Some notes on Spurs youngster Malachi Walcott’s performance against France under 17’s: 

Spurs’ first year scholar Malachi Walcott (17) was called up to represent the England under 17 national team yesterday for this years Under 17 European Championship. The ‘ Three Lions ‘ first group game of the tournament took place on Friday evening in Longford, Ireland at The City Calling Stadium and Walcott started the match for Steve Cooper’s side. The North London born defender started the game at centre half, playing in the middle of a back three although he would later revert to playing at RCB in a back four. Walcott had a fantastic game for Cooper’s side and he defended imperiously alongside Manchester City’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis, as he helped England to record a 1-1 draw. Walcott started the game well and his first involvement in the game came early on after he was called into action to clear Enzo Millot’s corner kick inside the opening two minutes of the match, at least he managed to get it partially clear. Walcott then managed to head clear Amadou Traore’s resulting corner kick, before he was able to clear Lucien Agoume’s cross a couple of moments later as France continued to start the game well. After receiving Lucien Agoume’s pass inside the England penalty area, Walcott was quick to intercept Georginio Rutter before clearing the ball away from danger. The 17 year old centre half wasn’t afraid to bring the ball out from the back and on one such foray he attempted to play an ambitious through ball towards Sam Greenwood however, Chrislain Matsima managed to get in front of Greenwood and make the interception before then clearing the ball. At the other end of the pitch Walcott attempted to get on the end of Miguel Azeez’s corner kick but France goalkeeper Melvin Zinga managed to claim the ball just before Walcott could connect with it. The Spurs man continued to do well, he was on hand to clear Nathanael Mbuku’s powerful low cross behind for a corner kick at England goalkeeper Louie Moulden’s near post before he managed to clear behind Nathanael Mbuku’s cross from the left wing. The 17 year old continued to stand strong and a matter of moments later he was on hand to head away Amadou Traore’s resulting corner kick before Harwood-Bellis cleared the ball. 

The England defender did well to head away another menacing cross from Nathanael Mbuku before England took the lead in the 34th minute of the game through Sam Greenwood after the ‘ Three Lions ‘ had won a penalty kick after growing into the game. Shortly after the restart Georginio Rutter’s whipped cross was cleared away by the alert Malachi Walcott. Shortly before halftime Walcott was shown a yellow card for a supposed foul on Theo Zidane on the edge of the England box after the France man went on a surging run through the middle of the park. Steve Cooper’s side appeared to revert back to a back four for the beginning of the second half with Walcott operating at RCB. After receiving Amadou Traore’s pass inside the England box, Georginio Rutter turned around before attempting to beat Moulden with a powerful low shot, but Walcott was there to make an important block to put the ball behind for a corner kick. A couple of minutes later the ever threatening France side came close to drawing level. However, after substitute Aouchiche received the ball down the left side of the England box Walcott managed to get in front of his man before clearing the ball behind for a corner. Then a couple of minutes later Walcott managed to sweep clear a cross from Mbuku on the left flank as England continued to defend really well. After Rutter passed the ball to Aouchiche inside the England box the France substitute turned around before shooting but his low effort was well blocked by the feet of Walcott. France were putting increasing pressure on the England defence as the game started to draw to a close. However, for all of Walcott and England’s excellent defending they could do nothing to prevent France from drawing level through Aouchiche in the 78th minute of time. France came close to taking the lead for the first time in the game a couple of minutes later through Traore after he burst down the right side of the England box before having his angles closed down well by Walcott and firing the ball against Louie Moulden’s crossbar. 

A corner from Traore then came to Agoume inside the England box but he was closed down well by Walcott who then blocked his resulting shot on goal. Walcott sliced the resulting corner kick from Agoume narrowly over Louie Moulden’s crossbar a couple of minutes before the England goalkeeper made a fantastic save to deny Agoume, before Walcott then managed to get the ball clear in time. Aouchiche’s late effort was blocked by Walcott inside the England box before Walcott managed to clear behind Mbuku’s cross and then clear away Agoume’s resulting corner kick as both sides had to settle for a 1-1 draw on their opening game. This was an excellent performance from Walcott who defended superbly from the first to the final whistle. The 17 year old made some excellent blocks, interceptions, clearances and he won almost all of his aerial duels. Furthermore, the Spurs youngsters positioning throughout the game was impeccable and his passing was nice and crisp. I thought it was an excellent performance from the composed centre half and it was a performance for which he should be proud of.

