2  David PIPE
  6  Ben WHITE
28  Jason DEMETRIOU
  3  Dan BUTLER

12  Ben TOZER
17  Scot BENNETT

  7  Robbie WILLMOTT
  4  Josh LABADIE  (c)       (  8  Matt DOLAN  84)
10  Frank NOUBLE

  9  Padraig AMOND    (15  Shawn McCOULSKY  74)

Unused subs: 
30  James BITTNER
31  Josh SHEEHAN
25  Mark O'BRIEN
19  Tyler REID
39  Paul HAYES

  2  Kieran TRIPPIER
  5  Jan VERTONGHEN
21  Juan FOYTH     
37  Kyle WALKER-PETERS  (  7  Heung-Min SON  46)

15  Eric DIER
19  Mousa DEMBELE  (33  Ben DAVIES  81)

12  Victor WANYAMA
17  Moussa SISSOKO

10  Harry KANE 
18  Fernando LLORENTE (20  DELE Alli  66)

Unused subs: 
22  Paulo GAZZANIGA
  6  Davinson SANCHEZ
42  Anthony GEORGIOU
46  Tashan OAKLEY-BOOTHE

 

An organised and muscular display by Newport County took them to within 12 minutes of a famous giant-killing over Spurs, but their first half lead from a Padraig Amond header was heart-breakingly cancelled out by Harry Kane's late equaliser and the two sides will have to do it all over again at Wembley.  As the results came in before Tottenham's kick off, some lower league victories came in, most notably Wigan Athletic's win over West Ham United London, so the reminder was there to put in the effort to make sure it didn't happen to us. 

Unfortunately, in the first half, that is just what Tottenham didn't do.  Moaning about the physical approach that Newport employed to get the ball off our players and not looking at home on a gluepot of a pitch still clearly bearing the rugby markings from the previous match at Rodney Parade.  The old ground has had a few improvements since we last played there, but the temporary stand made the attendance greater than it would have been and added a bit more atmosphere, which was pretty hyped up by the time the game kicked off.  Spurs did so, with Kane and Llorente in tandem up front, a selection that wasn't hugely successful against AFC Wimbledon and with a number of players missing or rested, Kyle Walker-Peters came in at left back, Wanyama paired up with Dier in front of the back four, with Mousa Dembele in midfield with Sissoko for company.  

The start of the match showed that Spurs were clearly not up for it.  Josh Labadie, more noted for two biting bans he had received playing in non-league than he footballing achievements, ran the first half and by that I mean ran it.  Covering from box to box and getting in amongst the Tottenham players, who were too slow on the ball, created an early chance for Nouble that he made a real mess of.  The pitch looked heavy after the heavy rain and after three minutes, the pressing by County on Eric Dier by Labadie saw him win the ball and pull it back across the box, but Nouble skied his effort from 15 yards out with nobody but Vorm in front of him. The attacking style at the start saw them throwing the ball into the box, but Labadie again took the ball of a Spurs player – this time Wanyama – to strike through the ball from 30 yards, but it was straight at Vorm, who took the ball head high.

A long throw from Tozer caused problems with Demetriou flicking it on and Bennett hooking the ball wide of the far post. Tottenham’s first shot came in the 12th minute when Llorente set Kane up to shoot way over the bar following good build-up including Sissoko.  The Newport fans were cheering every tackle and header they won and booing Harry Kane whenever he touched it. The pitch and the wind were not making things easy and Spurs were being forced into mistakes.  A free kick from close to the dead ball on their left was whipped into the near post and while no amber shirt got near it, Moussa Sissoko did get the lightest header on it and the ball was uncomfortably grabbed near his shoulder by Michel Vorm. Every time the ball went out, Tozer got a towel from a ball-boy and it took an eternity to throw the ball in. Tottenham’s movement off the ball wasn’t great, so there were few options when we were moving forward with the ball.

Just after the half hour, SIssoko pulled a pass from Llorente back into the box and Kane got there first, striking his shot against the post. The keeper didn’t touch it, but the ref gave a corner. Nothing was created from it, but in the second phase, Kane was fouled by Labadie in the 33rd minute and he was booked. Harry took the free-kick but hit it a couple of feet over the top from 25 yards out.

