Premier League International Cup 2018-10
       Colney Training Ground, Norfolk
       Friday 18th January 20189, 2pm

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

            2(1)             2(1)

      Aston Oxborough  1  Brandon Austin
          Bilal Kamal  2  Tariq Hinds
       Calab Richards  3  Jamie Reynolds
          Louis Lomas  4  George Marsh
       Ciaren Jones(C) 5  Japhet Tanganga(C)
     Saul Milovanovic  6  Timothy Eyoma
    Isak Thorvaldsson  7  Shilow Tracey
       Louis Thompson  8  Tashan Oakley-Boothe
       Anthony Spyrou  9  Vincent Janssen
            Adam Idah 10  Jack Roles
           Josh Coley 11  Anthony Georgiou

   Andrew Omobamidele 12  Dylan Duncan
                          (10)79Mins
        Jon McCracken 13  Jonathan De Bie
          Alfie Payne 14  Shayon Harrison
            (6)60Mins     (7)60Mins
           Tom Scully 15  Maximus Tainio
            (8)60Mins     (3)79Mins

Scorers:-
    Spyrou 38             Oakley-Boothe 35
    Thorvaldsson 81       Roles 70

Booked:-
    Jones 9(Pull)         Georgiou 49(Late)
    Thorvaldsson 56(Pull)

Coaches:-
         David Wright     Wayne Burnett

Referee:– Alan Young
Assistants:– Jonathon Block & Martin Chester
Fourth Official:– Alister Wilson 

Spurs travelled to Norwich a day earlier than originally scheduled on a cold morning. The training ground was halfway through a programme to build a new Centre. The main pitch has had floodlights added and a small stand which while a good addition had poor sight lines. I had to change seats as the one I started with broke beneath me. Norwich are struggling in the second division but won their last match against Aston Villa.

Spurs' season has been up and down, and they drew their last game at West Ham. Spurs are second in Group C of this International Cup competition behind VfL Wolfsburg who they beat at Stevenage 2-1 and making them well placed to top the group. Norwich have one point from the two games they have played and prop up the group going into their last match.

Spurs lined up with Austin in goal behind Tanganga and Eyoma with Hinds at right back and Reynolds making a first start on the left. Marsh anchored the midfield with Oakley-Boothe and Roles ahead of him. Tracey, making a first start on returning from injury, was on the right flank and Georgiou on the left in support of Janssen up front. On the short bench was Harrison - back from injury.

Spurs defended the West end in the first half but sought to impose themselves on the home side who defended in numbers looking to break on the counter. Oakley-Boothe played in Georgiou on the left for an early chance that was blocked for a corner. The Norwich captain Jones received an early booking when he pulled back Tracey on a run through the middle.

Roles set up Janssen for a strike that was saved by Oxborough. The same combination produced another save before Coley drew a save from Austin at the other end. Tanganga headed wide at a corner as Spurs continued to put pressure on the home defence.

Roles played a one-two with Janssen to get in on the left but his effort was saved. Another one-two produced the opening goal when Oakley-Boothe got through from the return by Janssen for a one-on-one with Oxborough to score. Norwich won a corner which was not well cleared and when Milovanovic centred Spyrou was able to turn the ball in from six yards. The teams went in level at half-time despite Spurs having the better of the play.

There were no changes for the start of the second half which began the same as the first, as Georgiou played in Roles for an early chance that he hit wide. Georgiou picked up a booking for a late challenge after he lost the ball. Thorvaldsson was next in the ref's book for pulling back Oakley-Boothe on another goal-bound run.

Norwich made a double change to freshen up their midfield and Spurs replaced Tracey with Harrison at the same time. Georgiou played in Janssen for another shot that was saved before the striker was involved with the second Spurs goal. It was another one-two played by Roles to fire in low from the left.

Norwich responded by pushing forward in search of another equaliser with Thorvaldsson forcing a corner from Austin's save. Spurs made a double change with Duncan replacing Roles in midfield and Tainio coming on for Reynolds. Tainio went to right back with Hinds switching to the left.

Norwich won a corner on the left which was played into the middle. Austin got a hand to it as he was bundled into the net by the Norwich big boys and Thorvaldsson turned the ball in at the far post. We had a long delay as Austin needed treatment for his injury and was stretchered off to go to hospital for a check up. Having used all their subs Tanino went into goal and Spurs finished the game with ten men.

Norwich mounted a sustained attack with their one-man advantange and Tainio had to make a save from Idah when he got through but many of the attacks were defended well by Spurs. Payne fire wide as did Sculley from a half cleared corner. Tainio stood up well even when three or four yellow shirts crowded him at the corners. Spurs held out for the fourteen minutes indicated by the fourth official to get a draw.

Spurs should have won this encounter but for the dogged defending which earned the home side a point, as they failed to take advantage of Spurs losing their keeper. The draw leaves Spurs in second place behind Wolfsburg on goal difference with one game to play. That will be against Atletico Bilbao with either side able to win the group. That game will be held at Stevenage on the 23rd January.

Ray

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