An invaluable learning curve – Spurs loanee Samuel Shashoua has played a massive part in Atlético Baleares’ fairytale season and in many ways he has been the beating heart of the team:

At just 19 year of age Samuel Shashoua made the courageous decision to delve into the unknown, in a foreign and unfamiliar country. The talented young Spurs player made the decision to join Spanish third tier side Atlético Baleares on a season long loan last August, at the time Spurs fans may have been a bit puzzled by this move however, almost nine months on, this loan has really proved to have been a coming of age for one of our most technically gifted young players. What Shashoua has achieved for the ‘ Balearicos ‘ so far this season has been nothing short of remarkable. No one could have predicted that Manix Mandiola’s side would be seven points clear of second place Hercules with only three league games remaining. And while this incredible achievement has been a great team effort, from the 28 of the 30 games that I have watched Samuel play this season, I truly think that the teenager has been the beating heart of this Atlético team. Directly involved in nine goals from 30 competitive games for the Mallorca based club (six goals and three assists), Samuel who has primarily operated out on the left flank in a 4-2-3-1 formation, has so often been the creative spark which Manix Mandiola’s side has so often been reliant on. After arriving on the island back in August to link up with Mandiola’s team, Samuel made an almost instant impact on the side. During his first four games Shashoua was an unknown quantity in a league which is used to teams playing like 2011/12 style Stoke City. Shashoua’s directness, mesmerising weaving forward runs and his strength on the ball stunned oppositions defences during those early games, and the new arrival caused no end of problems for them. Shashoua’s exciting style of play had the passionate Atlético fans up on their feet in awe every time Samuel was on the ball, and his impressive early start to life in the third tier of Spanish football resulted in Samuel being involved in four goals from his opening ten games. While his goal involvement statistics did dry up after that, this was down to the fact that teams were focusing on Shashoua down the left hand channel and putting more than one defender on him, so as to neutralise the threat in which he posed.

However, Samuel’s impact on the team certainly didn’t dry up and after adapting his game to deal with the physicality of the league and at times the brutality of it, Samuel continued to pull the strings from out on the left flank. Fiercely intelligent, agile, sharp but above all else determined. Determined to impact games, to create pockets of space for himself and to initiate chances for the likes of other attacking players such as Nuha Marong who he has a great on field relationship with, and Marcos De la Espada and Canario. Shashoua’s typically unselfish style of play may have gone under the radar at times but this is exactly the same player who I’ve watched carving open defences for both our under 18’s and 23’s in recent seasons. The young artist as I like to call him, has arguably been Atlético’s most influential player this season. With his darting forward runs, exceptional vision, deftly accurate passing and tireless defensive work making him an invaluable member of the ‘ Balearicos ‘ squad. Furthermore, Shashoua is very much a team player and some of his link up play with his teammates particularly with Gambia international Nuha who he combined with a lot during the early parts of the season has been sensational. This loan move has meant that Samuel as he is affectionately known by the Atlético faithful, has been playing against grown men on a weekly basis, and this is something which will massively aid his development as a footballer. I noticed from quite early on into Shashoua’s loan that he has bulked up considerably since last season and while he was always very strong on the ball, he has definitely become a lot more physical this season. However, Atlético’s second top scorer this season hasn’t had life easy despite how well he has settled down to life in sunny Mallorca. The Spanish Segunda Division B Group III is anything but a league where attractive football is played, something which will come as a surprise to the many of you who would envisage tiki-taka football being played by every single team in the league. The only time that I have seen such football played in this league has been whenever Samuel has come up against any of the B teams. Instead the league is very direct, it is physical perhaps not too different to its English equivalent.

