MK Dons v Spurs Match Reports

A single goal won the game for a young MK Dons team against a Spurs XI at Stadium MK.

With 34 minutes gone, 16 year old Giorgi Rasaulo netted at the second attempt, following up on a blocked shot, as the Spurs Development team found it hard going against the home side.  An early stop by Jonathan Miles had prevented the MK Dons taking the lead as a Ben Reeves corner came back out to him and he drilled an effort at Miles’ near post.  An eighth minute header by Kevin Stewart brought home keeper McLoughlin into action, before MK were back on the attack, with Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford putting a good chance wide.

Cameron Lancaster burst through but couldn’t keep his shot down, with the same fate suffered by Will Summerfield after former West Ham trialist Zavon Hines squared the ball to him and the ball sailed over the bar from a couple of yards out.  This woke Tottenham up and Ceballos looked like he had a good chance until McLoughlin dived at his feet, with the keeper denying him a second time shortly afterwards following the defence handing the ball straight to the Spaniard.

Miles made a good diving save to keep out a Bamford free-kick and after some half-time changes, Spurs threatened the MK Dons goal.  Shaquile Coulthirst shrugged off challenges to get into the penalty rea, but a sliding tackle from Galloway took the ball off him at the last minute and a fin through ball by Ceballos released the Spurs striker, but he put his shot well wide as the keeper came out to meet him.  The Spurs substitute keeper, who came on at half-time, Jordan Archer, was in the right place to save Jon Otsemobor’s effort, but was helpless as Reeves’ direct free-kick narrowly flew over the top.

A late surge by Spurs, following on from some more substitutions, saw McEvoy trouble the MK Dons defence and he had a late chance when Spurs had an over load, but his shot hit Coulthirst and went wide.  Shaq had a chance to level things in injury time, but the home substitute keeper Burns kept it out to seal the win.

Teams :
MK Dons –  Ian McLoughlin (Charlie Burns 88), George Baldock, Jon Otsemobor (Rhys Weston 76), Jon Flanagan (c), Brendan Galloway (Jon Osae 58), Dele Alli (Kyran Wiltshire 58), Ben Reeves (Tingey 76), Will Summerfield, Giorgi Rasulo, Zavon Hines (Grant 72), Patrick Bamford (Kelvin Osei-Addo 59).
Subs not used :
Colours : –  Sondico – White shirts with red neck and black vertical stripe up centre of shirt, with thinner red line either side, White shorts and white socks
Shirt sponsor :- CASE Security
Manager : – Karl Robinson
Spurs – Miles  (Archer 46), Fredericks, Ward, Bentaleb, Livermore      (Lameiras 73), Stewart (c), Townsend (McEvoy 73), Carroll (Gallifuoco 73), Lancaster (Coulthirst 46), Falque, Ceballos
Colours :-  Under Armour – All bright blue, with navy trim on shirts and shorts
Shirt sponsor : – HP
Manager : – Les Ferdinand
Attendance : –  ,
Referee : –  Keith Stroud (Dorset)

The kick off in this friendly was delayed ten minutes before MK Dons could kick off in their Stadium MK facing a Spurs XI of first teamers and fringe players.

Both keepers were in action in the opening minutes, with Martin diving at Defoe’s feet s he looked to latch on Roman Pavlyuchenko’s pass and David Button had to tip George Baldock’s 25 yard effort wide.  The game was eight minutes old when Tottenham took the lead, as Pavlyuchenko expertly beat the offside trap to receive Kranjcar’s pass and then stick the ball into the top corner from just inside the area.

O’Shea had a good chance but could only shoot straight at Button and the same player then put a header over the bar when well-placed.  Pav tested Martin at his near post with a powerful drive, but the keeper stood his ground to concede a corner.  MK Dons rattled the post at the other end when Baldock’s shot rebounded out off the inside of the upright.  The game was flowing from end to end and Townsend’s low cross was inches ahead of Pav’s stretch to convert it and then as Spurs built pressure on the home goal, they doubled the lead in the 36th minute.  Kranjcar was again the provider for Roma to take a fierce shot from a narrow angle that hit the top corner and David Button preserved the lead at half-time with a save to prevent Chadwick scoring when put through in the right side of the box.

