spurs v reading youth match reports

Spurs Under-18s produced a comeback kids performance to beat Reading 3-2 at Spurs Lodge this morning.

Twice behind in the game, they took the three FA Premier Academy League points with goals from Paul McBride and two from Kudus Oyenuga.

Spurs had gone a goal down in the first half with a 31st minute Josh Webb penalty giving Reading the lead, but the introduction of Paul McBride at the break, coming back after injury, soon reaped rewards with a goal after just four minutes, netting past three Reading players on the line from close range. Reading re-asserted their lead five minutes before the hour mark as substitute Aaron Tijhbola netted, but Kudus Oyenuga hit two goals in ten minutes to see Spurs home.

His first, a header quickly brought Spurs level at 2-2 and then he showed great skill in beating three Reading players on the left wing, before cutting inside to fire a shot past the keeper's right hand at his near post to put Tottenham ahead for the first time and that was the way it stayed until the end.

One goal decided this FA Premier Academy League away game and it was Reading who scored it.

While Tottenham enjoyed a lot of the ball and played very well, they could not make it count in the last third of the pitch and with few chances created by either side, one goal was always going to settle the match. A defensive error lead to Reading's goal being scored by Lawson D'Ath with 15 minutes left, but Alex Pritchard had a chance to equalise when he forced the keeper into a good save minutes later.

Spurs completed their sixth six goal score-line of the season with a 6-2 win over Reading at Spurs Lodge.

Paul Jose M'poku's cross found Alex Pritchard and taking a touch, he laid the ball on to Tom Carroll, who applied a cool finish to make it 1-0 to Spurs. The lead was doubled when Dean Parrett put Nathan Byrne away on the wing and his cross was netted by M'poku. The Belgian striker was involved in the third goal when he freed Carroll to lift the ball over the keeper as he came out to meet him. Before half-time, Tottenham went 4-0 ahead with Zaine Francis-Angol taking on two men in a wide position to cross for Parrett to score.

Just after an hour had been played, Jake Nicholson netted the fifth Tottenham goal with a well-placed shot from just outside the area and this prompted a response form the visitors, who scored a goal to make it 5-1. However, Laste Dombaxe got wide and crossed into the box for Alex Pritchard to neatly back-heel the ball home to restore Tottenham's five goal margin. Reading managed to pull one goal back before the end, but Spurs ran out 6-2 victors in the end of a performance that saw them close down the Royals well and pass the ball exceedingly well.

A 4-0 away win against a strong Reading side saw Tottenham gain a valuable three points in the FA Premier Academy league.

Harry Kane opened the scoring on 15 minutes, being set up for his goal by Paul-Jose Mpoku, who cut in from the left to provide his fellow striker with a clear shooting opportunity. The Belgian scored two before the break to put Spurs in a comfortable position at half-time. His first came five minutes after Kane's goal, with Ryan Fredericks' right wing cross being converted at the far post and the second when Mpoku cut inside from the left to fire a right foot shot past the Reading keeper.

Into the second half, Reading fought back and were looking dangerous until they had a player unluckily dismissed, leaving Spurs the scope to play a bit more football and they rounded off the win with the fourth goal in the 80th minute, when Fredericks came inside from the right to bend a left footed shot into the net from outside the box.

A second half comeback from 1-4 behind saw Tottenham grab a point to keep them ahead of the chasing pack in the FA Premier Academy League..

It took only twenty minutes for the physical Reading side to go 3-0 ahead. A fifth minute free-kick was not well defended and Reading went 1-0 ahead, which became 2-0 five minutes later when some sloppy defending let the home side in again. A good finish in the 17th minute left Tottenham facing a big deficit, but bringing Stephen Caulker on for Adam Smith and the better shape to the side forced a goal back in the 30th minute, as Jonathan Obika was brought down in the box and Ryan Mason converted the penalty kick. A highly dubious fourth Reading goal was allowed despite the player being offside by a long distance.

Introducing the returning Danny Rose at the interval gave Spurs fresh impetus and five minutes in, Obika smashed a shot in from 20 yards to make it 2-4, then Mason curled a shot right into the top corner on the hour to make it only a goal difference between the two sides.

With 20 minutes left, Caulker powered home a header from a corner to make it 4-4 and after that the game fizzled out, as Spurs failed to capitalise on the momentum they had built up.

A 1-0 home win at Reading racked up the Tottenham Academy side's fourth straight win and seven matches without defeat.

The defensive resilience kept Reading at bay, mainly from free-kicks and corners, while Ryan Mason's curling free-kick in the 50th minute gave Spurs the victory in a game of few openings.

Tottenham's eighth consecutive league win came courtesy of a 2-0 win away at Reading.

A strange 25th minute goal came direct from Andros Townsend's corner kick, deceiving the Royals' keeper.

With the bulk of the possession falling to Spurs in the second half, with Jake Livermore and Takura Mtandari. Townsend created the opportunity for Alex Olsen to finish neatly for the second Tottenham goal. Olsen was denied a second goal when Kyle-Fraser Allen set him up for a shot, but the striker's shot hit the underside of the crossbar and when it bounced down, the linesman denied him by saying it had not crossed the line.