Some notes on Spurs Under 23’s player Dermi Lusala’s return to competitive action:

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Right-back Dermi Lusala (19) made his return to competitive action earlier this week, when he started for the Spurs Under 23 side away to Everton, in the Premier League 2. Born in nearby Edmonton, Lusala was previously with west London side Brentford, prior to joining Spurs as an Academy player. He made his competitive debut for the Spurs Under 18 side, in Spurs’ penultimate game of the 2018/19 Premier League South season, against Chelsea. He then signed scholarship forms with the club during that summer, and would go on and become a regular and important player for the Spurs Under 18 side during 2019/20, and would provide a good number of assists from out-wide. Dermi then made ten competitive appearances for the Spurs Under 18 side at the beginning of the following 2020/21 season, plus one appearance (his debut) for the Under 23 side, presumably before picking up an injury. The defender who can also fill in well at centre-half, didn’t feature for the Spurs Under 23 side during this pre-season (2021/22), and made a Spurs Under 23 squad for the first time this season earlier this month, in a Premier League 2 game against Manchester United.

Dermi made his return to competitive Academy football when he started for the Spurs Under 23 side against Everton, in the Premier League 2, earlier in the week. Starting at right-back and completing the whole of Spurs’ 1-0 loss, the first year professional often stayed deeper than left-back Marcel Lavinier, but overall I thought that he had a solid game defensively, especially when you consider that this was his first competitive game of football in a very long time. Lusala showed consistently at Under 18 level for Spurs, that he has a really good balance to his game. Good at defending, at right-back and at centre-half, but really good going forward, at taking players on for skill and at creating chances from out wide. Dermi, in my opinion did consistently really well for the Spurs Under 18 side during the 2019/20 season, and whenever he played at full-back he got up and down the flank really well. I really like how he is unpredictable with the ball and difficult to defend against when in the opponents half, but how he also is very versatile, good at defending and very good at making sliding challenges. I can see Dermi getting a good run games for the Spurs Under 23 side, from now until the end of the season. And I wish him all the very best of luck for the remainder of the season.

The three Maghoma brothers (former Spurs Academy graduates): Where are they now?

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It’s quite rare for two players who are brothers, to progress up the ranks at Academy level at the same club and play for them at the very highest level of Academy football. However, for three brothers (all at different times) to feature for the same club at Academy level, is very rare. In the following piece from my series following the former Spurs Academy players and where they are now, I will be looking at the three Maghoma brothers – Jacques, Christian and Paris. And I will be looking at their footballing journey so far, post Spurs. While Jacques played at Academy level before my time of watching Spurs at Academy level, I have seen quite a lot of him play in more recent years. While his younger brothers – Christian and Paris, were players who I saw a lot of for Spurs at Academy level. All three brothers are still playing the game.

Jacques Maghoma: Born in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, now 34 year old winger Jacques Maghoma progressed up the youth ranks at Spurs during the 2000s, and would progress up to the reserve side. A very skilful and reliable player, who did have injury troubles during the early parts of his footballing career, Jacques would end up featuring for the Spurs first team in some friendly matches during his time at the club. Jacques later signed for Burton Albion, after being released by Spurs at the end of the 2008/09 season. By the time that he had left Spurs, he had played a really good number of games for the Spurs reserve side. Jacques had a successful time at Burton, scoring a good number of goals, and would end up staying at the club until 2013, when he transferred to Sheffield Wednesday. He spent two seasons with Sheffield Wednesday, before leaving at the end of the 2014/15 season, after his contract came to an end. He joined Championship side Birmingham City, when Gary Rowett (previous Burton Albion manager) was the manager, and his time at Birmingham was probably the most successful of his career, so far. 

A regular for Birmingham City, during the majority of his time at the club, Jacques spent five seasons with Birmingham, and he enjoyed some really good times with them (he won two club end of season awards at the end of the 2017/18 season). Direct and expressive with the ball at his feet, but always working hard without it, Maghoma became an important player for the side. He left the club from the English Midlands in the summer of 2020. He joined Indian Super League side East Bengal in the October of 2020. He scored three goals and provided one assist from 19 competitive appearances for them, during his season with the club. In the October of the following year, and after sometime without a club, Jacques joined National League South side Hemel Hempstead, during the current 2021/22 season. He has so far made six competitive appearances for them, providing one assist from those appearances. During his career so far, Jacques has also won 25 international caps for his country DR Congo, in what has been a very good footballing career so far. 

