PIPPED AT THE POST

  TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR RESERVES
 1 DERBY COUNTY RESERVES
 2
   
 (1) (1)
  Date : –  Wednesday 18th September 2002
 Kick off : –  19.00
  Competition : –  Premier League Reserve League South
 Venue : –   Stevenage Borough FC, Broadhall Way
  Crowd : –   Small
  Referee : –  Mr. S. Tomlinson Linesmen : – Mr. C. Hayes – Red flag; Mr. R. Barnard-Smith – Yellow flag
  Fourth official : –  –
  Weather : –  Overcast, dry

 

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR RESERVES DERBY COUNTY RESERVES
GOAL-SCORERS
    Carbonari (o.g.)  27   Strupar  7
       Twigg  90
  CARDS
    –   Robinson
        Carbonari
    –   –
TEAM
1.   Lars HIRSCHFIELD 1.   Lee GRANT
     
2.   Ronnie HENRY   (  14.   Mark HUGHES  30) 2.   Lewis HUNT  (  15.   Chris PALMER  61)
3.   Paul O’DONOGHUE 5.   Bjorn Otto BRAGSTAD  (  12.   Fiachra McARDLE  71)
5.   Stephen KELLY 4.   Youl MAWENE
4.   Diego BORTOLOZZO 3.   Richard JACKSON
      
11.   David GALBRAITH 11.   Gary TWIGG 
8.   Rohan RICKETTS 8.   Ian EVATT
6.   Jonathan BLONDEL 6.   Horacio CARBONARI     
7.   George SNEE  (  12.   Dean MARNEY  26) 7.   Barry MOLLOY
     
10.   Lee BARNARD 10.   Branko STRUPAR     (  16.   Marcus TUDGAY  80)
9.   John SUTTON  (  15.   Jamie SLABBER  73) 9.   Marvin ROBINSON 
SUBSTITUTES Substitutes
  13.   Shwan JALAL 13.   Liam RICHARDSON
  16.   Ricky DOBSON 14.   Kristoffer WECKSTROM
  14.   Mark HUGHES   

    = Assist        =  Goal scored       =  Own goal scored

Manager : –  Colin Calderwood Manager : –  –
Kit Supplier : – Kappa Kit Supplier : –  Errea
Shirt Sponsor : –  Thomson Shirt Sponsor : –  Marston’s Pedigree
Colours : – Colours : –
Images of kits courtesy of the marvellous Colours of Football website

 

MATCH REPORT
  Glenn Hoddle and John Gorman made an interesting decision to spend Wednesday evening at Stevenage watching a very young Spurs reserve team rather than sussing out Man Ure at Old Trafford.  The  Stevenage Borough scoreboard kept the Spurs management team fully advised of the stream of Manc goals against Maccabi Haifa.  Inevitably, the hitherto struggling United ease nicely into form just in time for the annual Cockerel shoot …

One wonders what Glenn hoped to get out of his visit to Broadhall Way ?  Of the Spurs players on show only Blondel and Ricketts appear to have the capability to make the step up as of now.  The never-ending injury crisis would really have to descend to Harry Redknapp “bare-bones” levels before other members of the undoubtedly talented but patently inexperienced reserve squad could be seriously considered for the “big show”.

On the positive side, only Blondel and Hirschfield cost a fee and the vast majority of the group are of English or Irish nationality.  This is in stark contrast with clubs like Derby.  The Rams’ money problems are well known and entirely understandable when even their reserve squad has a contingent of Carlos Kickaballs each costing a significant fee and on big wages.  The likes of Youl Mawene (France), Otto Bragstad (Norway), Horacio Carbonari (Argentina) and Branko Strupar (Belgium) all fall into the category.  The highest profile Kickaball of them all – Fabrizio Ravanelli – presumably doesn’t do reserve games; seems like he doesn’t fancy first team games either at present.

The more experienced and physically stronger Derby side won this game, going top of the league in the process, in the last minute of injury time.  They had opened the scoring on seven minutes when Strupar nodded home at the far post.  It then took Spurs until the 27th minute to construct any sort of meaningful strike on goal.  David Galbraith made a good run on the left and his low cross was deflected in by Carbonari.

Hirschfield had made a good block-save from Marvin Robinson shortly before the goal.  He made an even better save on 36 minutes, tipping over a point-blank Robinson header.  Spurs’ second serious goal attempt came just before the break when Ricketts had a powerful drive saved following a Blondel short corner.

Spurs conjured up an equally meagre number of goal attempts in the second period.  Derby continued to dominate and were unlucky not to score six minutes after half-time when Molloy hit the post.  Despite their control, the winning goal from Gary Twigg did not come until the last knockings.  Spurs, notwithstanding some neat approach work, never really looked like finding a way through for a second goal.  To be fair, whatever game plan Colin Calderwood had put together was ruined by three forced substitutions; two in the first half.  It seems the injury curse even extends to the stiffs.

The Derby players were last seen sharing a bag of chips and thumbing a lift home on the A1.

MEHSTG TOP MAN : – Jonathan Blondel.

Olive Branch

 

MATCH NOTES
 

 

REACTION
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