|
22.04.2009 |
A
game which started well for Spurs in Nantwich Town's ground, quickly
turned sour, but ended with three points for Tottenham.
It was after just
seven minutes that Gilberto made space for
himself to crash a curling effort from the
edge of the box against the bar, but three
minutes later, things looked grim for Spurs
when Jake Livermore was shown a red card for
allegedly stamping down on Stoke's Urwin.
Despite being
reduce in numbers, Tottenham's passing and
movement dominated the game, with Harrison
in the Stoke goal making a fingertip save
from Mason's 15th minute free-kick, then
Bostock fired in a half-cleared corner on
the bounce that just missed the target and
three minutes after, the keeper was brought
into the action again to palm away Bostock's
25 yard shot. Within the space of
three minutes before the clock reached the
40 minute mark Spurs tested Harrison on two
more occasions. Firstly, Bostock put
Mason in on goal and his side-foot effort
was only kept out by the goalie's legs and
then he was again denying Tottenham with a
dive to prevent Simon Dawkins' header after
Parrett had picked him out.
After the break, it
was Ben Alnwick who was making a save,
stopping Urwin capitalising on a long kick
by Harrison, who caught a Spurs corner, before
launching Stoke onto the attack. As
the midfielder broke on goal, Alnwick was
quick to smother the danger by diving at his
feet. Just after the hour mark, a
cross from Dean Parrett dropped for John
Bostock to flick up on to his right foot
with his left and the resulting volley from
six yards out was luckily for Stoke straight
at the keeper, who clung onto the ball.
With the clock
showing 65 minutes, Spurs finally took the
lead, even though they only had ten men.
Bostock created a yard of space and crossed
for Mason to meet the ball with a powerful
header into the net past the helpless
Harrison. It could easily have been
2-0 six minutes later, with with Mason
putting in a corner that was met at the near
post by Ricardo Rocha and the ball hit the
crossbar after it came off defender
Wedderburn. In the 72nd minute, the
ball came back off the Stoke woodwork once
more, with Parrett's pinpoint pass allowing
Mason to lob the keeper who came off his
line and was disappointed to see the ball
bounce back off the bar once more.
There was one last
chance for Tottenham in the 83rd minute,
when the three Academy players - Bostock,
Parrett and Mason - all linked to allow
Bostock to cross the ball for Nathan Byrne
to head wide from six yards out, but the ten
men triumphed to keep the heat on Aston
Villa at the top of the table.
Teams :
Stoke City - Harrison, Daio-Jiminez,
Wedderburn, Connor, Alexander (Wint 64), Cohen, Urwin, Nicholls, Brunt,
Moult, Stockhall.
Subs not used : Parton, Mitchell
Spurs - Alnwick, Smith, Gilberto,
Livermore, Rocha, Caulker, Mtandari (Kasim 64), Parrett, Dawkins (Byrne
46), Mason, Bostock
Subs not used : Jansson, Cox, Butcher
Attendance : - ,
|
|
24.11.2008 |
A
shock home defeat rocked Spurs, as Stoke City put out a strong side to
take the points.
Spurs started brightly
and in the second minute, Charlie Daniels played a corner to the far
post and Dervite looped a header which Simonsen had to tip over the bar,
although he had less to do when McKenna set up Ghaly for s shot, but he
failed to get power behind it and the keeper saved easily.
Pericard went close with a 15th minute glancing header and Adel Taarabt
hit a 25 yard effort but it was straight at the keeper. Kevin
Prince Boateng produced a great block to deny Phillips when the ball
reached him at the far post from Whelan's 21st minute corner.
Charlie Daniels made a bit of space to hit a
shot from well outside the box that went wide in the 30th minute, then,
two minutes from time Taarabt shot weakly at Simonsen and then Stoke
attacked, with Wedderburn striking an effort directly at Alnwick.
As stoppage time was being played, Stoke took the lead, with Phillips'
cross finding Pugh, who volleyed in at the far post.
Only the woodwork stopped Adel Taarabt
equalising in the fifth minute of the second half, as his shot beat the
keeper, but not the post. Immediately, the play switched towards
the Tottenham goal, with a replica of the move that created Stoke's
goal, but this time Pugh volleyed over the bar.
The respite only lasted for five minutes, as
Stoke made it 2-0 with Boateng's pass being picked off and Pericard fed
Tonge, who placed his side-foot past Alnwick. The Spurs keeper
kept out a third Stoke goal in the 78th minute, as he beat away
Phillips' shot from Pugh's cross and four minutes later, he was relieved
to see Pericard shoot over from just inside the box, after he had
rounded Mtandari. Spurs poured forward in a late attempt to
salvage something from the game and Maghoma struck a low shot from 25
yards that Simonsen tipped around the post with six minutes left and
then Boateng got his head on the ball to put it into the goalmouth and
Fraser-Allen was just unable to get to it.
The last chance for Tottenham came five minutes
from time, with Hutchins seizing on SImonsen's poor kick and played in
Fraser-Allen, who got in front of Sonko, but the defender just got a
touch on the youngster's shot to take it wide of the Stoke goal.
Teams :
Spurs - Alnwick, Mtandari, Gilberto
(Hutchins 46), McKenna (Berchiche 58), Dervite (Maghoma 46), Rocha,
Fraser-Allen, Ghaly, Taarabt, Boateng, Daniels
Unused subs : L. Butcher, Hutton
Stoke City - Simonsen, Wilkinson,
Dickinson, Wedderburn (Moult 62), Davies, Sonko, Tonge, Whelan,
Phillips, Pericard, Pugh
Unused subs : Harrison, Diao, Nicholls,
Unwin
Attendance : - ,
|