Christian Maghoma: Centre-half Christian Maghoma was born in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, but brought up in north London. Christian Maghoma joined Spurs as a schoolboy footballer, was an important player for the Spurs Under 18 side that won the Southern Division, before then signing scholarship forms with the club in summer of 2014. A mainstay in the Spurs Under 18 side during the 2014/15 season, Christian stepped up to make his competitive debut for the then Under 21 side during the same season. A tall centre-half, who is excellent in the air, but strong in the challenge, Christian established himself as an important player for the Spurs Development side during the 2015/16 (he spent some time with Yeovil on loan during that season), 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons, and he would captain the side on numerous occasions. He made his one appearance to date for DR Congo, in 2017, in a friendly. Christian joined Polish side Arka Gdynia at the end of the 2017/18 season, and early on in his time with them he won his first senior competitive trophy – the Superpuchar Polski. Christian made a total of 39 competitive first team appearances for Arka Gdynia.

Christian returned to England and signed for League One side Gillingham, in the summer of 2020. He has so far made 12 competitive appearances for Gillingham, but joined National League side Eastleigh on a loan during this season, where he has so far been doing well, playing a number of matches for them. Christian has made 18 competitive appearances for Eastleigh, so far this season, scoring two goals. They are currently in 14th place in the National League. A leader on the pitch, the now 24 year old defender has been making good strides this season, and I hope that he continues to do well from now until the end of the season.

Paris Maghoma: Londoner Paris Maghoma was at Spurs as an Academy player as recently as 2020. The central-midfielder/CAM, who was also capable of playing out wide, was a player who I was a big fan of during his time at the club. Paris made his competitive debut for the Spurs Under 18 side during the 2016/17 season, and would sign scholarship forms with the club before the start of the 2017/18 season. Always looking to take players on for skill, pass the ball forward and look for create chances for teammates, Paris became an important player for both the Spurs Under 18 side and Under 23 side, during the 2018/19 season, and he scored a good number of goals and provided a good number of assists during that season. During the pre-season of the 2018/19 season, the midfielder made his one and only appearance for the Spurs first team, in a friendly match with Spanish side Girona. Paris spent the first half of the following 2019/20 season with the Spurs Under 23 side, before moving to then Championship side Brentford, who he joined on a permanent transfer in the January of 2020.

The now 20 year old footballer has made many appearances for Brentford’s B team, since signing for them. He has also made the bench for their first team in competitive games on six occasions so far. The England youth international is definitely a player with a very promising future in the game, and I personally reckon that it’s only a matter of time before he makes his competitive debut for now Premier League club Brentford. He was an absolute pleasure to watch play for Spurs at Academy level, and his ability to go past players from the opposing team at ease, open up defences with a well weighted forward pass, and also score goals made him such an influential player for the Spurs Under 18 and 23 side. Paris recently signed a new contract with Brentford, which runs until 2025.

Some notes on recent Spurs Academy signing Charlie Sayers:

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Defender Charlie Sayers (17) recently joined Spurs on a permanent transfer from National League side Southend United. The player who is capable of playing as a left-back or centre-half, has so far made six competitive appearances for the Spurs Under 18 side, and made the bench for the Under 23’s on one occasion. Sayers is a tall defender, but one who has good ability on the ball. The Southend born footballer who attended Beauchamps High School, was previously with Billericay Town and Bowers & Pitsea at youth level, prior to joining Southend United. Sayers made his competitive first team debut for Southend back in October of 2021, when he started at left-back in a National League game against Solihull Moors. He made an additional five appearances for the Southend United first team, before playing his first game for the Spurs Under 18 side (it was announced soon afterwards that he had joined the club) in an Under 18 Premier League Cup game with Fulham, at their Motspur Park training ground. Fulham won that game comfortably, and it was a difficult first game for Charlie Sayers to make his debut in (he was playing on the left side of central defence).