At times during the current season Samuel has been literally kicked about the park. Kneed continually in the back as he attempts to get to the ball, and tripped and kicked on a weekly basis. Shashoua has had to learn to and adapt to the big cultural difference, and how football is played, because for somebody who has grown up in a category one academy side the style of football which is played and the quality of the training facilities is on a completely different par to a club like Atlético Baleares. However, as I have mentioned on numerous occasions in the past, Samuel’s style of play makes him very well suited to the Spanish game. Shashoua is as we all know a very technical player who understands the intricacies of the game. As a winger he is unpredictable and with his weaving forward runs, two footedness and ability to penetrate defences he is a very dangerous player who loves to try his luck on goal on the edge of the oppositions penalty area. However, he is also a very creative player whose vision, craft and guile has always resulted in him creating a lot of goalscoring chances for his teammates, and that has been no different this season. Without doubt Manix Mandiola’s sides most creative player, Samuel has created more chances than any other Atlético player this season and that comes as no surprise to me. Shashoua carries the ball really well out on the flanks and it is his unpredictably, flair and good reading of the game which allows him to work defenders so hard. He sees things that other players don’t see, and he does things with a ball which very few can do. On a number of occasions this season the 19 year old has embarked on some mesmeric forward runs, with excellent skill and balance enabling him to turn defenders inside out. His newfound strength has also made it even harder for players to dislodge him of the ball. So often the difference which Atlético have needed this season, like a player such as Marcus Edwards, Samuel can change a game in the blink of an eye. He only needs to receive the ball in space to create a chance or look to beat a couple of defenders before testing the goalkeeper with one his trademark curling efforts. 

Samuel has singlehandedly won league games against the likes of Atlético Levante, Olot and Ejea. His sharp twists and turns, fancy skillset and all round intelligent play has been far too much for some of the experienced players in this league to deal with this season. The intensity and the aggression in which Samuel plays with for the full 90 minutes of a game is something which the players in this league aren’t used to. They aren’t used to seeing a teenager move around the pitch as well as Samuel does for the entirety of a match and they certainly aren’t used to a young player tracking back and defending as well as Samuel does. A real grafter, the West London born forward has always worked exceptionally hard on the pitch but this season in particular he has taken that to a whole different level. So often for Atlético I have seen Shashoua sprinting back 35-40 yards in order to help out his left back, or to make an interception or a challenge. Shashoua’s aggressive pressing has forced many errors out of defenders this season and it has in turn created openings for the Atlético front line. When I see Samuel pick the ball up in a crowded space and skilfully dance his way around four or five opposition players I am reminded of the great potential in which he has. Samuel has become quicker this season and his stamina has undoubtedly improved however, for all of his attributes which he has improved and for all he has achieved playing out on the left wing for Atlético Baleares there is one thing which is more important than all of those things put together, and that is playing competitive men’s football on a weekly basis. The power of a good loan is something which can never be sniffed at and it has often been a stepping stone into the first team of their parent club. Experiencing the pressure of lower league football in a foreign country along with the experienced professionals which you are coming up against is invaluable for a young players personal development. Shashoua has had to up his game since joining Atlético but he has also had to grow up both on and off the field. No longer used to the luxuries which come with training at Hotspur Way and the great accommodation which comes with it. Samuel has had to cook for himself on a daily basis out in Mallorca, he has also had to adapt to a totally different way of life. Although he already had a very good command of the Spanish language owing to his Spanish and Venezuelan heritage, before making the trip to Mallorca. Shashoua has had to pick up different dialects and new phrases so as to communicate effectively with his teammates out on the pitch. 

