortable at operating on either flank, as a CAM or even as a centre forward, would play for England all the way up until under 20 level. A player with real technique and flair, Oduwa would later represent Nigeria at under 23 level, and during his second season of scholarship after he had returned to Spurs (2013/14), Oduwa made a really good impact on the under 18 side as they finished top of the Under 18 Premier League South that season. He scored 11 goals from 26 competitive under 18 appearances (league and cup) as well as registering a good number of assists at that level. The Spurs under 18 side that finished top of the Premier League South that season were a very talented team, and going forward they were quite literally unstoppable during that season, and Oduwa was a part of that potent forward line. Oduwa also made an appearance for Spurs’ first team against a Ledley King XI, in Ledley King’s testimonial at White Hart Lane in the May of 2014, scoring a really cool chip, after initially faking his effort from inside the box.

The 2014/15 season saw Nathan step up to play for our under 21 side on a permanent basis, as he was now a first year professional. He showed the skill, directness in his play and ability to go past players, as well as working hard for the team during his first season with the development squad. Oduwa registered some  assists and scored four league goals from 11 under 21 appearances, and he notably scored an outstanding goal against Fulham’s under 21 side, where he came inside from the left flank onto his right, before powerfully directing the ball with real dip and swerve into the top right hand corner of the goal, from the edge of the Fulham box. He went out on his first senior loan halfway through that season, going out on loan to then League Two side Luton Town, who he ended up making 11 appearances for. At the beginning of the following 2015/16 season Nathan went out on a season long loan, along with Spurs teammate Dominic Ball, to Scottish side Rangers, who were then playing in the Scottish Championship, after playing one game for our under 21 side at the start of the season. Oduwa started the season really strongly at his loan club Rangers and he became popular with the fans at the Glasgow based club, and he showed the great skill (including a wonderful rainbow flick against Alloa Athletic) and ability that he had on the ball during those opening stages of the season. During his time in Glasgow, Oduwa made 19 appearances for Rangers, scoring one goal and registering five assists. However, his season long came to an early end, and he returned to Spurs in January 2016. Soon after returning to north London he joined then League One side Colchester United on loan for a month.

For Colchester United Nathan made only two appearances appearances before retuning to play for Spurs for the rest of the season. The start of the 2016/17 season saw the predominantly left sided winger join League One side Peterborough United on loan, after making three Premier League 2 appearances for our under 23 side at the start of the season. He made nine appearances for Peterborough before returning to Spurs in the January of 2017. Upon his return to Spurs the Londoner played four times for our under 23 side in the league, and I remember reporting on those four games well, and Oduwa was really really good. He put in some very strong performances against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and finally Liverpool at Anfield in the February of 2017. From those four appearances the confident winger was at times extremely difficult to defend against, and he was directly involved in a good number of goals from those four appearances, and I did hope that he might have got a chance in the first team squad, possibly at the start of the next season in pre-season. Dominant and strong down the flanks, the tall and quick winger showed on many occasions at youth level for Spurs his ability to do almost Yannick Bolasie-esque and Adel Taarabt-esque types of skill, and his trickery and ability to seemingly effortlessly weave his way around opposition defenders, was at times unreal. He could also cross the ball well, had a good eye for goal, and when playing the CAM role Oduwa’s linkup play and passing was good, and he showed this for England at youth level when playing that role. He could also hold the ball up well and bring others into the game, when playing as a centre forward. However, at youth level, and out on loan and even still now, Nathan is such an unpredictable player, who with his pace and trickery could give any defender a really difficult game on his day. He showed this on occasions even when playing his last game for Spurs’ under 23 side, when coming up against a young Trent Alexander-Arnold on the left flank at Anfield.