Sayers captained the Spurs Under 18 side on his next appearance for them, in a 3-0 Premier League South defeat away to Crystal Palace. Then he started again (starting at centre-half once again) for the Under 18 side against Leicester City, in a league game. And while in my opinion he did well in that game against Leicester City, I though that his best performance to date for Spurs at Academy level, came in  an FA Youth Cup third round tie with Ipswich Town, in December of 2021. In that 5-1 win for Spurs, I thought that Charlie had a really strong game game in central defence. He made two really important defensive interventions during the first half, kept really good positioning throughout the game and was really assured in defence, working well with right sided centre-half and first year scholar Alfie Dorrington. Sayers continued his good start to life at Spurs by helping their Under 18 side to a 2-1 league away win over Southampton, earlier this month. With the second year scholar scoring an 88th minute winner for Spurs, in that game. He then scored another goal in his most recent appearance for the Under 18 side in their 6-1 FA Youth Cup fourth round tie win over West Brom, last week.

The versatile defender has so far played all of his games for Spurs at Academy level at centre-half, and in that West Brom game Charlie Sayers and Alfie Dorrington worked really well together again, in central defence. Both players helped to keep talented West Brom forward Reyes Cleary fairly quite throughout the game. Although it’s still early days, I have been impressed with the former Southend United player in regards to his positioning, overall defending and also his ability on the ball, and his willingness to get on the ball and bring it out of defence, and make some good forward passes. Sayers seems to be strong in the air, and he also reads the game in an impressive way. He recently made the squad for the Spurs Under 23 side, for the first time, which I think was really well deserved. While I hope that he does to get to make his competitive Under 23’s debut during the remainder of the season, Sayers will be very important for the Under 18 side as they look to continue their FA Youth Cup run. I wish Charlie all the very best of luck for the rest of the 2021/22 season, and congratulate him on having joined Spurs during late 2021.

Some notes on Spurs Under 23 player Max Robson’s return to competitive action for Spurs at Academy level:

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Attacking midfielder Max Robson was probably the best and most consistent player in my opinion, for the Spurs Under 18 side during the 2019/20 season, while still in his first season of scholarship at the club. The Haywards Heath born player scored five goals and provided six assists, from 20 competitive appearances for Spurs at Under 18 level. Robson, who was brought up in Burgess Hill, and who attended Birchwood High School, also made three additional appearances (scoring once) for the Spurs Under 19 side in the UEFA Youth League, during 2019/20. The player who can also play up-front as a false-nine, or in central-midfield and out wide, is a player who loves to take players on for skill. Always looking to play the ball forward and be creative in possession, Robson’s off the ball pressing and overall work is consistently very good. During his second year of scholarship, Max presumably was out injured for quite a while. Having to wait until the November of 2020 to make his first competitive appearance of the season for the Spurs Under 18 side, in a Premier League South game against Southampton. Robson made just seven more competitive Under 18 appearances during the remainder of 2020/21, plus an additional appearance for the Under 23 side (his debut). However, he did score one goal and provide two assists, from those games that he played.

Now in his first year as a professional with the club, Robson made some appearances for the Spurs Under 23 side during the pre-season of this season. However, he had to wait until last night, before making his first competitive appearance of the season for Wayne Burnett’s Under 23 side – as he came off the bench to replace Yago Santiago in the 76th minute of the game. A versatile but very talented and determined player on the pitch, Robson is fearless on the ball, but it’s his ability to get into really good pockets of space, which makes him so potent inside the penalty area. He also has very good reactions and can dribble with the ball at a good pace, as well. Max came quite close to scoring with a headed effort at the near post of the Everton goal, after meeting Romaine Mundle’s cross in the Under 23 game on Monday. Although he wasn’t on the pitch for long against Everton, I thought that he looked good and was always looking to try and influence the game. The 19 year old will be hoping to make his first start of the season for the Under 23 side, in the near future. And if there are some outgoing loans from the Under 23 side before the end of the month, then Robson could hopefully get more opportunities in the side.

I’m a big fan of the CAM, and while he clearly has a tremendous work ethic on the pitch, his quality with the ball is excellent, and he’s a real joy to watch on the pitch. Hopefully Max will get a good run of games for the Under 23 side during the remainder of the season, and I wish him all the very best of luck for the rest of the season.

