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With a number of players now out on loan, or on various youth and full international duties, tonight’s side was largely staffed by academy players, most of whom were involved in in the U18 game on Saturday. With a shortage of wide midfielders and forwards, Jacques Maghoma and Takura Mtandari were asked to occupy either flank, and U16 player Kudus Oyenuga started up front alongside Ryan Mason. Yaser Kasim joined captain Jake Livermore in central midfield and Calum Butcher partnered Ricardo Rocha in central defence.

Villa are a quality side at this level (a victory here would have seen them clinch the Reserve League South title), and boast a player who is almost certainly a future star in Nathan Delfouneso. In spite of this, Spurs started the stronger, and had the better of the opening exchanges. The quality on the ball of Mason and Kasim meant plenty of penetration centrally. As the half wore on, Delfouneso started to cause problems on the counter with his pace and skill, and Villa began to demonstrate their quality before taking a deserved lead. Rocha, in particular, was looking very uncomfortable, but Spurs struck back quickly after a clever turn and shot by Mason deflected to Mtandari, who was brought down inside the area. Mason converted the penalty with an unstoppable strike into the top left corner.

At half time, Steven Caulker replaced Rocha, who appeared to have picked up a slight knock. The second half was a scrappy, end-to-end affair, with neither team managing any sustained pressure. Villa still looked a threat on the counter, and Spurs looking dangerous down the right. It was from the left though, that the winning goal came, when Maghoma’s back heel put Gilberto into the box and he was brought down. Maghoma stepped up, and missed the penalty with a poor effort, but the referee ordered a retake due to encroachment, and this time Maghoma sent the keeper the wrong way to clinch a good Spurs victory over strong opposition.

All that was left was for coach Clive Allen to do his regular pantomime routine and get sent to the stands, this time for kicking over Villa’s water cooler in frustration at a particularly inept piece of refereeing.


The Players

Starting at the back, where things were generally quite shaky throughout, Alnwick was once again a liability. His kicking is bad, and his handling of crosses atrocious - electing to punch when he does decide to come out, and usually missing or misdirecting it badly. He made a few decent shot stopping saves, but nothing you wouldn’t expect any keeper worthy of the name to make.

Caulker made the difference defensively when he came on. He won headers, cleared decisively (aside from one mishit), matched both Villa’s forwards and their wingers, when pulled to wide areas, for pace. Butcher, who had struggled somewhat with Delfouneso in the first half, also looked more comfortable alongside him.

Livermore, ultimately had a good game, despite a somewhat sluggish first half. I still think he lacks quality in some key areas, but he made some excellent last ditch tackles in the second half that got his defenders out of trouble.

Two players that I have high hopes for from the academy, Mason and Kasim, put in positive performances. Both showed real quality on the ball at times, often in tandem - early in the first half Kasim, on the edge of the area, somehow managed to find a pass to put Mason through that I don’t think anyone else in the stadium could see, or probably execute (this was incorrectly credited as Livermore’s pass on the official site).

Kasim is a player who always tries to think several passes ahead, looks for the forward ball first, is on the move as soon as he has released a pass, looking for the return. He does try to complicate things on occasion with the ball at his feet, and tonight there were a couple of instances where he did so in dangerous areas. I think he will learn though, as he gets used to playing at this level, and adjusts to the reduced time players get on the ball.

Mason still has things to learn in terms of seeking to be involved more, and taking up the right positions as the link between midfield and attack, something I think Clive Allen, to his credit, was trying to get across to him. Most encouragingly though, despite his slender physique, he doesn’t seem to be struggling with the physical side of the game at this level. He is quickly developing the knack of positioning his body to either protect the ball or draw fouls, rather than rely on physical strength, which will be an important asset if he is to thrive at this level and beyond.


The Ratings

Alnwick - 44% - Poor distribution and comical attempts to deal with aerial balls.
Smith - 66% - More conservative going forward than usual due to the threat in his channel from Delfouneso.
Butcher - 63% - Had a few problems in the first half, but got better.
Rocha - 48% - Looked unsteady in virtually everything he did, and falling flat on his backside unchallenged at one point summed up his evening.
Gilberto - 64% - Decent enough, and actually managed to get forward effectively a couple of times.
Mtandari - 67% - Stuck to his task and did well to win the first penalty
Livermore - 78% - Limited offensively and technically, but worked hard defensively.
Kasim - 73% - Quality and vision on the ball going forward, though could have done more defensively.
Maghoma - 70% - Committed and hardworking, even when asked to play up front in the second half.
Mason - 77% - Showed his technical quality when he was able to find the space to operate in.
Oyenuga - 62% - Decent, hard working performance, but his opportunities were limited.

Caulker - 74% - A steady, calming influence in an otherwise quite nervy defence.
Byrne - 61% - Replaced Oyenuga and put in a disciplined shift at right midfield.