A definite contender for Atlético’s player of the season Samuel Shashoua has defied expectations at the Balearic club this season. Working his magic at every opportunity, Shashoua has without waxing lyrical been the beating heart of this hugely overachieving team, who are within touching distance of being crowned champions of the the Spanish Segunda Division B Group III, and booking their place in a two legged play off match to try and secure promotion to the Spanish La Liga 2. The season still has at least five games remaining for Samuel who unlike last season has managed to stay injury free for much of this campaign. What happens if Atlético do win promotion to the La Liga 2, does Samuel stay on loan at Atlético for another season? Or does he return to his boyhood club and try and fight for a place in the first team squad. Whatever happens at the end of the season there will be no end to La Liga 2 clubs, EFL clubs and even La Liga clubs looking to get Samuel to join them on loan, and this is a testament to the fantastic season that the youngster is having in Spain. I have long hoped that Samuel will get another chance for Spurs at first team level. Over two years has past since the then 17 year old appeared on the bench for Mauricio Pochettino’s first team in a Premier League game against Leicester City. Now after a frustrating 2017/18 season Shashoua surely has to be back on the cusp of featuring for Pochettino’s side in the forthcoming pre-season with Spurs’ first team scheduled to play five pre-season friendlies this summer, Shashoua must have a big chance of making his debut for the Tottenham first team. The experience of playing in Spain has helped Samuel no ends and it will continue to do so over the coming months ahead. I personally think that he is ready to make that big step up to the Tottenham first team next season, at least in one of the five friendlies which are being played over the course of this summer. Both physically and mentally I believe that Shashoua is ready to play for Spurs’ first team and this excellent loan for Atlético Baleares just reaffirms my belief in him and the potential in which he has.

Shashoua is thoroughly enjoying his time in Mallorca and he is currently in good form having been directly involved in three goals from his last three games for the ‘ Balearicos ‘. Up next for Samuel and Atlético is an away game against Badalona on Sunday morning. Samuel ‘ Shashowa ‘ as he has been nicknamed in the local press on the island, has been a revelation for Manix Mandiola’s side this season impressing with his razor sharp movement, ability to dictate play and create chances from out on the left wing, and of course his outstanding dribbling ability. For such a cultured young player I really cannot wait for him to return to Spurs in the summer and really make a push for the first team, and hopefully force his way into Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. Technically he is the best player that i have ever seen play for Spurs at youth level, but most importantly of all he is a greats sportsman and a very polite young man. I would like to wish Samuel and Atlético all the very best of luck for their remaining games this season and I sincerely hope that they get promoted to the La Liga 2. Finally if you could all vote for Samuel in the link provided below for an end of season award, I am sure that he would greatly appreciate it. 

https://twitter.com/LMcCand/status/1123656572239011840?s=20

Spurs’ Dennis Cirkin – A most promising young left back who has enjoyed a fantastic season in his first year of scholarship at the club:

One of our under 18’s most consistent performers this season has been first year scholar Dennis Cirkin (17). The Dublin born left back has put in many an excellent shift for Spurs across the various age levels this campaign, impressing with his physicality, lung bursting forward runs and mesmeric skill, as well as his decision making and defending. Cirkin epitomises the modern fullback in so many ways despite his young age, and it is the well roundedness and all round game of the England under 17 international which has always impressed me the most. Operating primarily as a left back during his first year of scholarship, after scoring an impressing seven goals for our under 16’s the previous season, Cirkin has adapted really well to under 18 football since he made his competitive debut for Spurs at this level in a league game against Swansea City back in August. So well in fact that the former Wanstead High School pupil has stepped up to play for our under 23’s on six occasions and a further four times for our under 19’s in the UEFA Youth League. This is on top of the 19 appearances that he has made for our high flying under 18 side. A hugely exciting prospect who has made huge strides during the 2018/19 season on both the domestic and international stage, Cirkin for those of you who haven’t watched him play extensively, is a good all round fullback. What I mean by that is that he is so well rounded. An aggressive and attentive defender who likes to be the first to every ball, the Dubliner is a strong and committed player who has a tendency to slide in and make crunching challenges. Authoritative without making rash decisions, the teenager is an intelligent player who reads the game just as well as he uses the ball. Apart from his defensive solidity Cirkin is a formidable attacker, and with his pace, dribbling ability, low centre of gravity and his all round positive play he has the ability to penetrate defences. An adventurous fullback not too dissimilar to how Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon was at the same age. Young Dennis isn’t the kind of fullback who plays with his head down and looks to make safe, cautious passes. Instead Cirkin is a young man who is always playing with his head up, constantly looking forward and looking to drive at oppositions defences. Unsurprisingly our very own Ben Davies is a player who Dennis admires greatly.