Spurs Under 23’s 0-1 Everton: (match report)

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Spurs’ Under 23 side traveled up to Southport for a Monday evening Premier League 2 meeting with Everton, at The Pure Stadium. Wayne Burnett’s Spurs side saw their impressive unbeaten run come to an end, as the home side – Everton won the match 1-0, and it was a very strong defensive performance from them. Spurs lined-up with Joshua Oluwayemi in goal, while a back four of Dermi Lusala, Marqes Muir, Malachi Fagan-Walcott and Marcel Lavinier, lined-up in-front of him. Jamie Bowden and captain Harvey White started in midfield, and Jack Clarke and Yago Santiago started out on the flanks, either side of CAM Alfie Devine. Dane Scarlett led the line for Spurs, for the second Under 23 game in a row. Spurs got the game underway on a very cold evening in Southport. After Everton goalkeeper Harry Tyrer punched clear Harvey White’s corner-kick, Spurs defender Malachi Fagan-Walcott headed an effort wide of the Everton goal. A decent start from Spurs resulted in them seeing more of the ball than the hosts. 

After receiving Dane Scarlett’s pass, Jamie Bowden continued forward with the ball before hitting a low effort wide of goal. A couple of minutes later and after going past Malachi Fagan-Walcott and entering the Spurs box, Ellis Simms hit an effort towards the Spurs goal, but Joshua Oluwayemi saved well with his feet. At the other end of the pitch Marcel Lavinier had an effort blocked inside the Everton penalty area, before Alfie Devine saw his deflected effort saved by Tyrer. Then after Devine 

passed the ball through to Jack Clarke inside the Everton box, Everton defender and captain Ryan Astley made a good and important block. After receiving Harvey White’s lofted pass, centre-forward Dane Scarlett managed to get around an Everton defender, before having his powerful effort inside the Everton box saved by Tyrer. Spurs continued to see a lot of the ball, and after Bowden found Devine with a lofted pass inside the Everton box, Devine brought it down and was through on goal. But once again Harry Tyrer was alert and was able to make a good save to stop Devine’s effort on goal.

Jamie Bowden had an effort from distance saved by Tyrer, before Everton took the lead against the run of play. Recent signing from Rangers – Nathan Patterson delivered a good ball into the Spurs box from the right flank. The ball was met by Lewis Dobbin, whose header beat Oluwayemi in the Spurs goal, and went into the left corner of the goal, 0-1. Shortly before half-time Marqes Muir made an important challenge on Lewis Dobbin, to stop a promising Everton counter in what was the last bit of action from the first half. Everton got the second half underway and Spurs goalkeeper Joshua Oluwayemi had to make an early save to stop Isaac Price’s effort. The impressive Lewis Dobbin then managed to get past Malachi Fagan-Walcott, and down the right side of the Spurs penalty area, before being met by Oluwayemi, who bravely gathered the ball. 

Everton had started the second half better than they had the first half, and a ball over the top of the Spurs defence resulted in Lewis Dobbin trying to get away from Marqes Muir. However, Muir stayed with the Everton man well, before managing to block his eventual effort on goal behind for a corner-kick. Oluwayemi saved well from Jarrad Branthwaite’s headed effort, from an Everton corner-kick. There were then some more efforts on goal, before Lewis Dobbin narrowly put the ball over Oluwayemi’s goal. Spurs winger Jack Clarke received a yellow card, before Kyle John hit an effort over from distance. Malachi Fagan-Walcott then also received a yellow card from the referee, and he was then involved in the resulting Everton free-kick. As he headed clear, but Sebastian Quirk managed to get onto the ball and hit an effort from distance which went wide of the Spurs goal. 

Wayne Burnett made a double change as Max Robson and Romaine Mundle came on in place of Jack Clarke and Yago Santiago. Muir did well to stop an Everton forward move with Ellis Simms, before Lewis Warrington’s deflected effort from a corner-kick hit the inside of Joshua Oluwayemi’s left hand post, before going wide. First year scholar Jaden Williams came on to replace Alfie Devine. Max Robson headed Dermi Lusala’s cross off an Everton defender, and behind for a Spurs corner-kick. Jaden Williams had a looping header saved by Harry Tyrer, from the resulting corner-kick. And then very late on in the game Max Robson headed just wide at Harry Tyrer’s near post, after meeting Romaine Mundle’s cross inside the Everton box. Then even later on in the game Marqes Muir hit a deflected effort behind inside the Everton box. However, the referee sounded the final whistle a couple of moments later. Spurs’ next Premier League 2 game is on the seventh of February, when they host Crystal Palace.