Nathan left Spurs on a permanent basis shortly after that Liverpool game, when he went to join Slovenian PrvaLiga side NK Olimpia Ljubljana on a three year deal in mid February of 2017. Oduwa would go on to make 25 appearances in total for the Slovenian club, scoring two goals and registering some assists for NK Olimpia Ljubljana, he played a part in helping them to finish as runners up in the Slovenian Cup in the 2016/17 season, and also help them to win the Slovenian PrvaLiga during the following 2017/18 season. Oduwa left NK Olimpia Ljubljana in the summer of 2018, and he then joined Danish Superligaen side Vejle Boldklub in September 2018, but after making just three competitive appearances for them, he left in the December of that year. Oduwa then signed for Israeli Premier League side Hapoel Hadera at the start of 2019, and during his time at Hapoel Hadera he made 16 competitive first team appearances, scoring one goal. However, most recently the former Spurs man  played for well known Irish Premier League side Dundalk, after leaving Hapoel Hadera. Oduwa joined the then reigning Irish Premier League champions in March of last year, but he had to wait until July of 2020 to make his competitive debut for Dundalk. The now 24 year old footballer who turns 25 in March, made 16 appearances for Dundalk during the season just gone, scoring two goals, which both came in the FAI Cup, against Bohemians and Athlone Town respectively, as Dundalk went on to win that competition. As well as playing in the league and cup for the Irish side, Nathan also made three appearances for them in the UEFA Europa League group stages (he created two goals in those games), and he also played once in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League. He left Dundalk at the end of the season just gone, and is currently without a club.

I recently caught up with two of Nathan Oduwa’s old Spurs Academy teammates, Kodi Lyons-Foster and Christian Maghoma to ask what it was like for them to play and train with Nathan at Spurs. Kodi said “ Nathan is someone who I regard as one of the most talented players I played with coming through the Academy. I can still remember magical moments he done to this day, whether it was in training or in matches. He was athletic, strong and quick and had all the technical attributes far beyond anyone else at the time, on top of that he was a great lad to have in the team, and was full of jokes and banter. I played in the age group above mine a lot when I was in the Academy so I spent a lot of time with Nath and he was just magical, he was able to do things that weren’t to be taught. From what I saw since leaving the club some of his highlights from his time at Rangers were even just a small amount of what he is capable of, despite him doing so well there. He’s a player with an abundance of ability and one I’m sure will surface to the top again soon. ” Christian said “ I think anybody who has played, trained or seen him play will agree when I say there’s not any player like him. Tall, strong, fast, powerful and so so skilful, it’s just a shame he hasn’t been able to show that yet to the world like he would have liked to. Absolute pleasure to play with and train with and I honestly think he’s one of the greatest youth team players ever. Hopefully he can boom on to the scene and show that to the world! ” Like what Kodi Lyons-Foster said about Nathan playing at the top again soon, I strongly agree with that, and I believe that he has the potential to play in a top league. I’m sure that Nathan will have a new club in the very near future, and I would like to wish the very talented player all the very best of luck for the future.

Where are they now? Former Spurs Academy player Luis Binks:

(This photograph is from Tottenham Hotspur FC)

Almost a year since departing Spurs to move to Canadian MLS club Club de Foot Montréal, rising star Luis Binks has cemented his place in Thierry Henry’s Montréal side, secured a move to Serie A team Bologna and become one of the MLS’s most exciting young players. Centre-half Luis Binks is the second ex-Spurs Academy player who I will be looking at in my second piece in the series where are they now? Where I will look at how ex-Spurs Academy players from the last decade are getting on in the game. Another very recent player who was on Spurs’ books not that long ago at all, 19 year old Binks was at Spurs for a very long period of time. The defender made his competitive debut for our under 18 side as a schoolboy in a league game against Aston Villa during the 2016/17 season as substitute, along with now PSV player Noni Madueke. He would sign scholarship forms with the club in the summer of 2018, and he was part of a very talented age group which included the likes of Dennis Cirkin and Troy Parrott. The Gillingham born defender made 21 competitive appearances for our under 18 side during the 2018/19 season, becoming an almost permanent fixture on the team-sheet, Luis put in consistently excellent and strong defensive performances for the side that season. He was also a big reason why our defensive record was so strong that season as we competed with Arsenal for the Under 18 Premier League South title, Binks also stepped up to play for our under 19 side in the UEFA Youth league, and our under 23 side in the Premier League 2 on occasions. In his second year of scholarship at the club, Binks started the season really strongly with our under 18 side, and he was ever present in the UEFA Youth League group stages for our under 19’s. And it then wasn’t long at all before he became a regular for our under 23 side, he would remain almost exclusively with them until he departed the club in the February of 2020.

