Premier Reserve League, South
        Brisbane Road, Leyton, E10
        Monday 16th March 2009, 7pm

         SPURS     v     CHELSEA
      (White/Blue)      (All Blue)
         4-4-2            4-3-3 

          4(2)             0(0)

      Ben Alnwick  1 Rhys Taylor
Pascal Chimbonda(C)2 Seth Ofori-Twumasi
      Gareth Bale  3 Jeffrey Bouma
  Tom Huddlestone  4 Michael Mancienne
    Ricardo Rocha  5 Patrick Van Aanholt
         Gilberto  6 Mineiro
    David Bentley  7 Jacob Mellis
       Danny Rose  8 Liam Bridcutt(C)
Roman Pavlyuchenko 9 Franco Di Santo
 Fraizer Campbell 10 Fabio Borini
  Andros Townsend 11 Miroslav Stoch

     Jamie Butler 12 Frank Nouble
                     (10)60Mins.
       Adam Smith 13 Nick Heimann
   Jake Livermore 14 Daniel Philliskirk
        (8)60Mins.   (8)57Mins.
     John Bostock 15 Nikki Ahamed
       (11)76Mins.   (2)89Mins.
   Jonathan Obika 16 Conor Clifford   
       (7)60Mins.    

Coaches:-
         C. Allen    

Scorers:-
      Chimbonda 6 
      Campbell 25, 86(pen) 
      Huddlestone 62

Booked:-
     Rose 20(Late)    Mineiro 64(Late)
                      Mancienne 73(Handball)  
                      V. Aanholt 90(Late)

Attendance:- ~ 250

Referee:- G. Jerden

Assistants:- C. Miller, N. Field, D. Sotimirin

Spurs lined up with Rocha and Gilberto at the back with Chimbonda at right back and Bale on the left. Huddlestone and Rose started in the centre of midfield with Bentley on the right side and Townsend on the left. Campbell and Pavlyuchenko started up front.

Spurs kicked off the first half attacking the north end using the pace of Townsend backed up by Bale to stretch the inexperienced visitors and provide crosses for the strikers. The young Blues players showed lots of energy to try and close down the Spurs players and Di Santo was put through but he hit his effort over. Spurs won a corner which was partially cleared to Bale who crossed to the far post where Chimbonda had stayed. He took one touch before hitting it low past Taylor in the goal.

Spurs had most of the possession throughout the game as they were stronger and more experienced than the visitors and it was mainly due to some slack play from them that gave Chelsea any chances at all as well as keeping the score down.

Townsend was released down the left and his cross was turned wide of the far post. Huddlestone released Bale and his cross was turned wide at the near post by Campbell. Taylor then saved from Rose before Mineiro tested Alnwick. Bentley took a free kick but hit it well over the bar. Stoch cut inside and fired over. Rose was doing a lot of chasing in the midfield and caught Mellis late shortly after being spoken to by the ref and was duly booked.

Pavlyuchenko held up the ball before playing Campbell in for a run at goal. Campbell out-paced Mancienne and lifted the ball over Taylor to increase the lead. Bale took the next free kick and forced Taylor into a good save. Taylor also saved the next free kick taken by Huddlestone. Alnwick saved from Borini for a corner and when the corner was taken Mancienne connected with a overhead kick which Alnwick saved for another corner. Bridcutt fired wide before Townsend had a chance that was saved.

There were no changes for the start of the second half and Spurs continued to dominate with Bentley firing a free kick from an acute angle that Taylor saved. Campbell set up Pavlyuchenko but he turned it wide of the goal. Mancienne had a long range effort go wide before Rose also went wide at the other end.

After Alnwick saved a free kick by Stoch Clive made two changes. Obika came on for the ineffective Bentley and went to the left side with Townsend crossing to the right. Livermore replaced the tiring Rose in the middle. Campbell was fouled on the edge of the area as he dribbled along the line which gave Huddlestone another Free kick chance. This time he beat the keeper to his right for a 3-0 lead.

Mineiro then got a yellow card for another foul on the lively Campbell. Huddlestone took the free kick and put it to the keepers left but Taylor saved it at the second attempt. Campbell changed places with Obika and got to the line on the left and tried to cross but Mancienne handled to concede a penalty. Pavlyuchenko took the kick and blasted it over the bar much to the relief of the Chelsea faithful in the stand.

After Nouble put his effort over the bar Allen made his last substitution - replacing Townsend with Bostock. Pavlyuchenko put a chance wide and Huddlestone was off target with the next free kick. Campbell drove wide before he won another penalty when he was played through on the right by Chimbonda and tripped by Philliskirk a yard inside the area. This time Campbell took the kick himself and put it to Taylor’s right for 4-0. In the last minute Van Aanholt was the unlucky player to get a yellow for trying to stop Campbell wide on the right. The last chance of the game fell to Nouble but Alnwick saved comfortably.

With such a strong side (Ed: Almost UEFA Cup proportions!)there was only going to be one winner and despite the half-hearted performances by Bentley and Pavlyuchenko the hard work put in by Campbell, Rose, Townsend and Bale had the visitors on the backfoot for much of the time with the rest of the defence having an easy time of it. Huddlestone had plenty of time to pick his passes and even used his weight to dispossess opponents a few times. This side may only have played to keep players sharp for the first team as there are no more midweek games but it did give Bale his first league win in a Spurs shirt. The four goals see Spurs go above Chelsea on goal difference as well. The next Chelsea game is on Saturday morning when the Academy side take them on, and some of the lads were in the crowd tonight. Next week the Reserves play West Brom at the Hawthorns.

Ray

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