Player reviews:

  • Joshua Oluwayemi: The Spurs goalkeeper made a couple of good saves, and in my opinion had a solid game.
  • Dermi Lusala: On his first appearance of the season for the Spurs Under 23 side, following his return from injury, right-back Dermi Lusala had a good first half. He often stayed deeper than Marcel Lavinier, who was playing at left-back. 
  • Marqes Muir: My man of the match, see below. 
  • Malachi Fagan-Walcott: Playing as a left-sided centre-half, Malachi Fagan-Walcott was good in the air and had to do quite a bit of defending to stop Everton winger Lewis Dobbin.
  • Marcel Lavinier: Playing at left-back for this game, Marcel Lavinier really got forward a lot. 
  • Jamie Bowden: The Spurs midfielder, whose loan at Oldham Athletic only recently ended, worked well with Harvey White in midfield. He created one very good chance for Alfie Devine, during the first half. 
  • Harvey White: The Spurs captain showcased his impressive passing off both feet, and often seemed to create time and space for himself on the ball. 
  • Jack Clarke: Playing out on the right flank and completing 76 minutes of the game, Jack Clarke had a slightly quieter game in comparison to his previous last couple of matches. However, Everton did defend very well throughout the match. 
  • Alfie Devine: The CAM made some good runs into decent areas, worked hard off the ball and was unlucky not to score during the first half.
  • Yago Santiago: The left winger for the game went on some promising runs both with and without the ball, during the first half.
  • Dane Scarlett: The centre-forward worked very hard inside the Everton half, and he was quite unlucky not to score during the first half.
  • Romaine Mundle: The second half substitute created one good chance for Max Robson late on in the game.
  • Max Robson: It was great to see Max Robson make his first competitive appearance of the season for Wayne Burnett’s Under 23 side. He created some good space for himself, and was unlucky not to score from his late headed effort on goal.
  • Jaden Williams: The late second half substitute played in the CAM role during the late stages of the game.

My man of the match: Marqes Muir. On his first competitive appearance for the Spurs Under 23 side since October, centre-half Marqes Muir, was in my opinion Spurs’ best player against Everton, on Monday evening. Teaming up with Malachi Fagan-Walcott, in central-defence. Muir played as a right-sided centre-half, and he always looked composed both with and without the ball. He helped to keep Everton centre-forward Ellis Simms fairly quite during the game, and he also made some important defensive interventions. His positioning was very good throughout the game.

Spurs Under 23’s versus Everton: (match preview)

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Spurs’ Under 23 side recorded a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers, in their most recent Premier League 2 game, last week. Now this week they travel up to Southport to face an Everton side who haven’t lost a competitive game in the Premier League 2, since losing to Spurs 4-0, in the reverse fixture back in November. Spurs were by far the better team in that game, and as they haven’t lost a competitive game since October, they’ll be hoping to extend their unbeaten run to nine games tonight. Everton have picked up 20 points from 17 league game this season, and David Unsworth’s side currently occupy eighth place in the league. This will be yet another tough game for Wayne Burnett’s Spurs side, who have only ever won one game away to Everton since the start of the Premier League 2 in 2016. Spurs will have to watch Everton forwards Thomas Cannon and Ellis Simms, closely, throughout the game this evening (the match starts at 19:00pm). I will be travelling up to Southport today, to report on the game. I would like to wish Spurs all the very best of luck for the game.

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Oluwayemi, Lavinier, Muir, Fagan-Walcott, Matthew Craig, White (c), Michael Craig, Clarke, Devine, Bennett, Santiago. 

Subs from: Lo-Tutala, Lusala, Paskotši, Mundle, Robson.

Injured/unavailable: Kallum Cesay (suspended), Tobi Omole (suspended).

Doubtful: N/A. 

Previous meeting: Spurs 4-0.

My score prediction: Spurs 2-1.

My one to watch: Ellis Simms. The 21 year old centre-forward enjoyed a successful time on loan at Blackpool, last season, when he got into double figures for goals. Simms is a clinical centre-forward who has always had a good goalscoring record at Academy level for Everton. He started the last match for the Everton Under 23 side, which was against Liverpool.

