Spurs 2-1 West Ham U21s - Ugo's verdict

Ugo Ehiogu had mixed feelings after our Under-21s opened their Barclays U21 Premier League campaign with a win against West Ham.

Daniel Akindayini opened the scoring in the first half, Kieran Bywater levelled for the Hammers after 53 minutes before Cristian Ceballos provided the finish to Milos Veljkovic’s pass to secure the points on 74 minutes.

It was a fiercely-contested contest at Stevenage’s Lamex Stadium with space at a premium at times, but with chances at both ends - Harry Voss made a vital point-blank save to keep the scoreline at 1-1 just after the hour.

“It was a tough game,” said Ugo. “We knew West Ham would be aggressive, organised and they were, so no surprise there.

“The first game is always difficult, players are trying to feel their way in a little and it’s a big occasion for some of the younger lads.

“I thought we settled after the first half. The players took the handbrake off a bit and played with a little less fear.

“I was happy with the way we dug in and were resolute. There are fighting qualities in the team and defensively, we were superb.

“It’s a learning curve, I'm happy with the points but still a little disappointed with the performance because West Ham had us hanging on at the end.”