John reflects on Spurs XI friendlies

John McDermott feels our back-to-back Spurs XI friendlies against League Two opposition will stand our youngsters in good stead as the start of the Barclays Under-21 Premier League fast approaches.

We toppled Dagenham & Redbridge 2-1 on Saturday before a 2-1 reverse against Cambridge United in front of over 4,000 fans at the Abbey Stadium on Tuesday night.

Jon Obika and Tom Carroll were the most senior players on show in both games - Jon scored in both - with Milos Veljkovic and Ryan Fredericks also starting on Tuesday.

“The lads have stepped up two or three notches in terms of quality, atmosphere and pressure in these games,” said Academy Manager John.

“The younger ones have learned what real football life is all about. Players are fighting for their livelihoods and it’s a big step up in terms of the pressure on the game, the pace of the game and the intensity.

“I thought we handled it but there is scope for improvement and the more exposure the lads get to it, the better they’ll deal with it and the better and better they’ll get.”

Two goals from Kwesi Appiah put United in the driving seat on Tuesday night, Jon rifled home for 2-1 and we pushed for a late equaliser without reward.

“I was disappointed with the first half, our quality was patchy but pleased with our honesty, especially in the second half,” added John.

“We are at the beginning of August, we’ve been away to France as well, had some tough games there, we know what we’ve got to do and we’ll get there, we always do.”

Our Barclays U21 Premier League campaign kicks-off against West Ham at Stevenage on Monday week, August 18, kick-off 7pm.

BELOW: More Spurs XI reaction - Harry Winks post-Cambridge