MK pulled a goal back two minutes after the break, as Luke Chadwick’s 25 yard curling shot beat Button as it flew into the top corner of his goal.  Soon after Chadwick tried again, but the lower shot was covered by the Spurs keeper, whose opposite number was busy when Andros Townsend struck a shot across Martin, who got down low to push the ball wide.  Some home substitutions gave them new energy and they pulled level in the 73rd minute when a Powell shot was touched past Button by Jabo Ibehre just six yards out bringing the MK Dons level at 2-2.

Bringing on Harry Kane for Jermain Defoe proved a good move, with Kranjcar losing two defenders with a dummy before shooting to make Martin save the effort.  MacKenzie took too long on the loose ball, allowing Kane to slide tackle him, with the ball going in to restore Tottenham’s lead.  McLoughlin was alert just after coming on to block Kane’s shot with his legs, but two minutes after the third goal it was 4-2, as Nico Kranjcar struck a volley from 35 yards out that dipped over substitute keeper McLoughlin to score a memorable goal.   

Just 70 seconds after Kranjcar’s strike, it was back to 4-3 thanks to Ibehre’s cool finish past Button when one-on-one.  It was only in the last minute that the victory was secured as Kane took the ball off Flanagan 30 yards from goal and bore down on McLoughlin, burying his shot into the bottom corner of the net, extending the lead to 5-3. 

Teams :
MK Dons –  David Martin (Ian McLoughlin 81), Dean Lewington, Gary MacKenzie, Stephen Gleeson, Darren Potter (Jon Flanagan 46), George Baldock, Adam Chicksen, George Williams (George Baldock 76), Daniel Powell, Jay O’Shea (Jabo Ibhere 61), Luke Chadwick (Lewis Guy 62).
Spurs –   Button (Archer 86), Byrne, Corluka (Carroll 82) , Veljkovic, Rose, Bentley, Livermore (Luongo 46), Kranjcar, Townsend, Pavlyuchenko, Defoe (Kane 76)
Subs not used :  Mason, Obika
Attendance : –  16,000

Kudus Oyenuga scored to put Tottenham ahead in the 35th minute, finishing off a fine cross from Tom Carroll and it was a lead that lasted through to half-time.

Spurs continued to dominate in the second half, with Nathan Byrne scoring the second Spurs goal in the 76th minute and then Cameron Lancaster rounding off a 3-0 win when the substitute latched onto a through ball from Ronnie Hawkins to beat the MK Dons goalkeeper.

Teams :
MK Dons –  .
Subs not used : 
Spurs – Alnwick, Byrne, Butcher, Durojaiye, Francis-Angol (Dombaxe 79), Waller-Lassen (Tapping 72), Nicholson, Carroll, Pritchard (Hawkins 76), Oyenuga (Lancaster 72), Dawkins
Subs not used :
Attendance : –  ,

With a young Spurs side taking the field, the first half saw them have a good share of the ball, but not be able to create any danger in the Dons’ penalty area.  But that all changed ten minutes into the second period, when Massimo Luongo won possession and played the ball through for Shaquille Coulthirst to beat the keeper.  Coulthirst was then on the end of Alex McQueen’s right wing cross shortly after the first goal to make it 2-0.

The third goal came from the next attack, when Jack Munns’ corner was met well by Loungo’s head to see the ball into the back of the net, with a fourth goal in the 70th minute, as Coulthirst completed his hat-trick with a neat finish from Lee Angol’s pull back to round off a convincing victory.

Teams :
Spurs –  Miles,  McQueen, Luongo, Day, Ekong, Yeboah, Munns (Modeste 80), Hawkins (McEvoy 70), Coulthirst, Angol (Champion 72), McBride
Subs not used :  –
MK Dons –  .
Subs not used :
Attendance : –  ,

However, a couple of minutes into the second period, Spurs doubled their lead with Coulthirst on the spot again and on 55 minutes, the Spurs man completed his hat-trick when he escaped his marker to volley in Pritchard’s corner.

