Chelmsford City v Spurs XI (Away) 13.08.2012

While it was a useful run-out for our youngsters ahead of their second Under-21 league match at Manchester City on Monday, the home team are just four days away from their first match in the Skrill Football Conference South. With a side that were tall as well as physical, meaning it was a tough task to defend against strapping non-league players, but the Spurs boys stood up to it very well.

The match started with a 70 year old CCFC mascot and a minute’s silence for a home supporter of 84 who passed away last week, which was respectfully observed apart from the thumping beat of music from a dance class in the sports centre behind the smaller stand at the athletics stadium.  In fact, it was almost like watching a West Ham home game at the Taxpayers Stadium.  Separated from the action by a running track and the group of fans next to me going on incessantly about an Irons game they went to where they were 1-0 up and lost 1-7 to Man U.

Among the players in the home side’s ranks were two familiar faces in goalkeeper Tommy Forecast, who had signed a few days earlier and midfielder Mark Hughes, both of whom played for our reserves before moving on to find first team football.  There were some other names which rung a bell … Daniel Webb (son of former Chelsea defender and Southend United manager David), Jordan Holdsworth (son of manager David), Nicky Nicolau (former Southend defender) and Dave Rainford, who had coached the Spurs juniors during his earlier career.

When the game kicked off, Spurs began passing the ball around confidently, despite some heavy late challenges by the City defenders and midfielders. As it was they nearly opened Chelmsford up in the first minute, when Obika was released down the left and his low ball in to Shaquile Coulthirst was blocked as he couldn’t get a decent contact on his shot.  Running at the home defence, Spurs created a number of chances, with Forecast having to dive athletically to his left to keep out a long range effort from Cameron Lancaster (making his return to action after a season out of the picture) and then the forward played an astute pass through the defence for Coulthirst to run onto it just outside the box. Taking two defenders with him, Shaq turned his shot low past Forecast at his near post to give Tottenham the lead with 12 minutes on the clock.

Justin Miller’s long throw was a potent weapon in this game and will be in the coming season for the Clarets, but when Mark Haines got on the end of one, he managed to head it over the bar.  But from another set piece, Spurs failed to clear the ball (as they failed to on a number of occasions), the ball pinged about until it hit Dominic Ball’s hand and referee Andy D’Urso (now there’s one for the teenagers) pointed to the spot.  Jeff Goulding stepped up to comfortably send it to Jonathan Miles’ left to level the scores in the 16th minute.

Spurs were on top, but still had to be vigilant at the back. Forecast denied Coulthirst when he stood up as the spurs striker went through one on one and then kept a Lancaster effort out by tipping it over, before relying on his angles to stop Darren McQueen scoring as the winger’s low shot bounced back off the post and away from Shaq.  McQueen had only a short time to wait until his name was on the score-sheet and it came in a surprising way.  Having shown pace and a willingness to cut inside to have a pop at goal, his goal came with Aaron McEneff, who had shown a good engine in midfield and a good ability from a dead ball, crossing from a free kick and McQueen didn’t even have to rise to head the ball past a defender on the line.  The ball had eluded everyone in the centre of the goal and Darren hung back to nod the ball home to regain the lead for Tottenham.

With chances at both ends, Miles and Forecast were called upon to keep shots out, with the Spurs man racing out to block a shot from Bagasan Graham, as he broke away on the left, while former Spurs goalie Forecast did well to spread himself as Obika got through to find space in the City area.

The half time break saw the £255 prize draw take place, with a man walking around the ground with a board containing the winning number on it.  It took me back to the days when the “Golden Goal” times were paraded around at the interval at the Lane.  But that was about the only comparison with the old days.  Back then the friendlies were played out between 11 on each side and the number of changes in the second half of this game were not helped by the lack of announcements over the PA and the lack of numbers on the back of the City players’ shirts.  Just as well D’Urso kept his cards in his pocket, as tallying up who was which number would have been a major task.

Anyway, the changes might have unsettled Spurs slightly more than the home team, as a long ball set Goulding free and he snatched at his shot, sending it over the top from just on the edge of the box.  There was further disappointment for Chelmsford, when Tom Davis ran through onto a through ball, but was flagged offside, when he wasn’t, but a player running back from an offside position got in the “active zone”.  With Spurs pulling the string sin midfield now, Obika was denied by Forecast, who had to be substituted shortly afterwards, with an injury, leaving his deputy, Pentney to make a good stop from a shot from a Laste Dombaxe free-kick, his first touch after coming on as a substitute.

Spurs won the match within two second half minutes.  Both goals came Shaquile Couthirst, in similar fashion, with the ball being won on the right and played through the middle for Shaq to come in and slide the ball past Pentney.  He was exposed and especially by the second of them, when a Chelmsford player tried to nutmeg a Spurs man, but the ball was lost and then they were punished with the hat-trick goal in the 73rd minute.

Spurs were grateful to Lawrence Vigouroux in the 76th minute, when Bertie Brayley met a corner with his head from close range, but as he directed the ball down, the Spurs sub keeper arched up to tip it over the bar.  Chelmsford had further headed chances, with Dave Rainford putting one low straight at Vigouroux and then Webb headed powerfully, but the goalie touched it over the top.  From the resulting corner, Amiee looked to have scored as he screwed a close range shot past the keeper, but somehow, Grant Ward managed to get it off the line and preserve the lead.

Then there was another goal-line clearance at the other end, when the hard-working Obika got away on the right and slipped the ball past the keeper, but Matt Lock got back to kick the ball away before it crossed the line.

The final whistle saw a good sized crowd give the players a good hand for what had been a decent game, with the young men in the Capri blue giving a good account of themselves against a good non-league team.  Ruben Lameiras looked lively when he came on, with Laste Dombaxe coming on to play the ball-winner in midfield and Roman Michel-Percil gave Tottenham some pace on the flank.  The one player who stood out, apart from Shaq, who took the spotlight with his goals, was Giancarlo Gallifuoco, who was, literally, head and shoulders above the rest of the midfield.  A strapping lad, who isn’t phased by the physical stuff and looked Dembele like in the way that he ran with the ball and laid it off.  Spurs were obviously holding some of their squad back for the Under-21 match on Monday, but the performance showed a determined effort to turn on the style and a number of the players will have done themselves no harm in future selection by showing a good attitude in this warm-up game.

Marco van Hip.