18/09/2007
LATEST NEWS
RESERVE REPORT
'Barchy' made no mistake from Phil Ifil's pinpoint cross in the seventh minute only for Scott Sinclair to return the favour at the other end and level it up after 15 minutes.
That was the end of the scoring but certainly not the end of the action at Griffin Park.
Both sides hit the woodwork, both keepers made fine saves and both sides created chances but we dominated the second half and should really have come away with maximum points.
Play switched from end to end in the first half with Searle denying Barcham and Simon Dawkins while at the other end, Shaun Cummins watched in despair after his shot clipped the inside of the post and rolled along the line before Ifil cleared.
With Kieran McKenna constantly breaking up play and winning back the ball in midfield, we launched into attack after attack as the second half progressed and it appeared just a matter of time before the second goal arrived.
Searle was having none of it though and denied Tomas Pekhart with the save of the night just after the hour as the young Czech striker met Barcham's cross with a bullet header that was aiming for the top corner until Searle's fingertips clawed it away.
Alnwick did well to touch a Sinclair effort wide but play was soon back down the Chelsea end and our best spell. Searle saved from Dawkins after 79 minutes, Pekhart fired just wide a minute later and when Searle was finally beaten with five minutes left, Kevin-Prince Boateng rattled the crossbar with a header from Ifil's free-kick.
Chelsea: Searle, Grant, Magnay, Hutchinson (Ofori-Twamasi, 46), van Aanholt, Bridcutt, Stoch, Woods (Mellis, 67), Cummings, Sawyer (Nielsen, 77), Sinclair. Subs: Ferreira, Rodriguez.
Spurs: Alnwick, Ifil, Hughton (Riley, 79), McKenna, Mills, Archibald-Henville, Barcham, Boateng, Pekhart, Dawkins, Maghoma. Subs: Forecast, Livermore, Townsend, Davis.