With a 3-0 lead, Tottenham relaxed and were punished with two goals by the home team and they were pushing for an equaliser when the final whistle blew, leaving Spurs grateful for Coulthirst’s finishing.

Teams :
MK Dons –  .
Subs not used :
Spurs –  Archer, Barthram, Francis-Angol, Hawkins (Champion 70), Sheriff, Stewart, Dombaxe (McBride 46), Tapping (Day 75), Coulthirst, Munns, Pritchard
Subs not used :  Miles, Ekong
Attendance : –  ,

Five minutes before half-time, Kudus Oyenuga halved the deficit with a curling right foot effort from 20 yards out.  Then it was 2-2 in the second half, when Tom Carroll’s cross was struck home on the turn by Harry Kane.  However, in the search for the winning goal, Tottenham were caught out by a quick breakaway and the Dons scored with 15 minutes to go to edge it 3-2.

Teams :
MK Dons –  .
Subs not used :
Spurs –   Archer, Byrne (Pritchard 70), Francis-Angol, Lancaster (Waller-Lassen 30), Durojaiye, M’Poku (Carroll 30), Parrett, Nicholson, McBride, Kane, Oyenuga
Subs not used :  –
Attendance : –  ,

A stubborn MK defence held out until the 20th minute, when a Ryan Fredericks run ended with a tackle taking the ball into the path of Kudos Oyenuga, who struck the opening goal of the game.  Shortly after, Zaine Francis-Angol burst into the visiting team’s penalty area and was fouled, allowing Harry Kane to score from the spot to make it 2-0.

Ten minutes after the interval, Nathan Byrne’s pass sent Oyenuga through to go around the goalie and slot home to give Spurs a  3-0 lead, with the same combination playing around the back line to allow Oyenuga to round off his hat-trick on the hour when he shot high into the net with Tom Carroll’s solo goal sandwiched in between.  When Jesse Waller-Lassen put in a good cross from the left, Kane scored with a fine over-head kick to make it 6-0.

The only blot on an otherwise excellent performance was when Kane missed the chance for his hat-trick when he failed to score from the penalty spot as the game came to a close.

Teams :
Spurs –  Butler, Waller-Lassen, Byrne, Durojaiye, Francis-Angol, Fredericks (Pritchard 75), Nicholson (O’Neill 70), Carroll, McBride (Blackwood 60), Kane, Oyenuga
Subs not used :  Ranieri, M’Poku
MK Dons –  .
Subs not used :
Attendance : –  ,

Jake Nicholson had a good debut in defence, but it was the tactic of playing Hutton “in the hole” behind the front two that really paid off.  After twenty minutes, Hutton hit the first after cutting inside to beat the keeper.  Substitute Jon Obika’s through pass in the 65th minute set Hutton away to hit the top corner for a 2-0 win as the lads continue to impress.

Teams :
MK Dons –  .
Subs not used :
Spurs –  Butler, Nicholson, Byrne, Berchiche, Kasim (Parrett 60), Townsend (Obika 55), Ekim, Hutton, Fraser-Allen, Oyenuga (Smith 70)
Subs not used :
Attendance : –  ,

Bouncing back after the team’s first defeat of the season, Spurs were 4-0 ahead by half-time with Ryan Mason scoring twice and Jon Obika and Andros Townsend grabbing a goal apiece, as Spurs tore into the Dons.  A second goal from Townsend in the 50th minute and one from Paul-Jose Mpuku wrapped up the scoring as Spurs saw out the game to win 6-0.

Teams :
Spurs –  Jansson, Smith (Shehu 80), Cox, Kasim, Caulker, Butcher, Mpuku (Jack 60), Bostock (Ekim 70), Obika, Mason, Townsend
Subs not used :  Dalton
MK Dons –  .
Subs not used :
Attendance : –  ,

The Dons took a 17th minute lead when a free-kick was fired home, with Spurs conceding possession too often.  The keeper did well to stop Tottenham, who opened up the defence, but could not beat the goalie on five occasions.  As Spurs strove for an equaliser in the second half, MK closed them down efficiently and then broke to score a second goal to seal the result.