 Binks was officially announced as a player of Canadian MLS club Club de Foot Montréal on February the 18th 2020, and he made his competitive debut for them against Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa in the CONCACAF Champions League. He then made his MLS debut for Montreal against New England Revolution, and he impressed by putting in a solid performance in central defence. The left sided central defender who has a real wand of a left foot, would go on to really make his mark on the side from a defensive point of view. The England youth international who is also eligible to represent Scotland, would play Montréal’s next league game against FC Dallas and also a CONCACAF Champions League against Olimpia, before the MLS season was stopped in March. Upon his and Montréal’s return to competitive action at the MLS Is Back Tournament in July, Binks would start every game at that tournament, and when the MLS started again in the following month he played every game for them bar two, that he missed through suspension. With his tough no-nonsense approach to defending, fine distribution, well time challenges and excellent leadership within the side, Binks became a really important player for Thierry Henry over the course of the 2020 season, and he got a lot of praise off the Montréal fans and football pundits. Binks helped his new side to finish in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, as they qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs (he was signed by Italian side Bologna and loaned back to Montréal in August, for the remainder of the 2020 season). Unfortunately the MLS club were beaten by New England Revolution in a qualification round match in the MLS Cup playoffs.

For Binks, the season just gone at Montréal couldn’t have gone any better for him really, the maturity that he showed was phenomenal for that of a 18/19 year old. He took to what is a very competitive league like an experienced pro, and he was also oozing confidence out on the pitch. That confidence and the leadership that he shows has always been something which has greatly impressed me, going back to his Spurs days. However, the consistent quality of his performances in the MLS last season were very good (I watched a lot of his games), and Binks showed that the physicality of the MLS was not something that was an issue for him. Putting in many a solid performance, games against the likes of Toronto and New England Revolution stood out, but his overall performances were quality. Strong in the air and on the ground, intelligent in his positioning and excellent at making crucial blocks in games, Binks was a stalwart of the team. His ability to bring the ball out from the back for Montréal to start forward moves was important, and his passing in general was nice and crisp and accurate. I was gutted when he left Spurs, as not only did I think that Luis had the potential to play for the Spurs first team, I have personally always seen him (since he joined Spurs full time) as one of the most exciting young defenders of his age group in England, and I saw him as potential first team captain at Spurs. Not a centre-half that possesses great pace, the Englishman’s great reading of the game makes up for this, as he showed last season in the MLS on many an occasion. Later on in the last MLS season it was announced that the former Spurs man would have his loan move from Bologna to Montréal extended for the entirety of the 2021 MLS season.

Never afraid to encourage or even give constructive feedback to his teammates on the pitch, Binks demonstrated the maturity of a seasoned pro during his excellent first season in the MLS. This was recognised by his loan club Montréal, as Binks was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year award, he was also nominated for the MLS Defender of the Year and Best Young Player awards, as well as coming 11th on the MLS’s best 22 on the under 22 list. A hugely exciting prospect, with a hugely exciting future in the game, and a player who I strongly believe will play for the English national senior team at some point in the future. The 2021 season will be a very interesting one for Binks, as he continues to improve and develop as a player. Come 2022 he could well already be getting regular game time in one of the top leagues in Europe, Serie A.

Some notes on Spurs loanee Troy Parrott’s performance against Bristol City:

Spurs striker Troy Parrott completed just over 62 minutes of Millwall’s 3-0 defeat to Bristol City on Saturday afternoon in the fourth round of the FA Cup, as they were knocked out of the competition. Millwall played in what seemed to be a 4231 formation, with Parrott playing just off centre forward Kenneth Zohore during his time on the pitch. The Republic of Ireland international who turns 19 next month, had a low early effort from distance blocked by a Bristol City defender. Not long after that, Parrott sprayed a good pass out to Tom Bradshaw on the right hand side of the pitch, to start off a decent Millwall move. After picking the ball up on the left flank Kenneth Zohore went forward with the ball before looking to pass to Parrott who was waiting on the edge of the Bristol City penalty area. Zohore’s cross/pass deflected off a Bristol City player before bouncing in front of Parrott, but his effort on the half volley was straight at goalkeeper Max O’Leary, although he could have possibly passed the ball to Bradshaw, who was running forward down the right (Bristol City took the lead soon after). Parrott was pressing well and working hard off the ball even though there weren’t a lot of goal scoring chances, he did however, make a couple of good passes into empty spaces out on the right flank. The Dubliner wasn’t involved very much in the second half of the game, and a run across the Bristol City penalty area into a promising position where he could have had the ball played into his feet, just before Alex Pearce had an effort saved by O’Leary from the edge of box, was the closest that Troy came to really influencing the game in the final third in that second half (he was replaced on 62 minutes, with Millwall 2-0 down).