Having been at Spurs since the age of nine Dennis has managed to work his way up the ranks at the North London club, and for England at international level. The Dublin born fullback has made huge strides in his development this season and as you will all know from my many match reports Cirkin is a player who I am a very big fan of hence, why I am writing this detailed piece on the best left back of his age group in the country. Born in Dublin, Ireland to Latvian parents on the 6th of April 2002, Dennis moved across the water to London with his family when he was just three years old and it was in the English capital where he first developed his love of football. A pupil of Wanstead High School, Dennis was a regular for the England under 16 national side during the 2017/18 season but Cirkin had to wait until August of this season to make his competitive debut for our under 18’s after he signed scholarship terms with the ‘ Lilywhites ‘ that summer. That came in a 5-2 win over Swansea City at the ‘ Swans ‘ Landore training centre in a league game at the start of this season, and it was a fantastic debut for the then 16 year old who managed to score a brace on his first start for Matt Wells’ side. Since making his first competitive appearance for our under 18’s the first year scholar has gone onto achieve great things during the 2018/19 campaign. Not only has he cemented his place in the under 18 side, he has also made four appearances for our under 19’s in the UEFA youth league. Furthermore, the England under 17 international who was called up to represent the ‘ Three Lions ‘ in a friendly tournament back in September has gone onto make the step up to our development side. After making his debut for Wayne Burnett’s side in a hectic Premier League International Cup game against Athletic Bilbao’s B team in January, Cirkin has gone onto make a further five appearances for the under 23’s and he has really looked the part in all of those games. He has been able to deal with the physicality of under 23 football, and the pace of it. Cirkin has been excellent for Spurs on a consistent basis this season. Since establishing himself in the under 18’s he has been nothing but solid and potent going forwards. He has demonstrated to great effect his ability to get up and down the left flank so well for 90 minutes of the game. From the 29 competitive games that he has played for Spurs this season I have not once seen him have a bad game, and that speaks volumes.

Cirkin is a young player who is constantly improving at left back, the former left winger was a mainstay in our title challenging under 18 side this season, and the quality of his performances have been just as good as anybody else’s. Putting in a string of superb performances against the likes of Leicester City, Fulham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona across the various age levels this campaign. Only a couple of weeks ago the first year scholar was selected by Spurs to compete in The Future Cup which was hosted by AJAX in Amsterdam, Cirkin played all four of Spurs’ matches in that tournament. Cirkin has demonstrated his well roundedness and his adaptability to games during the course of the season. The 17 year old has made a big impact at both ends of the pitch from his rock solid defending and assertiveness, to his many surging attacking forays, and wonderful close ball control. The Dubliner is a good all round fullback who possesses so many good qualities as an up and coming modern left back/wingback. The 17 year old possesses both defensive steel and attacking flair, this makes him an interesting young fullback and that is what makes Cirkin such a promising player. Interestingly the Dublin born defender is very similar to former Spurs youngster Nick Tsaroulla a player who I was a big fan of, in his style of play. Like Tsaroulla (20) who left the club upon the expiration of his contract last summer, Cirkin is a very adventurous player. Combining his offensive and defensive play so well, many of the first year scholars greatest attributes are akin to those of our former defender Nick Tsaroulla. Offensively Cirkin is as good as anybody in his age group. The Dubliner is a very skilful player and his fine dribbling ability helps him to go on fruitful attacking forays down the left hand side, as well as helping him to dribble his way out of tricky situations. The young left back also has a good low centre of gravity as well as a good burst of pace about him, again things which make him such a threat going forwards. Cirkin manages to get up and down the flank well and it is his positivity with the ball at his feet which has always impressed me so much. Wherever Cirkin receives the ball out wide he always looks up before driving forward with the ball glued to his foot. Such positive play and directness reminds me of how Kyle Walker-Peters was at the same age, albeit on the opposite flank.

