Happy homecoming for local boy Walker-Peters

Kyle Walker-Peters really did return ‘home’ on Saturday.

The young right-back came in for his third league start of the season – and first appearance in our world-class new stadium – as we dispatched Huddersfield Town 4-0 to maintain our 100 per cent record since coming back to N17 earlier this month.

The game was extra-special for the Academy product, though – and not just because it fell on his 22nd birthday.

That’s because Kyle grew up just a stone’s throw from our enclosure, making it a poignant homecoming for the boyhood Spurs fan, who played a handful of youth games at White Hart Lane before his first-team breakthrough during our tenure at Wembley.

“I grew up in the area and I remember my dad bringing me to the old stadium when I was young to watch Brazil v Wales (2006). To be on the pitch now in our brand new stadium means an awful lot to me – and what the stadium is doing for the area as well… it’s fantastic,” smiled the full-back.

“This area holds a big place in my heart. It’s big for me. We used to play football just around the corner.

“I grew up at Tower Gardens (just off Lordship Lane, about a mile from the stadium) and we always used to use hedges as goals. It’s surreal, really!”

Lucas Moura grabbed the headlines against the Terriers with a sparkling hat-trick, adding to Victor Wanyama’s early opener. In all, Mauricio Pochettino made seven changes to the starting line-up from the 1-0 Champions League win over Manchester City last week – and they certainly paid dividends as we emerged with an excellent win.

“It’s exactly what we needed,” said Kyle. “We’re fighting to get into the top four so every game counts, every point counts and we did a professional job.

“The team is a team that hasn’t played together very often, we got the opportunity and all the training we’ve done shows that even though we don’t play together too often, we gel and have a good chemistry.

“Lucas was unbelievable. His finishing! The last one was ridiculous. Everyone is happy we got the three points and it’s even more special for Lucas.”