Spurs’ Under 21 side faced Derby County’s Under 21 side in their third Premier League 2 fixture of the 2023/24 season, on Friday evening at Derby County’s Pride Park stadium. Wayne Burnett’s Spurs side continued their perfect start to the Premier League 2 season, by winning 2-0 away to Derby County, in what was a good performance against a hardworking Derby side. Spurs started with Josh Keeley in goal, as Tyrell Ashcroft, Alfie Dorrington, Maksim Paskotši and Harvey White started in defence. Captain Brooklyn Lyons-Foster, Rio Kyerematen and Jamie Donley all played in midfield, as Nile John and Yago Santiago started out in the flanks, either side of centre-forward Jude Soonsup-Bell. Derby got the game underway. Daniel Cox managed to block Jamie Donley’s early effort on the Derby goal, before Donley managed to find Jude Soonsup-Bell inside the Derby penalty area. However, Soonsup-Bell’s resulting low effort went wide of the goal. After Rio Kyerematen received Nile John’s pass on the edge of the Derby box, Kyerematen had an effort on the turn saved by Derby’s goalkeeper Harry Evans. Spurs continued to be the better team. Yago Santiago did well to run with the ball from the left flank into the Derby penalty area, but he eventually lost the ball. However, Jamie Donley managed to latch onto it inside the box, and his resulting effort went just wide of the goal.

Bradley Johnson headed wide a corner-kick from Carlos Richards, before Bradley Johnson hit an effort over the Spurs goalkeeper from the edge of their penalty area. Derby were enjoying more of the ball for a time towards the latter stages of the first half. After Adebayo Fapetu had won the ball, the Derby midfielder went forward with the ball, but his resulting effort went wide of Josh Keeley’s goal. Spurs did finish the first half well however, as Yago Santiago went forward with the ball, beyond Darren Robinson with great skill, before being fouled on the edge of the Derby penalty area. The ball came to Nile John on the right side of the box, but his resulting effort was pushed behind by Derby’s goalkeeper Harry Evans. Brooklyn Lyons-Foster blocked Carlos Richards’ effort late on, before the referee sounded his whistle for half-time. Spurs got the second half underway. Early on in the second half Rio Kyerematen received a yellow card for going to ground too easily in the Derby penalty area, according to the referee. A good cross-field pass from Tyrell Ashcroft to Yago Santiago on the left side of the Derby box, saw Santiago control the ball before having his effort saved by Evans.

Spurs’ first substitutions saw Matthew Craig and Will Lankshear replace Jude Soonsup-Bell and Rio Kyerematen, respectively. On 59 minutes Matthew Craig had an effort blocked on the edge of the Derby penalty area. Jamie Donley picked the ball up before finding Will Lankshear on the right side of the Derby box, with a good curling pass. Lankshear finished well on the half-volley, to put the ball past Evans and into the Derby goal, 1-0. Soon after the game got started again, Lankshear headed an effort wide after meeting a cross from the impressive Harvey White inside the Derby box. Donley then headed over a Harvey White cross, before Santiago received a pass from Donley, before travelling at pace into the Derby penalty area, and only hitting the ball narrowly wide from close range. Derby’s Darren Robinson then hit an effort over on the turn, from the edge of the Spurs penalty area, in what was a rare chance in the second half for the home side. Jamie Donley received a yellow card, before Max Robson replaced Maksim Paskotši.

A good Spurs move resulted in Dorrington finding Lankshear, who took the ball to the right side of the Derby penalty area, before squaring the ball for Donley, whose resulting effort was deflected over the goal by a Derby defender. Spurs continued to search for their second goal of the game. After Santiago had found Lankshear on the left side of the Derby box, the 18 year old had an effort saved at his near post by Harry Evans, before the ball came to Santiago, whose effort was blocked. Will Lankshear then hit an effort over from the edge of the penalty area. Nile John hit a low effort wide from the left side of the Derby box, before Dante Cassanova replaced Nile John a couple of moments later. Spurs managed to double their lead in the fifth minute of second half additional time, in what was a very similar goal to their first of the game. Jamie Donley had picked the ball up on the edge of the Derby penalty area, before curling the ball into the back post to find Lankshear, who was brave, as he challenged goalkeeper Harry Evans, to head the ball beyond him and into the goal, 2-0.

Alfie Dorrington blocked a late Derby effort, before Will Lankshear was shown a yellow card in the final moments of the game. This was another good team performance from Spurs, whose next game is on Tuesday evening at the Lamex Stadium against Sunderland, in the Under 21 Premier League Cup.

Player reviews:

• Josh Keeley: The Spurs goalkeeper didn’t have a save to make against Derby County, but once again he was vocal throughout the match.
• Tyrell Ashcroft: The Spurs right-back made some good tackles and he got forward well on the right flank.
• Alfie Dorrington: The right sided central defender had some good moments during the game, where he was defensively solid alongside Maksim Paskotši. Dorrington went on a really good surging forward run out of defence during the second half.
• Maksim Paskotši: The Estonia international was also solid defensively, and good on the ball.
• Harvey White: This was a good performance from the 21 year old at left-back. Harvey got better and better as the game went on, and he was good in defence. However, he got forward well and delivered some fine crosses into the penalty area.
• Brooklyn Lyons-Foster: The Spurs captain took what seemed to be a knock to his ankle very early on in the game, but he got stronger and stronger as the game went on, in midfield, where he used the ball well and also impressed with his reading of the game. Lyons-Foster finished the game in central defence.
• Rio Kyerematen: The central midfielder played higher up the pitch than Brooklyn Lyons-Foster. Rio worked well off the ball.
• Jamie Donley: The Spurs CAM worked very well off the ball against Derby, and he also provided two fine assists to set-up Will Lankshear’s goals. He did also go close to scoring a goal, on a couple of occasions against Derby.
• Nile John: Starting the game out on the right flank as a winger, Nile John didn’t see a lot of the ball, but he did track back well and also try to be inventive with the ball.
• Jude Soonsup-Bell: The Spurs centre-forward didn’t have many chances to score a goal from, but he did work hard off the ball during his time on the pitch.
• Yago Santiago: The winger was one of Spurs’ most creative players against Derby County. Yago Santiago showed some great close ball control and skill on the left flank and on another day he could have had a couple of goals to his name.
• Matthew Craig: The central midfielder was assured in midfield, after being substituted on during the second half.
• Will Lankshear: My man of the match, see below.
• Max Robson: Max Robson was a late substitute against Derby. He played out on the right flank.
• Dante Cassanova: Dante Cassanova entered the pitch as a very late substitute .

My man of the match – Will Lankshear. The 18 year old centre-forward entered the pitch in the 58th minute of the match. The former Sheffield United Academy player did really well during his time leading the line, against Derby County. Will Lankshear pressed well, but it was his two goals that he scored, both of which he took well, and was found well by Jamie Donley. It was great to Will score his first Premier League 2 goals for Spurs, especially after he missed quite a lot of last season with injury.