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Courtesy of:- Ray Lo, and the Spurs List
FA Premier Academy League, Group B
Spurs Lodge, Luxbourgh Lane, Chigwell, Essex
Saturday 11th December 2004, ko 11am
SPURS V MK DONS
(White/Blue) (Red/Red)
4-4-2 4-4-2
3(1) 3(2)
Spurs :- Forecast, Kyriacou(O'Hara 63), Wright, Lewis, McKenna(C), Riley,
Heller(Barcham 63), Seanla, Thyer(Dawkins 75), Maghoma, Daniels
Scorers - McKenna pen 30, Seanla 77, Lewis 83.
Dons :- Including Webb, Emery, Morley, Hornuss, Carter. The rest including
15 who came on for the 2 in the 87th minute are unknown due to no
teamsheet. If I have got any names wrong then I apologise now.
Scorers - No.3 33, McKenna og 45, No.7 or 11 54.
It was a cool morning with a drying pitch from sunshine in the second
half. The crowd was only around 60 with the first team squad away in
Manchester and the Reserves not playing until Tuesday. Charlie Lee, who had
an injury, came to watch what was mainly the Reserve players given a run
out after Tuesday nights cup-tie.
Spurs lined up with McKenna and Riley, not recognised as centrebacks, at
the back with Kyriacou at right back and Wright at left. Lewis and Maghoma
in centre midfield with Heller wide right and Daniels wide left in support
of Seanla and Thyer up front.
The home side kicked off attacking the South End and soon had Webb running
around his goal. After 11 minutes Seanla brought the first save from Webb
with a fierce cross shot. Seanla just failed to get on the end of Daniels'
low centre and Lewis fired wide with only a weak effort from Hornuss and a
couple of misses from the visitors before we took the lead. We had been
slowly putting pressure on the Dons when Richard Heller made a 30yd run
into the box when a defender handled the ball on the ground. The captain
Keiran McKenna stepped up and hit the ball into the bottom right corner to
take a well deserved lead.
The lead was short lived as the Dons scored from
a freekick, typical Dons. The ball was curled in from the right with a load
of big players attacking the far post, when the ball was not cleared the
full back stabbed it home. Spurs still had the better of the play with both
Stuart Lewis and Jacques Mahoma dominating the middle of the park. All that
changed with with a minute to go until the interval McKenna collected
the ball in space to the right of the goal and from 20yds calmly laid the
ball back to Tommy Forecast in goal. Unfortunately Tommy had come wide to
receive the expected ball and was stranded as the ball passed his despairing
lunge into the net.
Coming out for the second half the home side did not look worried and when
Scott Thyer danced into the box before seeing his rising shot hit the bar
we all thought that we would not be behind for long. The visitors had other
ideas buoyed by the goal they came forward more and when Carter fired in a
centre their No.7 threw himself at it. Whether he got a touch or not
Forecast was caught out and the ball went in at the far post. The big No.4
then forced Forecast into a good save to stop them embarrassing us further.
Pat Holland finally acted and made a double substitution by replacing John
Kyriacou and Heller with O'Hara and Barcham. Andy first went to the right
side before swapping wings with Charlie Daniels and pushing up to form a
three man attack with Jamie going into the back four with Chris Riley
moving to right back - a strange move that one. When Thyer had to go off
Holland put on Simon Dawkins as he tried to get back into the game. Daniels
put in a cross with went over Barcham who retrieved it and squared it for
Claude Seanla to turn in.
With heads raised and the bit between their teeth
Spurs pushed forward in search of the equaliser which soon came. The ball
was laid back to Lewis who struck a sweet volley from 20 yds past the
keepers left hand to set up an exciting finish. The visitors No.9 had a
weak effort saved and Lewis and Seanla both put chances wide before Dawkins
had the last chance with a header saved.
Not the greatest of games but after the cup-tie it was no suprise that
Holland would rest some of the players who played. It nearly backfired as
McKenna and Riley are not the tallest of players and the Dons had a few six
footers in their line-up. O'Hara also was put into the back instead of
where he can do the most damage - in an attacking midfield role. Coming
back from two goals down despite being the better of the two sides was good
to see and we came close to snatching all three points .
The academy now take a break and go home for the holidays until the new
year when the first match will be away to Bristol City. The Reserves play
their last game before Christmas on Tuesday at Upton Park against our
nursery club.
Ray
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