Spurs Under 18’s 6-1 West Bromwich Albion: (match report)

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Spurs’ Under 18 side progressed to the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup, by defeating West Bromwich Albion 6-1, on Friday afternoon at Hotspur Way. Spurs won the match in style, and they will now face Wolverhampton Wanderers (away) in the next round of the competition. Luca Gunter started in goal for Spurs, while a back four consisting of Brandon Bryan-Waugh, Alfie Dorrington, Charlie Sayers and Jordan Hackett-Valton lined-up in defence. Han Willhoft-King and Rio Kyerematen started in central midfield, while Maxwell McKnight and Thomas Bloxham started out on the flanks, either side of CAM and captain Alfie Devine. Jaden Williams led the line for Spurs. West Brom got the game underway in Enfield, and they created the first real chance of the game. After Fenton Heard passed the ball to Reyes Cleary inside the Spurs box, the West Brom centre-forward hit his effort over Luca Gunter’s goal. Alfie Devine headed Thomas Bloxham’s corner-kick into the side netting of the West Brom goal, a couple of minutes later, after making a good run to the near post. Jaden Williams had an effort saved inside the West Brom box, from goalkeeper Ronnie Hollingshead, after a clearance from Alex Williams came his way.

Jordan Hackett-Valton did well to block an effort from Reyes Cleary, before Rio Kyerematen had an effort saved by Hollingshead, at the other end of the pitch. Reyes Cleary hit a free-kick from out on the left, wide of Luca Gunter’s goal, before Rico Richards then hit a free-kick wide of the Spurs goal. Spurs then took the lead in the 26th minute of the game, through the impressive Jaden Williams. After receiving Rio Kyerematen’s pass out on the left flank, Thomas Bloxham came inside onto his right foot. The skilful winger then hit an effort towards the goal off his right foot, and the ball ended up hitting Ronnie Hollingshead’s left post, before coming to Williams, whose initial effort was well saved by Hollingshead, before Williams then found the back of the net at the second time of asking, 1-0. A good threaded pass from Bloxham, into the feet of Williams soon afterwards, resulted in the Spurs centre-forward having his low effort on goal saved well by Hollingshead. Spurs then doubled their lead a couple of minutes later, after Maxwell McKnight received Bloxham’s pass out on the right flank, before whipping a low cross into the West Brom penalty area. His cross was met by Jaden Williams, whose low first time effort went past Hollingshead and into the back of the goal, 2-0.

After receiving Rio Kyerematen’s pass on the edge of the West Brom box following a good forward run from the Spurs midfielder, Alfie Devine hit an effort over the West Brom goal, in what turned out to be the final chance of the first half. Spurs got the second half underway and not long into the half Maxwell McKnight had an effort tipped over by Ronnie Hollingshead. Charlie Sayers did well to block behind Reyes Cleary’s effort, before Spurs made it 3-0, thanks to a great solo goal from Alfie Devine. After receiving the ball Devine embarked on an excellent mazy run into the West Brom penalty area, before then finishing low past Hollingshead, and into the back of the goal, 3-0. However, West Brom had a great chance to try and get back into the game, after Alfie Dorrington fouled Reyes Cleary inside the Spurs box, resulting in the referee pointing to the penalty spot. Cleary stepped up to direct the ball into the middle of the goal and past Gunter, who had dived to his right, 3-1.

Rio Kyerematen had an effort blocked behind for a corner-kick, before Spurs extended their lead from that set-piece. Thomas Bloxham managed to find Rio Kyerematen down the right side of the West Brom box, and although his effort was saved by Hollingshead, the ball came to Charlie Sayers, who managed to finish from close range, 4-1. Less than ten minutes later Spurs managed to get their fifth goal of the game, and it was a deserved one for Thomas Bloxham. Jaden Williams cut the ball back for Bloxham, inside the West Brom penalty area, and the Spurs winger powerfully finished past Hollingshead, 5-1. McKnight hit a low effort narrowly wide from out on the right side of the West Brom box, but then Thomas Bloxham got his second goal of the game. Bloxham tapping home from Rio Kyerematen’s low cross into the West Brom box, 6-1. Han Willhoft-King and Thomas Bloxham were replaced by Jamie Donley and Sam Amo-Ameyaw, and then Billy Heaps replaced Maxwell McKnight not long after. 

Luca Gunter did well to stop Reyes Cleary’s thumping effort late on in the game, before Brandon Bryan-Waugh did well to block a volleyed effort from Rico Richards. The final score – Spurs 6-1 West Bromwich Albion. 

