Training Ground Friendly
         Spurs Lodge, Chigwell, Essex
            Wednesday 11th May 2011
                 12.02pm k.o.

         SPURS XI    v    WEST HAM XI 
      (White/Blue)       (Claret/Blue)
          4-4-2              4-4-2

           3(1)               2(2) 

      Oscar Jansson  1  Ruud Boffin
     Nathan Byrne(C) 2  Jordan Spence(C)
       John Bostock  3  Callum Driver
     Jake Livermore  4  Ahmed Abdulla
   Sebastien Bassong 5  Callum McNaughton
         Ledley King 6  Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson
        Dean Parrett 7  George Moncur
         Tom Carroll 8  Olly Lee
      Jonathan Obika 9  Frank Nouble
         Harry Kane 10  Zavron Hines
    Andros Townsend 11  Christian Montano

   Paul-Jose M'Poku 12  Jordan Brown
       (11)68Mins.     (2)63Mins.
                     13 
  Cameron Lancaster 14  Eoin Wearon
         (10)68Mins     (4)63Mins
     Massimo Luongo 15 
          (8)68Mins
    Sasha Jovanovic 16  Dominic Vose
          (7)68Mins     (10)46Mins
                    18  Junior Stanislas
                         (9)63Mins

Scorers:-
        Kane 20, 54     Montano 1
        M'Poku 82       Hines 2 

Coach:-
        C. Ramsey    S. Lomas

Having not made the journey north, I was able to go to the Lodge for this development match. With the disappointment of the previous evening's match casting a shadow over the morning, it was a cool day with a dark clouds overhead. As it is the end of the football season for most clubs, our loan players returned to play a friendly game with the Hammers' reserve team providing the opposition. There was only a team-sheet for the Spurs side so I have had to do a little digging for the visitors.

Spurs lined up with King and Bassong at the back in front of Jansson with Byrne on the right and Bostock on the left. Livermore and Carroll started in the centre of midfield with Parrett on the right flank and Townsend on the left. Kane played in support of Obika up front.

Spurs kicked off attacking the South end but found themselves two goals down in the space of two minutes before they had settled down. Firstly Bostock was slow to react when the ball was played over his head down the right for Montano to run into the area and fire under Jansson. Then Nouble beat King to play in Hines on the left who was able to get into the area to drive low past Jansson.

The visitors closed down quickly to force errors from the home side until the midfield began to string a few passes together and begin to stretch the play. Byrne began to make runs on the right while Bostock was pinned back by Nouble. Kane played Okiba through but his effort was wide. The keeper saved Kane's shot from distance, before Obika attacked a ball into the far post. He met the ball with his head, but the keeper deflected it with his fist which then caught the striker in the face. The next attack saw Carroll cross from the left towards the far post where Kane stretched to meet it. The keeper saved it and also the follow-up from Kane at the expense of a corner. Carroll took the corner and Bassong's header was saved.

Spurs were now playing quick passing football reminiscent of their Academy days and it was only a matter of time before they broke through. Livermore won the ball in the middle and after laying it off, made a run to the left where he was found with a little dink over the top. Jake got down to the line and crossed for Kane to fire home.

Hines won a free kick on the left which he took himself but fired it high and wide. Townsend, who had been working the left side, cut inside to fire an effort wide. After Livermore had been brought down when played through, he took the free kick. He curled it around the wall but Boffin saved to his right. Townsend had another shot that flew wide before a run and cross was played on by Livermore to Kane who hit it wide. Obika tried his luck from outside the area on the right and his effort beat the keeper but hit the near post and when Kane got to the ball first he also hit the same post.

A corner from the left found Bassong at the far post, but his looping header was cleared off the line. In the final minute of the half Lee got forward but his effort was saved.

West Ham replaced Montano for the second half as he was getting frustrated and in danger of losing his cool. Spurs continued as they left off with Kane having his effort blocked and the ball running to Obika who was flagged off side. Obika was played through with only the keeper to beat but Boffin saved for a corner. Townsend took the kick and found the head of Bassong but the ball went over the bar.

The equaliser came shortly after, following a West Ham corner that was cleared to Parrett on the left. He played the ball up the left to Obika who out-paced the defender and squared the ball to Kane on his own in the middle of the goal giving the keeper no chance. It was almost all one way traffic from then on although Nouble got the better of King but could not keep his shot down.

McNaughton headed a corner just wide of the far post before Obika saw his effort saved for a corner. West Ham made three changes and after Townsend had an effort saved, Spurs made four. M'Poku replaced Townsend on the left, Lancaster replaced Kane up front, Luongo took over from Carroll in the centre of midfield and Jovanovic,a trialist, replaced Parrett on the right. They were soon getting involved with M'Poku having a shot saved and Lancaster two efforts blocked.

Livermore set up Obika for a shot that was saved for a corner before Jovanovic got down the right and crossed for M'Poku to fire low past Boffin for Spurs to take the lead. With all bar Jansson in the visitors half, Spurs continued to look for more goals as Lancaster won a corner and then had his next effort saved, before Jovanovic saw his attempt blocked before the Hammers were saved by the final whistle.

The game started with the Spurs side looking like a bunch of strangers and on the end of a hammering but once they began to put together their passing game it was as if they had never been apart. Having been stung by the two quick goals they showed that they were too quick for West Ham, playing the quick passing game they learnt under Inglethorpe. Spurs should have had a hat-full of goals. Having seen Rose playing at left back for the first team, it was interesting to see Bostock play there today. The weakest players in the team were King and Bassong – the most experienced players on the field. It does suggest that the players have not suffered by going out on loan as West Ham competed in the reserve league. It was good to see King in action but he took it easy most of the time.

Ray