Teams :
Spurs –  L. Butcher, Smith, Casey, Mtandari, Berchiche, Kasim (Cox 71), Hutchins, Rose (Mason 46), D. Hutton, Olsen (Fraser-Allen 61), Obika
Subs not used :  Dalton, C. Butcher
MK Dons –  .
Subs not used :
Attendance : –  ,

Having started the game with a goal in the first minute, with Hutchins bundling the ball over the line from close range when the ball dropped at the foot of the post after Walker’s save from Leigh Mills’ header.  The chance to level the score from the penalty spot came for MK Dons in the seventh minute, as Shehu tripped Kelly in the box and Sam Baldock converted, sending Richard Stroud the wrong way. 

Walker, in goal at the other end looked rattled by conceding the early goal and he dropped Fraser-Allen’s cross at the feet of Pekhart, but the Czech striker could only put the ball over the top.  Spurs did take the lead again, with Hutton meeting Pekhart’s cross with perfect timing to head into the net with 33 minutes gone.  The lead lasted even less time, as Baldock drove past the keeper from the edge of the area just two minutes after going behind.

The visiting team were working hard to close down space in midfield and were not scrimping on their tackling, most of which was allowed to go unpunished by the officials.

A couple of half-time substitutions seemed to spark Spurs into attacking the MK Dons goal and Walker saved a penalty awarded for handball by diving to his right to keep the ball out, while Olsen looked set to unload a shot when a last ditch tackle took the ball away.   Losing the ball in midfield, Spurs were caught out by a quick pass out to the MK Dons right and Kelly unleashed a shot from 25 yards that beat Stroud all ends up.  That was in the 57th minute and three minutes later, it was 2-4, with Baldock scoring his hat-trick goal, receiving the ball after Spurs had lost it again and then evading a challenge to drill the ball across the keeper.

The game was out of Tottenham’s reach in the 78th minute, when Kelly repeated his shot to score again and Spurs were under the cosh, as Koffi intercepted Stroud’s pass out from the area and smacked his shot against the crossbar.  Captain Jake Livermore did try to get Spurs back into the game, with a shot that the keeper blocked on the line, but it was in the final minute that Williams seized on some loose play and his shot found the net from the edge of the penalty area.

Teams :
Spurs – Stroud, Mtandari, Cian Hughton      , Fraser-Allen, Shehu      (Olsen 46), Mills, Hutton (Kasim 46), Livermore (c), Pekhart, Hutchins, Obika 
Subs not used :  Butler, Medley
Manager : – Alex Inglethorpe
MK Dons –  Laurie Walker, Miles Mitchell-Coop      , James Nash (c), Adam Moriarty      , Adam Kent, Oliver Thorne, Tom Williams, Charlie Shuter, Sam Baldock, Stephane Koffi, Liam Kelly.
Subs not used :  King, Delderfield, Daniel Powell, Fox
Manager : – Mike Dove
Attendance : –  ,
Ref. : – Mr. Andrews
Referee’s assistants : –  T. Hemmings, D. Cross

Teams :
MK Dons –  .
Subs not used :
Spurs –  Button, Mtandari, Kyriacou, Lewis, Smith, Lake, Davis, Livermore, Dawkins, Dixon (Asajile 61), Hutchins
Subs not used :  Obika, Townsend
Attendance : –  ,

Teams :
MK Dons –  .
Subs not used :
Spurs –  Button, Mtandari, Kyriacou, Lewis, Smith, Lake, Davis, Livermore, Dawkins, Dixon (Asajile 61), Hutchins
Subs not used :  Obika, Townsend
Attendance : –  ,

2-0 up at the break through goals from trialist Yannick Manzizila and a Joe Martin free-kick, Spurs went on to add a third in the second half through a Terry Dixon header after the home side had pulled a goal back as the game degenerated into a scrappy affair.

Teams :
MK Dons –  .
Subs not used :
Spurs –  Button, Riley, Martin, Mills, Archibald-Henville, Lewis, Livermore, Seanla, Barcham, Y. Manzizila (Hughton 71), Dixon
Subs not used :  Forecast, Smith, Kyriacou, A. Manzizila
Attendance : –  ,