LFL: SPURS

I was very pleased with 1-1 in the end as after a lacklustre first-half performance we again fought back and put in a much improved performance that culminated in a great equaliser from Brobbey. 

BEFORE

I thought the Man City match was one of the most enjoyable 0-0 games I've ever been to and I feel that we don't have to fear any side now, though of course we have to show them all due respect. The games are coming thick and fast so there may be a bit of rotation in the team this afternoon to give some players a rest. Mind you, Regis said that the players are all dying to play so perhaps we'll see an unchanged side. I was very impressed by Mayenda the other day with his powerful tricky runs and I hope he can start again today. Alderete showed his class with his very first touch for us and he and Mukiele have proved to be formidable in the centre of our defence - just ask Haaland. Tottenham's form has been very mixed for a while and they're currently in thirteenth but they have a lot of quality players and Richarlison in particular is always a danger. I wish I could be at this afternoon's match but getting an away ticket these days is no easy thing so I'll be watching it in the company of a load of other London Branch members. Match prediction: 2-1 to us.

I got to the pub around 2.30 and on checking the team-news I saw that there were no changes from Thursday’s starting line-up but there was great news as Ballard was back among the subs. Isidor however had a minor injury and wasn’t in the squad. There were two changes in the Spurs side with Davies and Tel replacing Spence and Palhinha. Man United had drawn with Leeds in the early kick-off which meant that we’d overtake them if we could get a win. There was a good turnout of the Faithful in the bar, as expected.

THE GAME

After a minute Roefs had to get down to block a low shot from Tel and little else of note happened in the early stages though again we were giving the opposition little room in which to manoeuvre. In the eighth minute Richarlison got into a one-on-one with Roefs but he was a mile offside. Spurs were certainly doing most of the pressing but they hadn’t seriously threatened so far. We conceded the first corner in the thirteenth and it resulted in a free-kick to us. We’d looked comfortable enough defensively in the opening quarter of an hour but we’d hardly created anything of note in attack. Spurs had to make a change when Kudus was injured and he was replaced by Kolo Muani. We won our first corner immediately after that but it came to nothing. As we came to the end of the first quarter Spurs were pressing us hard and we were looking a bit overrun at times.

In the twenty-sixth Alderete went down in our box clutching his face and I doubt he was faking it but he was soon up and running again. We conceded another corner just before the half-hour mark as the pressure continued and in a packed goalmouth Davies tapped the ball in from very close range. That goal had been coming for a while and we hadn’t really got started upfront. About ten minutes before the break we finally started to liven up in attack and Hume had a decent shot from outside the box that wasn’t far over the bar. It got us fans in the bar livened up at last. Three minutes of added-time were announced and it remained 1-0 as the half-time whistle went. Our passing had been erratic at times and we’d been caught in possession too much so it had been a below par performance from us but there was still plenty of time for us to redress the balance. As things stood we were down to tenth position. 

There were no changes as we kicked off again but I wondered if we’d see Mundle coming on before long. Cirkin was yellow-carded after a minute or so for tugging on Richarlison’s arm. We started brightly and Mayenda had a decent header on target in the forty-ninth. Next thing Alderete was also booked for a foul on Richarlison. Hume had a good chance but it was blocked by Vicario in goal. That’s the first time I’ve had to mention their goalie and that says a lot. In the fifty-fourth a sloppy back-pass set up a great move by Brobbey and Mayenda that ended in the former smashing a powerful shot narrowly wide. This was much better from us but Spurs were continuing to look dangerous on the break. Just before the hour-mark we brought on Mundle for Cirkin. Le Fee became our third player to be booked after we’d invited pressure following a poor clearance. We won a corner in the sixty-third that resulted in a low Adingra shot that went wide of their left post. Our fans were coming across loud and clear and no doubt they sensed, like me, that we could get a result. In the sixty-sixth Ballard replaced Adingra and his presence is always welcome.

We won a corner in the seventieth but it only resulted in a swift Spurs break, which thankfully came to nothing. Shortly afterwards Spurs made a double switch with Odobert and Gray coming off to be replaced by Bergvall and Palhinha. In the seventy-ninth Mundle had a chance but he took too long to get the ball onto his right foot and Spurs defenders scooped it away. A great Fe Fee header seemed to kiss their right post as it went out and that was inspiring but next thing we got the equaliser and the bar went wild. Brobbey received a low ball in the box from Le Fee on his right and he slammed it into the top left hand corner. Bentancur became their first player to go into the book for shoving Brobbey over but we were in the ascendency. A great Hume shot forced Vicario into pushing it over for another corner. We brought on Rigg for Mayenda in the eighty-second. Five minutes to go and could we nick a winner? We were looking the more likely of the two sides. Six minutes of added-time were announced and that suited me. Spurs were penalised for a pathetic foul-throw and that had a lad behind me, who’d been laughing like a hyena on and off, into further paroxysms. Both sides kept going for the winner and a Palhinha header went wide of our right post. Our fans were the ones doing all the singing and I imagine the Spurs fans were very nervous indeed. Palhinha was booked in the final minute as we broke forward into their half and after the free-kick was taken the whistle went, to boos from the Spurs fans and applause in our bar.