Over the first half, Newport were nominally the better side attacking wise, as Spurs failed to string much together. And the effort they put came to fruition when another long throw was weakly headed out by Vertonghen and Willmott crossed it back in to the far post and Amond rose above Trippier to head the ball inside Vorm’s right hand post to give them the lead five minutes before the break. Spurs hadn’t looked solid and were too loose and not pressing hard enough, so it wasn’t a surprise when it happened.

It could have been two, as Newport had another opening when Willmott's run down the right ended with a poorly cleared cross and Amond hit a volley back at goal from a tight angle on their right and Vorm had to get down to his near post to block the ball low down.  The half-time break brought hope that we couldn't play as badly in the second half as we had in the first.  However, with Newport a goal up and the wind at their backs, it would be a tough task to get two goals to go through.  It was something we were capable of doing, but the home side would have had something to say about it.

In the first minute of the second half, substitute Heung-Min Son, on for Walker-Peters, linked with Vertonghen on the left and Jan put a good cross into the box, but nobody had read it. Son got on the end of a move started by Foyth stepping out with the ball, but Kane’s pass to the winger was slightly behind him and the chance went begging. Jan linked with Son for another overlap, but the cross was too high for Fernando in the box. When Tozer threw long into the box, it was won unchallenged at the near post. Luckily, the flick on was defended well by Tottenham, but the pressure was putting Spurs players in the mind that they had to play the ball off first time and this led to them losing the ball too often.

A shirt pull by Labadie on Dembele gave Tottenham a right wing free kick and Trippier’s ball in cleared, but his second ball was nodded over by Kane, but a free-kick was given for a foul by Harry. He had another shot shortly after, when Jan picked off a pass and Sissoko set Kane up, but the shot was blocked and came off him for a goal kick. 
Spurs had not been hurting Newport although they had been passing the ball better in the second half, as the final touch or pass was not good enough. Wanyama and Sissoko played the ball nicely and Harry got the ball around the penalty box, but he was crowded out, as Newport players were getting close around him.

Dele came on for Llorente, to try and make things happen. Immediately, Kane and Dele set up Son for a right foot shot from Son on the left, but his shot was low and the keeper got the ball over the bar. The passing was starting to open the Newport defence up, with Kane striking a shot on the turn that was deflected wide.  Tottenham’s build-up was too tentative and when they did find space, sub Davies’ cross was punched out and it came to Kane, whose volley was blocked for a corner. From it, Son flicked the ball on with his heel at the near post and it went to the far post, where Harry Kane was unmarked to side-foot home from a yard out to level the scores. Pochettino’s tactical change when Davies came on for Dembele paid off with Dier pushing into midfield and Jan moving into the middle of the back four.

A late long throw by Demetriou was left by Foyth and Vorm cleaned out Vertonghen as he put it off for a corner, but he was a little more assured with the catch from that, although it dipped on him and he had to go low to take it cleanly. When McCoulsky lost the ball halfway inside the Spurs half, Trippier moved it quickly up to Kane, who lobbed it over a defender and shot off a defender for a corner. Kane swung in a cross but he just failed to get it onto Dele’s head and the referee gave a goal-kick, which gave Newport some time to kill, as added time was running out.

With Kane’s goal, the game swung Tottenham’s way, although they couldn’t force a winner and the game goes to Wembley, but at least we are still in the competition. It was a first half performance that lacked all the things that have made Spurs successful and the partnership with Llorente failed to click once more.  Wanyama and Sissoko didn't have the greatest of games, when we needed to match Newport in midfield, while Dembele was getting frustrated by not being able to get away from the amber shirted opponents.  Kane hadn't done a lot, as he was being very tightly marked, but he showed that he only needs one opportunity to hit the back of the net.  He had others, but the defence was blocking everything that was heading towards goal. 

Apart from a couple of mis-placed passes, Foyth looked in control, Jan settled down in the second half and Trippier and Davies were more prominent in the second half, as Newport dropped back towards their own goal.  Vorm did OK, with not a great deal to do, but his handling was sound, but he needed to boss his defence a bit more to reduce uncertainty.  Eric Dier had a difficult afternoon, but once Poch has reshuffled the side, his forward runs from midfield were more effective, while Kyle Walker-Peters struggle don the left, with no support to get forward. 

So, it's all back to Wembley and it will be a dream for Newport, but perhaps Spurs might feel a bit more at ease in familiar surroundings, it's just that the fixture will probably have to be fitted in between the Arsenal and Liverpool matches, which is less than ideal.  butt hat is the price of success (hopefully).

Gary Sampson