Premier U-18 Southern League, 2018-19
    Hotspur Way, Whitewebbs Lane, Enfield
       Saturday 6th October 2018, 11am

           SPURS     v    NORWICH
        (White/Blue)   (Yellow/Green)
          4-1-4-1         4-2-3-1

            7(3)            0(0)

   Joshua Oluwayemi  1  Daniel Barden
     Maximus Tainio  2  Aaron Ekumah
      Dennis Cirkin  3  Matt Richardson
       Harvey White  4  Louis Lomas(C)
    Maxwell Statham  5  Andrew Omobamidele
         Luis Binks  6  Saul Milovanovic
    Dilan Markanday  7  Anis Mehmeti
 Armando Shashoua(C) 8  Denzelle Olopade
       Troy Parrott  9  Tyrese Omotoye
  Phoenix Patterson 10  Isak Thorvaldsson
       Rayan Clarke 11  Atli Barkarson

    Jabril Okendina 12  Jaden Thompson-Brissett
          (6)70Mins     (2)66Mins
  Kacper Kurylowicz 13
     Elliott Thorpe 14  Anthonious Berkeley
         (10)66Mins
Maurizio Pochettino 15  Spencer Keller
          (7)75Mins
    Jeremie Mukendi 16  Josh Giurgi
                        (8)66Mins
                    17  Eddie Jackson

Scorers:-
    White 11
    Clarke 30, 60
    Shashoua 38
    Markanday 47
    Parrott 59
    Pochettino 79

Booked:-
  White 31(Holding)     Mehmeti 87(Foul)
                        Thompson-Brissett 88(Foul)

Coach:-
         Matt Wells     David Wright

Referee:– Stephen Bates

It was a chilly wet morning for the visit of bottom club Norwich City in a game thankfully brought forward by an hour. The "Canaries", who are without a win, lost their last game 5-1 to second placed Arsenal while Spurs hammered West Ham 9-0. Last year Spurs beat Norwich here 4-0 on the opening day of the season.

Spurs lined up with Oluwayemi in goal behind Statham and Binks with Tainio at right back and Cirkin on the left. White anchored the midfield with Shashoua and Patterson ahead of him. They were flanked by Markanday on the right and Clarke on the left in support of Parrott up front.

Spurs defended the North end in the first half but soon showed their attacking intent when Patterson fired wide from a corner. Clarke crossed from the left for Parrott to drive wide before Spurs took the lead. It came from a free kick to the right of the Norwich goal. White stepped up and hit the ball over the wall into the near side.

Norwich almost got back into the game when Thorvaldsson beat Oluwayemi to the ball but Statham cleared off the line. Spurs continued to dominate and Shashoua saw his effort hit the bar before they doubled their lead when White played in Clarke on the left and his drive beat Barden. White was booked for stopping a counter attack before Oluwayemi saved from Mehmeti. Parrott played in Shashoua who had found space at the far post to make it three before he had a deflected effort saved himself, having been played in by Patterson before the break.

There were no changes for the start of the second half which saw Clarke sent though in the opening minute to hit the near post. The reprieve was only tempory as Patterson played in Markanday coming in off the right. The wideman's first effort was saved by Barden but he netted the rebound.

It was now a case of how many Spurs would score as Parrott had another effort saved from Clarkes' cross. Parrott did finally get on the scoresheet when he got in to the near post and turned his effort against the post but reacted quickest to put away the rebound.

The sixth goal arrived a minute later when Shashoua played in Clarke to drill home. Three minutes later Cirkin was fouled in the area for a penalty. Regular penalty taker White allowed Patterson to take the kick as he was soon to go off, which may have been a mistake. The young Scottish international hit it well to his right but Barden had guessed right and saved just inside the post.

A minute later Markanday hit the right post after a good dribbling run. Both sides made double substitutions with Patterson making way for Thorpe and Markanday for Pochettino for Spurs. They were followed soon after by Okendina coming on for Binks which suggests Spurs were thinking of next week's Checkatrade Trophy game at the Valley.

Shashoua drew another save from Barden who then pushed an effort by Thorpe onto his left post and away for a corner. Shashoua played in Parrott to force another save from the keeper before Parrott set up Pochettino to score the last goal with a powerful strike from the edge of the area.

Thompson-Brissett drew a save from Oluwayemi before Parrott had another effort cleared off the line. Mehmeti was booked for taking out Clarke as he made another run down the left and he was followed into the ref's book by Thompson-Brissett for a late tackle on Shashoua. In the last minute Parrott drew another save from the overworked Barden.

This was another feast of goals from a rampant Spurs side that keeps them a point clear at the top of the table taking their league goals tally to 35 in seven games. The wet conditions did not hinder Spurs' passing game as they just flowed through the porous Norwich defence. Their keeper Daniel Barden, who was on trial with the "Canaries", must be sick of the sight of Spurs as he was in goal for Arsenal last season when Spurs put nine past him. He did keep the score down and made a good penalty save so maybe he will be taken on and he will hope to do better in the return. There is now a two week break before Spurs play Aston Villa who sit fourth having lost 3-0 to Leicester City.

Ray

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