Under-18s held by Reading
Spurs 1-1 Reading (Under-18 Premier League)
Sat 15 September 2018, 14:07|Tottenham Hotspur
Our Under-18s dropped their first points of the season in a 1-1 draw with Reading at Hotspur Way on Saturday, but remain unbeaten in the Under-18 Premier League.
After a frustrating first half, Dilian Markanday’s diving header mid-way through the second period got us on our way. However, with just over 10 minutes to go, we were made to settle for a point as Conor Lawless grabbed an equaliser.
There was a cautious start to the game but we began to take control with skipper Armando Shashoua pulling the strings in midfield. Harvey White had the first effort of the match as he picked up a loose ball on the edge of Reading’s penalty area, but his strike from distance flew comfortably into the arms of Royals keeper James Hilson.
Minutes later, Reading nearly took the lead through a Michael Olise free-kick but the forward saw his strike crash off the crossbar and then saw another effort from distance saved well by Josh Oluwayemi.
Matt Wells’ side were soon back on the front foot but wasted a flurry of chances with Shashoua, Jeremie Mukendi and Dennis Cirkin all sending efforts narrowly wide of the upright. Shortly afterwards it looked like we had taken the lead. J’Neil Bennett volleyed Jamie Bowden’s cross past Hilson but before the winger could celebrate, the assistant referee had flagged for off-side.
With the score 0-0 at half-time, we came out stronger in the second half and set a high pressing line in an attempt to break the deadlock. The constant pressing from Phoenix Patterson, Bowden and Shashoua in the centre of midfield was beginning to create gaps in the Reading defence for both Mukendi and Bennett to exploit. And it was showing signs of paying off as both Mukendi and Shashoua had penalty appeals waved away by referee Tom Donnellan.
As the game approached 65 minutes, skipper Shashoua was switched for Rodel Richards and, just three minutes after coming on, the forward made an impact as he burst down the left wing before sending a delicate low cross into the box, where Markanday stooped lowest to nod us in front.
The lead lasted just nine minutes, however, as a poor clearance allowed Lawless the opportunity to loop his shot over keeper Oluwayemi, levelling the scores. The Royals could have even stolen the win in the last minute after substitute Lynford Sackey was released through on goal but Oluwayemi reacted brilliantly to get down early and produce a terrific save.
Key moment
A tactical change to introduce Richards for his first appearance of the season following a spell out through injury was crucial in helping us make the breakthrough, even though we ended up with a share of the spoils. The attacking switch gave us a different dynamic to our play and saw the substitute assist our opener, as he sent a perfectly-weighted cross into the box for Markanday to nod in with 68 minutes on the watch.
“I’m pleased for him to come on and make an impact,” said Under-18s Coach Matt Wells. “We know that he’s got the quality to do that. It’s a shame that he couldn’t find the winning goal – it would have been a nice return for him.
“It’s good for him to be back playing. It’s been a long road for him and he’s worked extremely hard in his rehab, so I’m really pleased for him. Now he enters a large pool of players all fighting for a place. We’ve got great competition for places so he needs to fight for one of the front line positions.”
On the performance of his side over the 90 minutes, Matt added: “In the first half in general, I thought we were a bit sloppy. We probably lacked our usual speed of play and the precision in our passing. There were too many unforced errors in the first half but, having said that, we created five or six chances that were as good as any that you’re going to create.
“In the second half we improved. We went 1-0 up but again, even before that, we had easier chances that we didn’t take. I was really disappointed with the way we managed the game in the period after we scored, though. We got sloppy again, we took unnecessary shots and we didn’t have enough appreciation and respect for the game in terms of the positions we took up to stop counter-attacks. I thought they scored a one-in-a-million strike and I could sense it coming with the way we managed the game from 1-0 up. But it’s probably a good thing the way we conceded and hopefully that will be a lesson we need. Hopefully we’ll learn now, having dropped two points in a game we should have won.”
Spurs 1-1 Reading (Under-18 Premier League)
Spurs: Oluwayemi, Lyons-Foster, Cirkin, Bowden, Walcott, White, Markanday, A Shashoua (c, Richards 65), Mukendi (Tainio 74), Patterson, Bennett. Substitutes (not used): Kurylowicz, Thorpe, Pochettino.