Player reviews:

  • Luca Gunter: The first year scholar didn’t have an awful lot of saves to make today. Gunter did however, make a good one to stop Reyes Cleary from scoring his second goal of the game, late on in the match.
  • Brandon Bryan-Waugh: This was another good all-round performance from the right-back, who defended well against West Brom winger Rico Richards, throughout the match.
  • Alfie Dorrington: Apart from conceding a foul on Reyes Cleary which led to a West Brom penalty in the second half, I thought that Dorrington worked well with Charlie Sayers in central defence, and also brought the ball out well from the back. 
  • Charlie Sayers: This was another solid performance from the recent Spurs signing, which also saw Charlie Sayers score another goal. 
  • Jordan Hackett-Valton: The left-back made an important defensive intervention at 0-0, and also made a good block as well.
  • Han Willhoft-King: The skilful midfielder likes to receive the ball and go on skilful forward runs. And the schoolboy footballer did it really well on a couple of occasions today as well, while playing as the deepest of the two central midfielders. 
  • Rio Kyerematen: This was a good performance from the central midfielder, who set-up two goals against West Brom, and got forward well. 
  • Maxwell McKnight: This was another strong performance from the Colchester born footballer. Playing out on the right flank as a winger, McKnight got one assist and was also very direct both with and without the ball. 
  • Alfie Devine: The Spurs captain showed good leadership throughout the game, and his quality with the ball at his feet really showed during the match, and he played the game with a real elegance about him. And his excellent solo goal was taken really well. 
  • Thomas Bloxham: My man of the match, see below.
  • Jaden Williams: This was a very good performance from the centre-forward, who made some good runs in-behind, led the line well and was potent inside the West Brom box. Jaden took both of his goals well and got an assist as well. 
  • Jamie Donley: The late substitute played just behind centre-forward Jaden Williams, in the CAM role.
  • Sam Amo-Ameyaw: The second half substitute played in midfield, following his introduction.
  • Billy Heaps: The first year scholar and midfielder came on as a late substitute in the second half.

My man of the match: Thomas Bloxham: Starting out on the left flank as a winger, first year scholar Thomas Bloxham was very influential in the game. Bloxham took responsibility with the ball and was unpredictable with it. He took both of his second half goals well, but he was also involved in some of the other goals today as well. The skilful player also worked really well off the ball.

Spurs Under 18’s versus West Bromwich Albion: (match preview)

Posted on by superhotspur

Spurs’ Under 18 side will face West Bromwich Albion, tomorrow afternoon (the game starts at 13:00pm on Friday), at Hotspur Way, in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup. Spurs defeated Ipswich Town to reach round four of the prestigious competition. West Brom actually beat Spurs 5-0 in the fifth round of this competition, last season, and have already beaten Spurs 4-3 in the league already during the 2021/22 season. This will be a very tough game for Spurs, who will already know how difficult West Brom can be to play against at this level, although Spurs are currently four points and three places above them in the Premier League South table. I would like to wish Spurs all the very best of luck for the game on Friday. If they do progress past West Brom, then they will face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fifth round of the competition. 

My predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1) Gunter, Bryan-Waugh, Dorrington, Sayers, Hackett, Willhoft-King, Kyerematen, McKnight, Devine (c), Amo-Ameyaw, Williams.

Subs from: Hayton, Andiyapan, Abbott, Linton, Davies, Bloxham, Donley.

Injured/unavailable: N/A.

Doubtful: N/A.

Previous meeting: Spurs 3-4.

My score prediction: Spurs 3-2.

My one to watch: Reyes Cleary. The forward (17) has been in excellent form for West Brom, at Academy level this season. Cleary has scored seven Premie League 2 goals from 11 appearances for West Brom’s Under 23 side this season, plus an additional ten league goals for the club’s Under 18 side.

Farewell and good luck Rafferty Pedder:

Posted on by superhotspur

Technically gifted midfielder Rafferty Pedder has left Spurs, after it was mutually agreed to end his contract. He has since joined Queens Park Rangers, and will be hoping to establish himself as a regular for their Development side, during the remainder of this season. The Maidstone born footballer who joined Spurs early on in his footballing journey, had missed a lot of football prior to signing full-time with Spurs in the summer of 2018. However, after having to wait for a while to make his competitive debut for the Spurs Under 18 side, during the following 2019/20 season Rafferty became a key player for then head-coach Matt Taylor, and would finish the season with more appearances than anyone else in the side. Rafferty was consistent during that season, and the skilful and direct midfield player (capable of playing in central midfield or as a CAM) really showed his quality on the ball. Agile, very hardworking and with really good vision for a pass, the 19 year old is a real joy to watch play football. He is always looking to play the ball forward, loves to run forward at pace with the ball and is also a great athlete.

