View: Tottenham Under-18s show signs of weakness without impressive trio
Mikey Moore, Callum Olusesi and James Rowswell were all unavailable for Tottenham Under-18s’ 5-2 defeat to Crystal Palace Under-18s in the U18 Premier League South on Saturday 4 November.
The absence of defender Rowswell was clearly felt as Spurs conceded five times in the first half – the most goals they have conceded in one game all season.
All seven goals were scored during a hectic opening 45 minutes throughout which Spurs left themselves with too much to do as they were punished by a ruthless Palace side.
It is the first time Spurs have tasted defeat in the league since the opening day back in August when they were beaten 4-0 by Aston Villa Under-18s.
Stuart Lewis will now have to rally his troops to ensure they bounce back from what is only their third loss of the season.
After enthralling back-to-back games with Chelsea during which they both lost and won by a scoreline of 4-3, it seems those exploits had taken plenty out of the players physically and emotionally, as they found themselves 2-0 down after 12 minutes.
Despite the poor start, Tottenham were able to fight back to level terms by the 20th minute, through goals from Damola Ajayi and Ellis Lehane. However, Spurs failed to capitalise on their momentum and instead conceded three more times before the break, Palace skipper Zach Marsh completing his hattrick in the process.
It was an afternoon to forget for defender Roman-Egan Riley who was making his first Under-18s start in place of the injured Rowswell. He quickly discovered the difficulty of making the jump to the level he found himself playing at and will hope to take some lessons away from what was a frustrating afternoon.
Spurs did tighten up defensively in the second half and prevented the scoreline from becoming truly embarrassing but in the end, despite looking dangerous in attack throughout most of the game, they lacked the firepower needed going forward to get back into the game, with the absence of star man Moore – who was away on international duty – clearly a big miss.
It leaves the side second in the Under-18 Premier League South, level on points with league leaders Fulham, but behind on goal difference.
In other Tottenham news, the club’s Under-21s had a more enjoyable weekend, showcasing great character to bounce back from their first defeat of the season.