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Courtesy of:- Ray Lo, and the Spurs List.
Premier Academy League, Group B
Reading Training Ground,
Hogwood Park, Finchampstead
Tuesday 5th April 2011, 1pm
CARDIFF CITY v SPURS
(All Black) (White/Blue)
4-4-2 4-4-2
0(0) 0(0)
Liam Matthews 1 Jonathon Miles
Adam Davies 2 Callum Tapping
Josh Powell 3 Daniel Day
Brad Williams 4 Massimo Luongo
Adedesi Oshilala 5 Kevin Stewart
Josh Yorwerth 6 William Ekong
Luke Jones 7 Jack Munns(C)
Joe Ralls 8 Ronnie Hawkins
Gethin Hill 9 Shaquille Coulthirst
Theo Walton 10 Freddie Champion
Jordan Carter 11 Paul McBride
Dane Griffiths 12 Jack Barthram
(7)75Mins. (2)55Mins.
Reece Ottley 13 Jordan Archer
Jay Bowen 14
Tommy O'Sullivan 15
16 Kenneth McEvoy
(10)62Mins.
Coach:-
L. Skyrme A. Inglethorpe
It was a very overcast and cold afternoon but thankfully there was no rain for this re-arranged group match. It was being held midway between London and Cardiff at the Reading training ground. Due to the unusual venue their were only three spectators including myself. Our Academy mqnager thanked me for coming. Both teams had U-16 players, although without a teamsheet I cannot be sure of all the players. As usual I apologise for any mistakes due to the lack of the teamsheet. (Ed:- Cardiff have confirmed their team names to Ray, but their positions above are not necessarily correct)
Spurs lined up with Stewart and Ekong at the back with Tapping at right back and Day on the left. Luongo and Hawkins continued in the centre of midfield with Munns on the right flank and McBride on the left. Champion supported Coulthirst up front.
Spurs kicked off the first half attacking the north end and soon began to look threatening. The centre pairing of Hawkins and Luongo were at the heart of most of the attacking play and prevented almost all the Cardiff approach play from getting anywhere near Miles in the goal.
Hawkins initiated the first chance of the game with a long diagonal pass to Tapping on the right who played the ball inside to Munns who crossed to Coulthirst near the penalty spot. Unfortunately Coulthirst fired over. Sainte-Luce got free of the defence but saw his low drive saved by Miles. Luongo fired wide as the Bluebirds were being caged in their own half and only a last ditch block deflected Coulthirst's low drive up onto the crossbar and away to safety. McBride missed a good chance when a corner from Munns cleared everybody to bounce up at the far post. The same player failed to connect with a lovely low cross from the right at the far post after Coulthirst had missed it.
That was the way the first half went with plenty of Spurs possession and good approach work but no end product. Hawkins continued to find Tapping or Munns in space on the right flank but good defending kept the Cardiff goal intact.
The second half started in the same vein with Munns playing the ball inside to Champion who played in McBride but he fired wide. Inglethorpe made two early changes replacing Tapping with Barthram and McEvoy coming on for Champion to work on the right flank with Munns moving inside. Hawkins fired in an effort that the keeper saved and Coulthirst somehow reached a Munns corner at the far post but could not get a good boot to the ball as it flew over. He did make the keeper save a minute later. The woodwork came to the rescue of Cardiff again when McEvoy drove in a shot at the far post. It looked like it hit the post and then rebounded off the keeper onto the crossbar before going behind for a goal kick.
There was a pause as a Cardiff player had to receive attention and was substituted before Spurs continued to pressure the home side. Munns fired wide and McEvoy saw his effort from the right saved by the keeper, with no-one able to pounce on the loose ball, which was not cleared far, dropping to McBride unmarked on the left. McBride could not keep the ball down while well placed. McBride's finishing was off today as he fired wide at the far post from another corner by Munns. It is a position where he usually tucks the ball in, but today he could not manage it. Cardiff had been better in the second half but Spurs were passing the ball better and defending so well that the only effort came in added time and went wide.
How Spurs did not score and win this game I will never know. This was definitely a loss of two points as Spurs dominated the game, controlling the midfield but could not find the net. Luongo was head and shoulders above the rest and this was also the best game by Hawkins so far. Munns also stood out as Spurs passed the ball well and the back four dealt well with what came into their half of the pitch. It was just a shame that like the first team at the moment (ED: At the time of writing!)they could not find the net.
Last Saturday (09.04.11)the Academy travelled to Southampton for an inter-group game. Southampton are currently top of Group A while we have joined Reading in 4th place but with an inferior goal difference. We have beaten both West Ham and Arsenal but lost to second placed Fulham in Group A so far. The game kicked off at 11.30am at their Marchwood training ground.
Ray
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