Spurs’ Under 23 side faced West Ham United at their Rush Green training ground on Monday evening in a Premier League 2 match. Spurs lost the match 3-1, against a West Ham side who deserved to win. Spurs lined-up with Joshua Oluwayemi in goal, while a back four consisting of Maksim Paskotši, Malachi Fagan-Walcott, Tobi Omole and Marcel Lavinier started in front of him. Captain Jamie Bowden and Matthew Craig started in central midfield, while Kallum Cesay and Yago Santiago started out on the flanks, either side of CAM Romaine Mundle. Midfield player Max Robson led the line for Spurs. Spurs got the game underway, but it was West Ham who had the first real chance of the game, with Sonny Perkins heading over from inside the Spurs box, after connecting with a cross from the left flank. After receiving Keenan Appiah-Forson’s pass on the edge of the Spurs box, Armstrong Okoflex had an effort saved by Joshua Oluwayemi. After showing some good skill with the ball on the left flank, Marcel Lavinier came inside with the ball onto his right foot, but his curling effort from distance was saved by Krisztián Hegyi. Yago Santiago then had a penalty shout waived away by the referee, after Harrison Ashby had made a challenge inside the West Ham box.

Romaine Mundle had an effort blocked for Spurs, before Matthew Craig hit an effort over the West Ham goal, after Yago Santiago was able unable to take the ball in his stride inside the West Ham box, after initially controlling the ball well. Pierre Ekwah hit an effort over for West Ham, and then in the 42nd minute of the game, West Ham took the lead. Harrison Ashby’s cross from the right flank was met by Sonny Perkins inside the Spurs box, and the centre-forward managed to control the ball before finding the bottom right corner of Oluwayemi’s goal, 0-1. The referee sounded his whistle for half-time shortly after. West Ham got the second half underway. Spurs had made two changes for the second half as Dante Cassanova and Dermi Lusala came on to replace Jamie Bowden and Makism Paskotši respectively. After receiving the ball on the right side of the Spurs box, Thierry Nevers hit a low effort on goal, which took a slight deflection off of a Spurs defender, before going just wide. West Ham captain Ajibola Alese headed behind Harrison Ashby’s resulting corner-kick.

After Spurs went forward with the ball Marcel Lavinier headed wide after meeting a cross inside the West Ham box. Malachi Fagan-Walcott was shown a yellow card by the referee for making a challenge, and then a couple of minutes later West Ham  doubled their lead. Emmanuel Longelo’s free-kick delivery into the Spurs box was met by Thierry Nevers, who headed the ball into the goal, despite the best efforts of Spurs goalkeeper Joshua Oluwayemi, 0-2. A good Spurs move after the game got started again saw Lavinier pass the ball to Santiago down the left side of the West Ham box. Santiago squared the ball for Robson, but his first time effort went just wide of the goal. Armstrong Okoflex volleyed an effort over Oluwayemi’s goal, from a corner-kick, before Robson just missed being able to tap home a Marcel Lavinier cross, at the other end of the pitch. The impressive Romaine Mundle had a penalty shout waived away by the referee, and then a couple of minutes later Mundle delivered a really good cross into the West Ham box, which was just missed by Dermi Lusala.

Marcel Lavinier hit an effort wide from distance for Spurs, before Romaine Mundle created a good chance out of nothing. After receiving Kallum Cesay’s pass, Mundle skilfully brought the ball to the edge of the West Ham box, before having a good effort saved by Krisztián Hegyi. Harrison Ashby volleyed an effort wide of Joshua Oluwayemi’s goal from inside the Spurs box, just before West Ham got their third goal of the game. After Sonny Perkins received the ball he brought it forward towards the edge of the Spurs box, and then made a pass to Kamari Swyer on the right side of the Spurs box. Swyer hit a low effort past Oluwayemi, and into the bottom left corner of the goal, 0-3. Marcel Lavinier received a yellow card, before Malachi Fagan-Walcott headed over from a Dermi Lusala cross. Spurs managed to score a late goal, in stoppage time of the second half. After receiving Romaine Mundle’s pass down the right hand side of the West Ham box, Dante Cassanova passed the ball into the feet of Max Robson, in the centre of the box. Robson turned with the ball and showed good composure, before powerfully hitting the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal, 1-3. 

Malachi Fagan-Walcott managed to block behind Keenan Appiah-Forson’s effort, before the referee sounded his whistle for full-time. Spurs’ next Premier League 2 game is away to Chelsea on the 15th of April.

Player reviews:

• Joshua Oluwayemi: The Spurs goalkeeper was unlucky not to stop West Ham’s second goal of the evening, and he was vocal throughout the game.
• Maksim Paskotši: I thought that the Estonia international made a couple of good challenges, and did a good job at defending against West Ham player Armstrong Okoflex, on the right flank. Maksim only completed the first half of the game.
• Malachi Fagan-Walcott: The centre-half won a good amount of challenges, but both Malachi and also Tobi Omole had quite a lot of defending to do in the game against West Ham.
• Tobi Omole: The left sided centre-half brought the ball out well from defence, but like Malachi Fagan-Walcott he had a lot of defending to do, and was busy throughout the match.
• Marcel Lavinier: Starting the match at left-back and showing some good skill on the ball as he brought it forward well, the former Chelsea Academy player later moved into a midfield position for the second half.
• Jamie Bowden: The Spurs captain only completed the first half of the match, a game in which he started in central midfield, just behind Matthew Craig. Bowden used the ball well in midfield.
• Matthew Craig: The midfielder worked well off the ball, and after Jamie Bowden left the field for the second half Craig moved into a more defensive midfield position.
• Kallum Cesay: The Sierra Leone international started the game out on the right flank as a winger, but would finish the game at right-back.
• Romaine Mundle: My man of the match, see below.
• Yago Santiago: The former Celta Vigo youth player started the game out on the left flank as a winger and he was unlucky not to get a goal during the first half.
• Max Robson: The Spurs centre-forward for Mondays game completed the whole of the match. Robson worked really well off the ball, was clever in his movement off the ball and could have scored an earlier goal, but was unlucky on that occasion. However, he deservedly got his first competitive goal at this level very late on in the game, as he finished well after showing good composure in front of goal.
• Dante Cassanova: The midfielder and second year scholar completed the whole of the second half and he set-up Max Robson’s late goal.
• Dermi Lusala: The full-back went to left-back after replacing Maksim Paskotši. Lusala went on some good forward runs with the ball down the left flank, and he linked up well with Yago Santiago.

My man of the match: Romaine Mundle. The skilful winger showed throughout the second half his ability to go past players with ease. Mundle showed some excellent skill with the ball as he went forward with it. By far Spurs’ most inventive and creative player during the game, Romaine played a part in Spurs’ only goal of the game. He also delivered some very good crosses into the West Ham box. After starting the game as a CAM, the first year professional went out to right flank as a winger for the start of the second half.