 Although Parrott hasn’t been directly involved in a goal in any of his 14 competitive appearances for Millwall this season, he is working hard on the pitch and he is getting really valuable competitive senior game time. Of course his confidence is probably a little bit low, which is only natural if you’re a centre forward who hasn’t scored for a while. However, he is an excellent young player and a very special finisher too, and I’ve no doubts whatsoever that once he gets that first goal then more will follow. He has already shown his versatility for Millwall so far, which is a good thing and of course he was injured throughout the early parts of the season as well, which must have been difficult. Millwall’s next game is at home to Watford in the Championship, on Tuesday night.

Where are they now? Former Spurs Academy player Samuel Shashoua:

(this photograph is from Tottenham Hotspur FC)

I haven’t done one of these articles for a very long time now, but with the current lockdown and being unable to watch the Spurs under 18’s and under 23 side, I thought that I would return to writing this series of pieces. An occasional series where I will look back on former Spurs Academy players from the last decade, but also look at where are they now, and how they are doing at their current clubs (I,will look at some more recent Spurs players first, before going further back in the decade later on). The first ex-Spurs player that I will be looking at is the very talented Samuel Shashoua, who has been making a really good impact on LaLiga SmartBank side (Second Division) CD Tenerife of late. Still only 21 years of age, Samuel left Spurs permanently in the August of 2019 after spending the previous 2018/19 season on loan at Spanish Third Division side Atlético Baleares. A winger who is comfortable at operating on either flank, Shashoua joined Spurs full-time in 2015 (he made his competitive debut for the clubs under 18 side during the previous season) and he quickly became an important player in the side, enjoying a good 2015/16 season. The following season Shashoua became an integral part of the side, scoring and creating a great number of goals for the under 18 side, he also played up for the under 23’s on occasions. However, the highlight of that season for him, was being included on the bench for the first team against Leicester City in the Premier League towards the end of that season, and while he wasn’t brought on in that game it went to show just how highly rated he was by the club. Shashoua spent the next season (2017/18) playing primarily for the under 23 side (his first season as a professional at Spurs) while also featuring for our under 19 side in the UEFA Youth League. While he did have some issues with injury, Samuel stepped up to under 23 football with ease, and he put in some really strong performances over the course of the season, scoring some well taken goals in the process.

After one goal from one competitive appearance for Samuel during the 2018/19 season for Spurs’ under 23 side, the versatile forward went straight out on loan shortly after that game to Spanish Third Division side Atlético Baleares. He enjoyed a fantastic season in Mallorca with Atlético, scoring six goals from out wide and also registering a number of assists, as he played a big part in helping them to qualify for the playoffs, which they were unfortunately knocked out of at the last hurdle. Shashoua’s consistently excellent performances saw him attract attention from a number of Spanish clubs, and in the summer of 2019 he departed Spurs permanently to join LaLiga SmartBank side CD Tenerife. However, injuries stopped him from making his competitive debut for Tenerife during the 2019/20 season, and he was loaned back out to Atlético Baleares who had once again qualified for the playoffs. He actually got his first competitive minutes of the season in the March of 2020, when he came off the bench to feature for Atlético Baleares in a league game against UD Ibiza, soon before their season was stopped. Samuel did feature for Atlético in the playoffs against FC Cartagena, and he was without doubt their best player in that playoff game, which finished 0-0. However, to make what must have been a very difficult season with injury worse for Samuel, he unfortunately missed a crucial penalty kick after the end of extra time, which meant that Atlético didn’t win promotion to LaLiga SmartBank from that particular game. Atlético did have a second go to have a chance to possibly win promotion, but they lost 1-0 to UE Cornellà, although Samuel did put in a good performance during his 70 minutes on the pitch. So from the great disappointment of those games in the Third Division playoffs, as well as the injury troubles that he had during that season, Samuel ended up returning to Tenerife for pre-season for the start of the current 2020/21 season.