Young Dennis Cirkin is a creative force from left back and his pace, agility and good crossing ability has made him a major attacking threat for Spurs this season. Chipping in with two goals and three assists across all levels for Spurs this campaign, Cirkin’s many lung bursting forward runs have created many, many more goal scoring chances for his teammates. The 17 year old loves to overlap the left winger and he has a natural urge to get forwards and make runs down the left channel. Furthermore, Cirkin loves to be on the ball and he has a tendency to play the ball down the line, something which he has done on many occasions so far this season. On a number of occasions I have seen Cirkin pick the ball up deep inside his own half and skilfully dance his way around three or four opponents as he helps to bring the ball forward. Cirkin is also a goal threat and he is always very quick to loose balls in and around the the danger zone, he has a knack of timing his runs to perfection and he often spots gaps in the oppositions defence which he can exploit. A very intelligent player with an attacking eye, Cirkin is forward thinking and very confident when he has the ball at his feet. On numerous occasions this season for both our under 18’s and 23’s Cirkin’s pace, dribbling ability and all round positive play has caused a whole host of problems for teams. In the UEFA Youth League round of 32 game against PAOK back in February, Cirkin showcased his attacking qualities in front of a crowd of over 10,000 supporters. A constant attacking threat with his many surging runs up and down the left flank, his confidence on the ball and forward passing was something which the Greek club couldn’t deal with, and this led to PAOK putting more than one player on Cirkin which in turn allowed the left winger and the CAM with more space to trouble the PAOK defence. Going back to my comparisons with Nick Tsaroulla, there is something about the way in which Cirkin runs with the ball and dribbles which is so similar to how Tsaroulla used to play. I don’t know whether the first year scholar has been influenced by Tsaroulla in some way but everything from his short bursts of pace to the way in which he defends is strikingly similar to the Bristol born former Spurs man.  

Offensively Dennis Cirkin is a very, very good player who has the essential skills to be like Danny Rose or Ben Davies from an attacking perspective however, that is only one side of the teenagers game. Defensively speaking he is also highly effective and it is that which I am going to speak about next. Strong, committed in the challenge and extremely courageous. Cirkin is an excellent defender who has made many important defensive interventions over the course of this season for our under 18’s and 23’s. The left back who is fluent in Russian, has great stamina which allows him to get up and down the left flank so well for 90 minutes of a game. Furthermore, he is a very aggressive player who makes sure that he is always the first to get to every ball. However, it is the 17 year olds challenges which are perhaps his greatest attribute. Again, linking back to Tsaroulla, Cirkin is committed in the challenge and he loves to slide in, but he also makes sure that he times them to perfection, so as to get as much of the ball as possible. He also oozes confidence and he reads the game very well indeed for a defender so young and he isn’t afraid to make big calls such as risky sliding challenges inside his own penalty area. The Dublin born defender reads the game tremendously well and I love how good he is at not only anticipating danger but also at snuffing it out. Neville-esque with his one on one defending, Cirkin defends well while he is under pressure and it is his composure and decision making which makes him so difficult to get the better of for pace. As I have already said, Cirkin is a remarkably well rounded player who doesn’t lack quality in any department. He is strong, decisive, good in the air, skilful but above all else he is committed. Dennis is able to combine both his defensive discipline with an adventurous attacking streak and it is that combination for which makes him such a good young left back. For our under 18’s this season, Dennis has been one of our most consistent and important players. The quality of the performances that he has put in for our under 18’s over the course of the 19 games which he has played for them has been top drawer. Cirkin also put in four solid performances for our under 19’s in the UEFA Youth League, this came about because our only other natural left back Jaden Brown had left the club in January.