Regardless of whether he is playing as a CAM or as a central midfielder, Rafferty links the play really well and he is a very intelligent midfield player. Excellent performances against Norwich City and Southampton in the Premier League South during the 2019/20 season, really standout from looking back at all of the games that I saw him play for Spurs at all levels. However, Rafferty has always been a very consistent player, since I started watching him at Spurs. And he is the kind of player who gets fans off their seats, as he is just to purposeful with the ball. Rafferty made 13 competitive appearances for Spurs’ Development side, since the start of last season, providing two assists from those appearances. His last competitive appearance for Spurs’ Under 23 side was in a Premier League 2 game against Blackburn Rovers, in September of last year. I’ve really enjoyed seeing Rafferty play for Spurs, since joining full-time in 2018, and I will closely follow his progress at his new club. I would like to wish him all the very best for the future. Farewell and good luck, Rafferty.

Farewell and good luck Dilan Markanday:

Posted on by superhotspur

Barnet born, boyhood Spurs fan and professional footballer Dilan Markanday departed Spurs yesterday, to join Championship club Blackburn Rovers on a permanent transfer. The highly skilful 20 year old winger had been having a sensational season for Spurs’ Under 23 side, scoring a highly impressive total of 12 goals and providing eight assists, from 17 competitive appearances for them. Dilan joined Spurs full-time in the summer of 2017, when he signed scholarship forms with the club. He made a number of competitive appearances for the Spurs Under 18 side that season, scoring his first goal for them in a Premier League Cup game against Leicester City, back in the autumn of 2017. However, Markanday would become a key player for the Spurs Under 18 side during the following 2018/19 season, when Spurs came so very close to winning the Premier League South. Markanday was excellent throughout that season, and would also make some further competitive appearances for the Under 23 side.

The 2019/20 season saw Dilan make the permanent step-up to Wayne Burnett’s Under 23 side, as he continued his development at the club. Always a very creative player, who is never afraid to take defenders on for skill, the 2020/21 season, like the previous season, may not have resulted in Dilan getting the goals and assists that his performances deserved. However, he was continuing to improve and get stronger both on and off the ball. This resulted in Dilan enjoying an outstanding pre-season with the Spurs Development side, and his excellent form carried on into the competitive season, where he had been beyond outstanding, right up until his final game for the Under 23 side, which was against Manchester United, earlier this month. Markanday also made one competitive appearance for the Spurs first team, when he came on as a substitute against Vitesse Arnhem, in the UEFA Europa Conference League, earlier this season. Dilan is a brave and fearless creative and highly skilful winger, who will take players on for sheer skill. 

Dilan is able to ride a challenge superbly well (the best that I have ever seen from any Spurs Academy player), is unselfish on the ball and also has incredible balance, and can twist and turn his way past defenders with ease. He has become a lot more physical over the last 18 or so months, and has become even more clinical when inside the oppositions penalty area. He has always been a very talented player, but during the last 18 months Dilan has just got better and better, both on and off the ball. Always a player who has worked very hard off the ball, and has shown that he can play at full-back well, Dilan is in my opinion at his very best when he is playing out on the right flank. When running with the ball at pace, taking players on and also cutting inside onto his excellent left foot (he is also good with his right foot) and testing the goalkeeper, that is in my opinion where I see Dilan playing regularly at in the future. However, having said that he is also very comfortable and effective at playing as a CAM, out on the left wing and also as a centre-forward, which he has already shown that he can play as so well this season.

An absolute pleasure to watch play and excel for Spurs at Academy level over the years, I’m sad to see Dilan leave the club. He is a fantastic talent who will go on to achieve great things in the game, and I have no doubts about that. I very much look forward to following Dilan’s progress at Blackburn, over the coming years. And I do hope that he gets a chance to play for the England Under 21 side in the very near future. What a player and what a future in the game. Farewell and good luck, Dilan!