Norwich U18s 0-3 Spurs U18s

Goals from Ryan Loft, Cy Goddard and Armani Daly saw our Under-18s register a 3-0 win at Norwich City on Saturday lunchtime.

Loft’s close-range finish in the first half was added to when Goddard and Daly netted with a minute shortly before the hour mark – although the game was marred by a serious leg injury sustained by Joe Pritchard in the build-up to our first goal.

Play stopped for 20 minutes as the midfielder received medical attention in the penalty area before being taken to hospital.

To their credit, the team continued to create numerous chances while restricting Norwich to only the occasional sight of goal as we claimed our third Barclays Under-18 Premier League victory of the week.

Two Under-16s players made their full debuts at the upper level, Japhet Tanganga starting at centre-half with Kazaiah Sterling just behind Loft in attack.

Sterling got his head to Anthony Georgiou’s cross in the 12th minute but Marcus Beauchamp in the Norwich goal wasn’t unduly troubled –although that looked destined to change as we controlled the game in the opening stages.

We opened the scoring on 15 minutes as a mis-kick by Beauchamp left his side under pressure and eventually resulted in Loft tucking home a loose ball from six yards out.

Luke Amos’ shot deflected off Harley Black and forced a corner shortly after the injury-enforced delay, while Sterling produced a save from Beauchamp at his near post after getting on the end of another Georgiou cross.

Lloyd Ross was next to go close – his first-time effort from Joe Muscatt’s cut-back striking the base of the far post, while only a last-ditch tackle from Ben Burgess prevented Sterling from going clean through as he chased a ball over the top.

Beauchamp denied Sterling again in the 35th minute after a great move involving Muscatt and substitute Goddard, although Loft could only scoop wide from the rebound.

Norwich might have grabbed an equaliser three minutes before the break, but an intelligent interception by Anton Walkes prevented George Couzens from going through on goal.

A double change on 56 minutes saw a slight reshuffle on the flanks, Muscatt switching from right to left-back and Georgiou pushing forward into his regular left wing berth.

Muscatt and one of the substitutes, Daly, were involved a minute later as we doubled our lead, the former crossing to the back post where Daly headed down into the path of Goddard, who clipped the ball into the bottom corner from six yards.

And within 60 seconds we were 3-0 up. Georgiou steered Goddard’s pass in to the feet of Daly in a move that split open the Norwich defence, the substitute finishing calmly beyond Beauchamp.

Charlie Owens shot wide as we continued to play confident football, although goalkeeper Tom Glover was forced to tip the ball low around his right-hand post on 68 minutes after Lewis Byrne-Hewitt tried his luck from outside the box.

Georgiou did well to stay on his feet as he skipped over two strong challenges on the left corner of the penalty area before testing Beauchamp at his near post, while Norwich substitute Oliver Cole burst forward and forced Glover into another acrobatic stop on 88 minutes.

Only the woodwork denied Sterling a goal in the 90th minute, the forward rifling against the crossbar as he tried to put the finishing touch to another fluid move involving Walkes and Daly, but the match had already been won.

Spurs U18s: Glover, Muscatt, Georgiou, Owens, Tanganga, Walkes, Ross (Paul 56), Amos, Loft (Daly 56), Pritchard (Goddard 15), Sterling. Substitute (not used): McDermott (GK).