Premier U-21 League 2013-4
      Riverside Stadium, Middlesborough
        Monday 24th March 2014, 7.pm.

      MIDDLESBROUGH   v     SPURS
        (All Red)         (All Blue)
          4-3-3             4-3-3

           0(0)              1(0)

    Jayson Leutwiler  1 Luke McGee
    Bradley Halliday  2 Aaron McEneff
       Jonathan Burn  3 Connor Ogilvie
      Kieran Weledji  4 Filip Lesniak
       Birger Meling  5 Dominic Ball
      Robbie Tinkler  6 Giancarlo Gallifuoco
        Jordan Jones  7 Kenneth McEvoy
       Lewis Maloney  8 Harry Winks
     Bradley Fewster  9 Shaquile Coulthirst(C)
       Mark Kitching 10 Ruben Lameiras
     Ryan Brobbel(C) 11 Nathan Oduwa

      Ejiro Okosieme 12 Souleymane Coulibaly
                        (7)59Mins
        Joseph Fryer 13 Liam Priestley
       Lewis Sirrell 14 Alexander McQueen
           (8)74Mins    (2)74Mins
 Priestley Griffiths 15 Laste Dombaxe
           (6)87Mins    (8)51Mins
         Jake Fowler 16 
           (7)81Mins

Scorer:-  
                        Gallifouco 82

Booked:-  
    Kitching 81(Foul)

Coaches:-  
    J. Clapham          J. McDermott 

Attendance:– 267

Referee:– A. Miller
Assistants:- D. Woodward & E. Martin
Fourth Official:– S. Bayley

On a cold evening on Teeside, Spurs played the first of two games this week. They visited Middlesborugh who were two points behind them in the table.

Spurs lined up with McGee in goal behind Ball, back from suspension, and Gallifuoco with McEneff at right back and Ogilvie on the left. Lesniak anchored the midfield trio with Winks and Lameiras alongside him. Coulthirst led the line with McEvoy and Oduwa. These were the first starts for Oduwa and Ogilvie at this level. The "Boro" coach was former Spurs player Jamie Clapham, whose career started with Tottenham in the nineties.

Spurs kicked off the first half attacking the North end and soon settled into a good passing style while the home side looked to counter attack using the pace of their wide men. The first chance fell to Lameiras when he fired over from just outside the area. When Oduwa played a loose ball, Boro countered with Kitching who played in Brobbel. The winger drew McGee before shooting for the far corner which allowed Gallifuoco to get back and clear for a corner.

Maloney had an effort blocked and Fewster fired over. A long ball from Gallifuoco freed Coulthirst on the right for a chance that went wide for a corner. Ball then advanced before playing the ball inside Burn for McEvoy to get to the line and pull it back for Lameiras. The midfielder took a touch which enabled the defence to close him down and clear.

Another break saw Kitching fire wide. Burn turned a free kick wide before Winks played in McEvoy for a chance which he fired wide. Kitching was presented with a chance in the area that was deflected over the bar for a corner which the same player headed wide. In added time at the end of the half Coulthirst fired wide.

There were no changes at the start of the second half but Winks had to be replaced early by Dombaxe. Spurs continued to have more possession as Coulthirst saw his long range effort saved. Lameiras played in Ogilvie to draw a save before Brobbel chased down a ball that McGee came out to collect, taking it to the left. The Spurs keeper redeemed himself by saving his shot.

McEvoy had to come off after he was caught late. He was replaced by Coulibaly. The Ivorian went up front with Coulthirst moving to the left while Oduwa switched to the right.

Ogilvie found Coulibaly with a centre. The striker headed the ball into the arms of Leutwiler, who quickly started a counter which ended with Jones firing wide.

A corner played by Lameiras back to Ogilvie was fired over by the full back. Lameiras saw his drive saved for a corner. The home side were now pushing forward more, with Maloney firing wide and Jones lifting his effort over the bar. McGee saved from Brobbel when he was played in by Kitching.

McEneff found Coulthirst with a centre which the striker drove across the keeper, who saved pushing the ball out for a corner. Spurs made their last change replacing McEneff with McQueen.

A Lameiras free kick was headed back across the goal by Ball for Oduwa to fire wide. The wideman was hurt reaching the ball and had to have treatment before continuing. Fewster fired wide before Spurs scored. McQueen carried the ball out of defence before he was brought down by Kitching after traveling 50 yards. The Boro player was booked for the foul. Oduwa took the kick playing it inside to Lameiras who curled the ball to the far post where Gallifuoco headed home.

McQueen got down the right and crossed for Coulthirst to fire wide before Lameiras drew a save from Leutwiler. Boro made an attacking substitution as they put Spurs under pressure looking for an equaliser. Good defending only allowed Brobbel a chance which he put wide. Coulthirst played in Coulibaly for a chance that he fired over as the game went into added time.

This was a good win for Spurs in a game where both defences were on top for most of the game allowing few chances. Spurs had most of the possession but Middlesborough had the best chances to score. The win moves Spurs four places up the table to 13th. Their next game is at White Hart Lane on Friday when the visitors will be Arsenal who beat West Ham 5-3 this evening.

Ray

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