The former Spurs Academy player put in a series of impressive performances in pre-season for the club from the Canary Islands. Shashoua then patiently waited to make his mark on the side in competitive competition, and he ended up making his competitive debut for them in a LaLiga SmartBank game against Alcorćon as a substitute in September. A number of appearances off the bench followed for the former England youth international, before he got his first start for Tenerife against Espanyol in October. Since starting that game he has started six games for former Real Madrid player Luis Miguel Ramis’s side, as well as getting a good number of minutes in most of the games which he hasn’t started. From 17 competitive appearances for Tenerife this season Shashoua has scored three goals, he has also been somewhat of a creative force within the side, creating a number of fine chances for his teammates. I have watched virtually all of Shashoua’s games for Tenerife so far this season, and as you’ll all know I was a really big fan of him when he was coming up the ranks at Spurs. A player who is excellent technically speaking, the Londoner has also always had a phenomenal work rate, just like his younger brother Armando who currently plays for Atlético Baleares. He was consistently excellent at youth level for Spurs, and he was part of a very talented age group at the club. It’s really great to see him playing at a high level now, and also showing that quality and consistency too. So far this season for Tenerife Samuel has been playing quite a free attacking role and he has really showed his versatility during the first half of the season. He has played out on the right flank and the left (he is good with both feet, although he is right footed), and also as a number ten. He has liked to come inside off of either foot, and look to weave his way towards the edge of the penalty area or just inside the box, where he has always been so potent from.

All three of Samuel’s goals this season have come as a result of him coming inside from the flanks and dribbling with the ball before looking to test the keeper and try and find the far corner of the goal, which as I say he has managed to do on three occasions so far this season. From watching a great number of Tenerife games this season it is clear that Samuel is very confident in himself on the pitch, and he’s playing with a smile on his face as well. He’s always been a very intelligent and mature player for his age, with a great footballing brain, but Tenerife’s number 17 has improved a lot I feel even from that great first season with Atlético Baleares. He seems to have got quicker and even more confident, and with his excellent low centre of gravity and many clever twists and turns he has really made life difficult on occasions for some of the opposing defensive players that are playing in his league. Now a big creative outlet in this Tenerife side despite being one of the youngest current first team players, Samuel has fitted in and adapted very well to the Tenerife system, and after a bit of a difficult start to the league season, he has helped them to get some good points on the board of late, in what is quite a low scoring league. Strong performances against the likes of FC Cartagena, CD Castellón and Albacete of late will have made him even more popular with the Tenerife supporters who seem to really like him. The unpredictable nature of his game combined with his superb work rate and intelligent pressing makes him a great team player for the team, but apart from the important goals that he’s scored then you look at the creativity that he has produced on the field. His crosses into the box for the likes of forward Fran Sol to latch onto have been very good on occasions, and his understanding with his teammates on the pitch, such as right back and Anthony Georgiou’s old Levante teammate Shaq Moore has been very good, and as I say he has just fitted in really well to the team. 

Arguably already one of Tenerife’s most creative players, he has forced his way into the team of late and that great talent of his has really shone through. Such a cool player under pressure, he has shown at just 21 that he can handle the demands and the physicality of LaLiga SmartBank, and he’s only going to get better and better, and I’ve no doubts whatsoever that he will play in the LaLiga Santander in the future. Currently injured at the moment, the player who helped Tenerife to reach the Copa del Rey Round of 32 unfortunately missed out on playing in their narrow defeat to LaLiga side Villarreal, a game that he could potentially have made a real difference in. When he does return to playing (hopefully very soon!) I would expect him to get more and more starts for Tenerife, and help them to climb further up the table (they are currently eight points off the playoff places), and also improve even further as a player. What an absolute joy and a pleasure he was to watch at Spurs, and still watch now as he develops more as a player. I’m sure he is extremely proud of how well he has bounced back from the difficulties of last season. And I for one would absolutely love to see him return to Spurs one day in the future. But if not, then I have no doubts whatsoever that when given the chance (hopefully with Tenerife) to step up to play in one of the major European leagues, that he will take that opportunity with both hands, and show his quality and footballing magic at the very highest level.