FA BARCLAYCARD PREMIERSHIP RESERVE LEAGUE (SOUTH)
(at Broadhall Way, Stevenage)
THURSDAY 28TH APRIL, 2005
SPURS RESERVES 2 (1) COVENTRY RESERVES 2 (1)

Spurs scorer:-
Yeates, 7, 56

Coventry scorers:-
Wood, 28
Davis, 62

Referee: - Mr. S. Beck

Attendance: - Est: - 250

Teams:-
Spurs (4-4-2):- Burch; Ifil, Bunjevcevic (Capt.), Defendi, Hallfredsson (sub McKie, 55); Limbersky (sub Dilevski, 83), Jackson, O’Hara (sub McKenna, 70), Yeates; Barnard, El Hamdaoui

Subs not used: - Eyre; Malcolm

Booked: - Yeates, Ifil

Coventry (4-4-2);- Tuffey; Hall, Bains, Wall, Lynch; Nicelli, Wood (Capt.), Thornton, Davis; Reid, Sidhu (sub McCrink, 81)

Subs not used:- Turner, Ogarro, Layfield, Stringfellow

Booked: - Thornton

In their last Reserve League game of the season, Spurs played such attractive football for the first 20 minutes that a rout of similar proportions to the 5-0 away win this season looked on the cards. Mark Yeates had given Spurs the lead as early as the 7th minute, but ultimately, Spurs gung-ho style might have played a big part in the spoils being shared, although credit is of course due to the Sky Blues, who eventually managed to close down the opposition and respond with plenty of threat themselves.

The Spurs side was predominantly young and inexperienced, with Goran Bunjevcevic the only “old hand” and skipper, but most of this team has had plenty of Reserve experience this season. Phil Ifil was welcomed back from his Youth Cup exploits, and Jamie O’Hara got a start in the middle. For a change, Lee Barnard had to take a back seat after scoring hat-tricks in his last two home games, whilst Yeates took the scoring glory, and El Hamdaoui impressed with his swift and skilful touches. Ifil played a prominent part on the attack, and John Jackson provided great drive in the engine-room. Limbersky was clever down the right flank, but Spurs were perhaps over-committing themselves to attack, leaving gaps at the back, exploited by left-winger Liam Davis, and the quick strikers, Reid and Sidhu. With Thornton and Wood battling in the middle for Coventry, the draw was the right result in the end, especially as the visitors had more close calls than Spurs, although the woodwork was struck at both ends.

Hallfredsson did not look too comfortable at left back, but he did get a knock and was replaced in the second half by Marcel McKie. Bunjee and Defendi did not convince against a pair of strikers that were of smaller stature, but swifter to move for the ball. Yeates led Spurs after 4 minutes with a good run down the inside right channel, passing to his left for El Hamdaoui to try a low shot, held by Jonathan Tuffey. Three minutes later, Spurs took the lead, after a throw from the right and a pass inside to Yeates who ran to the left beating his defender, beating Tuffey, with a well-placed low shot. Limbersky was soon brought down on the edge of the box, but the Coventry wall did its job, blocking a pile-driver from Jackson. Coventry at last responded after 12 minutes, thanks to a good ball from Nicelli on the right, finding Davis at the back of the area, in space, whose shot went across Burch and wide.

After 14 minutes, Jamie O’Hara hit a cracking rising shot that missed the top right corner by no more than two feet from 25 yards. Some crisp passing football from Spurs featured O’Hara and Yeates in the build-up before Jackson made himself available in the box, but El Hamdaoui hit a good shop just wide of the post. More great play came from Spurs half, as Jackson fed Ifil, who made a great run, heading the ball past the defence then taking on the run, hitting a dipping 35 yard shot that fell just over the bar. When Barnard sent the ball over from the right after more great skill, and El Hamdaoui’s shot rebounded into play off the meat of the post, one felt that Spurs should already have been streets ahead.

Coventry came back though, and after Yeates took an early booking from the slow and pedantic referee, Spurs had to defend a couple of free kicks. Burch mis-handled the second of these and his poor touch on the ball led to a corner from which centre-back Wall rose to head home in the 28th minute. Coventry were now successfully closing us down, and we didn’t get a clear chance till the approach of half-time, as Barnard did well with his back to goal, turned and fired across the keeper.

Five minutes into the second half, Mark Yeates took advantage of the no offside from a throw-in rule, to collect Barnard’s throw from the Spurs half, and lead the play into the Coventry box. Yeates passed back for El Hamdaoui who had time to make a killing finish, but instead saw Tuffey make a good save. From a keeper’s clearance, Bunjecevic made a hash of an attempt to win the header, and the ball was passed to Sidhu, who was in space but shot wide. Mark Yeates gave Spurs a welcome lead in the 56th minute, sweeping up with a powerful low shot, after Barnard’s shot from O’Hara’s left field cross had been saved.

Barnard then got a knock, and perhaps should have been replaced earlier. It was his attempted pass to Ifil that fell short and was pounced upon by Liam Davis making a great run from the half-way line and a fantastic driven finish from 25 yards to Burch’s top left corner. The shot was unstoppable. Burch’s handling had now improved and he did well to pluck Reid’s shot from the air above his head. Reid soon had another chance go wide, after a poor pass from Barnard led to a Coventry attack. Ifil found McKie with a great long ball from right to left. McKie got to the bye-line and cut back for substitute Kieran McKenna who hit a weak shot at the keeper, but soon tested him with a good effort after a clever touch from El Hamdaoui to create the chance.

Coventry came closest to securing a win towards the end as firstly Nicelli fired wide from a Thornton run and pass, and then from a late corner they had a header land on the Spurs bar

Spurs have finished fifth in the Reserve League, and over the course of the season, Clive Allen’s side has entertained us far more than I can remember for several years. All credit then to the Development staff, and to the young players, so many of whom show great promise for the future of Spurs.

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