If that wasn’t impressive enough Cirkin has also racked up six appearances for our under 23’s since the turn of the year. All six of those performances have been excellent and the first year scholar has shown that he not only has the physicality to deal with the step up, but he has also shown the maturity needed for that level. Already our under 23’s first choice left back at the age of just 17, Cirkin’s continued rise over the course of the 2018/19 season has been seriously impressive and the season isn’t over yet. With the 2019 Terborg tournament still to look forward to, Dennis will be hoping to finish what has been an excellent season on a positive note. A tremendously well rounded left back who has all the attributes needed to emulate a player like Ben Davies’s path to the first team. For those wondering why England’s best left back of the under 17 age group wasn’t included in Steve Cooper’s squad for the forthcoming European Championships in Ireland, this boils down to the fact that Cirkin would be tied down to England for the rest of his footballing career if he was capped by them in a competitive fixture. Still eligible to represent Ireland and Latvia at international level, Cirkin still has the option to change allegiance in the future. I would like to congratulate Dennis on having such a fantastic season at Spurs. He has been a pleasure to watch and I look forward to seeing him progress even further next season. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Player reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Referee: Christopher Pollard.

Venue: Lamex Stadium, Stevenage.

Attendance: 483.

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

Goals scored: Jack Roles – 13

Shayon Harrison – 5

Kazaiah Sterling – 5

Paris Maghoma – 4

Jaden Brown – 2

Vincent Janssen – 2

Troy Parrott- 2

Samuel Shashoua – 1

Marcus Edwards – 1

Dylan Duncan – 1

Phoenix Patterson – 1

Harvey White – 1

Tashan Oakley-Boothe – 1

Shilow Tracey – 1

Anthony Georgiou – 1

Assists: Jack Roles – 6

Kazaiah Sterling – 3

Vincent Janssen – 3

J’Neil Bennett – 3

Tariq Hinds – 3

Paris Maghoma – 2

Jaden Brown – 2

Jamie Bowden – 2

Troy Parrott – 1

Shayon Harrison – 1

Oliver Skipp – 1

Tashan Oakley-Boothe – 1

Dylan Duncan – 1

George Marsh – 1

Anthony Georgiou – 1

Shilow Tracey – 1

Dennis Cirkin – 1

Dilan Markanday – 1

Rodel Richards – 1

Clean sheets: Brandon Austin – 2

Alfie Whiteman – 1

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

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

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

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

Samuel Shashoua for Atlético Baleares this season: 

Appearances: 30

Goals: 6

Assists: 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Player reviews: 

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

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

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

Spurs under 18’s statistics 2018/19:

Goals scored: Troy Parrott – 15

Dilan Markanday – 12

J’Neil Bennett –  10

Rayan Clarke – 8

Armando Shashoua – 7

Rodel Richards – 7

Harvey White – 6

Paris Maghoma – 4

Luis Binks – 3

Maurizio Pochettino – 3

Dennis Cirkin – 2

Jeremie Mukendi – 2

Brooklyn Lyons-Foster – 2

Phoenix Patterson – 2

Kion Etete – 2

Jubril Okedina – 1

Tarrell Whittaker – 1

Elliot Thorpe – 1

Assists: Harvey White – 12

Armando Shashoua – 12

Rayan Clarke – 9

Troy Parrott – 6

Dilan Markanday – 6

Jamie Bowden – 5

Phoenix Patterson – 4

J’Neil Bennett – 4

Rodel Richards – 3

Chay Cooper – 3

Paris Maghoma – 3

Brooklyn Lyons-Foster – 2

Dennis Cirkin – 2

Luis Binks – 2

Elliot Thorpe – 2

Malachi Walcott – 2

Maurizio Pochettino – 1

Rafferty Pedder – 1

Maxwell Statham – 1

Jeremie Mukendi – 1

Nile John – 1

Kion Etete – 1

Tarrell Whittaker – 1

Oliver Skipp – 1

Michael Craig – 1

Clean sheets: Joshua Oluwayemi – 7

Jonathan De Bie – 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Previous meeting: Spurs 0-1.

My score prediction: Spurs 3-1.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doubtful: Rodel Richards.

Previous meeting: Spurs 4-0. 

My score prediction: Spurs 4-1.

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

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

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

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

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

Samuel Shashoua for Atlético Baleares this season: 

Appearances: 29

Goals: 6

Assists: 2

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

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

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

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

Anthony Georgiou for Atlético Levante this season:

Appearances: 9

Goals: 1

Assists: 0