Courtesy of:- Ray Lo, and the Spurs List.

	FA Premier Academy League, Group D
      Spurs Lodge, Luxbourgh Lane, Chigwell
           18th January 2003, 11am ko.

               SPURS   v  CHARLTON
           (White/Blue) (Red/White)
               3-5-2       4-4-2
                2(1)        0(0)

      Paul Rutherford  1 Jack Delo
          Philip Ifil  2 Charles Funna
      David Galbraith  3 Chris Nunn
          David Tyrie  4 Barry Fuller
       Ben Bowditch(C) 5 Mark Ricketts
         Danny Foster  6 Bob Thanda
          Lee Barnett  7 Lloyd Sam
          Mark Yeates  8 Karl Beckford
        Jamie Slabber  9 Alex Varney
           Mario Noto 10 Stacy Long
        Nicky Wettner 11 Michael Gordon

       Jonathan Black 12 Chris Cerroni
          (10) 78Mins    (10) 46 Mins
         Robert Burch 13 
          Danny Perry 14 Osei Sankofa
                         (2) 46Mins
      Michael Malcolm 15 Simon Jackson
         (7) 90+ Mins    (4) 70 Mins

Scorers:- Slabber 44(pen), 72

Booked:- Long (dissent) 45, Fuller (late) 45+

This was the first game at the Lodge after the Christmas break. The senior youth side contained most of the players that played in the cup on Wednesday, and they entertained our South London rivals Charlton. The morning was warming up with the dew causing a slippery surface to contend with for the players in front of the small band of watchers. Spurs lined up with Bowditch in between Foster on his right and Tyrie on his left. In front of them was Barnett, flanked by Yeates on the right and Wettner to his left. Ifil occupied the right wing-back position with winger Galbraith on the left.

Spurs kicked off attacking the left goal and spent almost the whole of the half in the "Addicks", end with Rutherford having to collect one centre and a corner during this time. Delo in the visitors goal was a little more busy with efforts from Slabber, Tyrie, Barnett and Yeates with Slabber and Noto going close, before Slabber released Yeates who headed straight for goal only to be tripped for a penalty. Jamie smashed the ball to the keeper's left as he went the other way. There was still time for a Slabber header just wide of the post before the end of the half.

Charlton made two changes for the second half and looked more threatening as they made a couple of chances with Foster blocking one effort from Cerroni and a couple of shots went just wide with Rutherford collecting another centre. Spurs then resumed the pressure at the other end with Slabber missing a hatful of chances before Rutherford made his first save collecting an effort from Gordon who was the best of the "Addicks"' side.

Spurs made the game safe with a second just after seventy minutes when they forced a corner on the left. Yeates quickly played the ball back to Galbraith who swung it into the near post where Bowditch touched it onto the post. Slabber was the quickest to the rebound for his second of the game.

Rutherford had to come off his line to collect at the feet of Varney before making a reflex save, tipping over a Tyrie clearance near the end. Yeates moved up front when Noto was taken off and Tyrie chased a long ball into the Charlton area as he found time to go forward before Malcolm came on in stoppage time to give Barnett a rest.

This was a good team performance with Tyrie in command at the back marshalling the defence and giving Rutherford little to do as we kept a clean sheet. We had a dominating midfield with the ever-running Yeates everywhere, not in the role he played on Wednesday. Slabber did a good job up front, winning the ball in the air; linking up the midfield, and having a lot of efforts on goal.

Next Saturday the match at the Lodge will be the U-17's who will be playing Arsenal with an 11am ko.

Ray

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