Spurs 10-1 Stevenage (FAYC) - match spotlight

Kazaiah Sterling's first-half hat-trick set the tone as our academy side served up an irresistible attacking performance to trounce Stevenage in their own back yard and march into the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday night (November 30).

Striker Sterling, on the sidelines for the first two-and-a-half months of the season, scored in his fourth consecutive match after just 100 seconds and ploughed on throughout the first half to well and truly make up for lost time.

Our rampant attacking continued after the break with defenders Japhet Tanganga (2), TJ Eyoma and Jaden Brown – on the field for less than three minutes at the time of his goal – getting in on the act.

Ben Wilmot pulled one back for Stevenage, who were technically the away side despite us hosting the fixture at their Lamex Stadium, but we were stronger, quicker and technically more dominant all over the pitch and with Keanan Bennetts literally leaving defenders in his wake, he set up Samuel Shashoua and Jack Roles to take it to 9-1.

Shashoua then dealt one last blow as he brought up double figures in added time to round off a fantastic all-round display from our youngsters.

KEY ACTION

GOAL: SPURS 1-0 STEVENAGE - KAZAIAH STERLING - 2mins
We were on the front foot right from the off and took the lead with 100 seconds gone. Dylan Duncan played Sterling through in the left channel and he finished clinically from the angle. Bennetts found Roles in a pocket of space in the box moments later but the midfielder's shot was blocked. At the other end, Claudio Ofuso's first-time shot flew just off target but we were controlling the midfield area and picking Stevenage off with lethal passes in to the energetic Sterling.

GOAL: SPURS 2-0 STEVENAGE - KAZAIAH STERLING - 11mins
The opening goalscorer went racing clear once more on 11 minutes to double his and our tally, this time latching onto Roles' toe-poke through the middle, touching it past goalkeeper Neal Orsborn and smashing into the empty net. The same two players almost pulled off an identical move 11 minutes later but Stevenage's defence recovered to clear as Sterling tried to take it around the keeper once more.

OFF THE LINE: DUNCAN CLOSE AFTER OSBORN SAVE - 27mins
We might have gone further ahead on 27 minutes but after Osborn beat out Sterling's drive, Duncan's first-time shot on the rebound was cleared off the line by the outstretched leg of right-back Macsen Fraser.

GOAL: SPURS 3-0 STEVENAGE - KAZAIAH STERLING - 42mins
Stevenage won a handful of set pieces as the half wore on but couldn't trouble Jonathan De Bie and after Sterling glanced a header wide and Osborn saved Duncan's low shot with his leg, the striker completed his hat-trick three minutes before the break. Bennetts produced a marvellous bit of skill, spinning on the ball and ferrying Shashoua's pass on to Sterling in one deft move and the front man duly drilled into the net from the right side of the box.

Above: Samuel Shashoua under pressure from Charley O'Keefe.  

GOAL: SPURS 4-0 STEVENAGE – JAPHET TANGANGA – 59mins
Roles and Sterling tested Osborn after the break and the one-way traffic continued with Shashoua gliding past his marker on the left and floating a cross over for centre-back Tanganga to score with one of his trademark powerful downward headers.

GOAL: SPURS 5-0 STEVENAGE – JAPHET TANGANGA – 63mins
The same two players combined for number five on 63 minutes, shortly after David Etheridge had gone close for Stevenage, as Shashoua won a free-kick on the left side of the box and lofted in the set piece for Tanganga to nod in at the back post.

GOAL: SPURS 6-0 STEVENAGE – TJ EYOMA – 65mins
Andronicos Georgiou dragged a shot just wide for Stevenage but we went flooding forward once again, this time with Shashoua trying a shot from the edge of the box that struck Sterling and fell for TJ Eyoma to slide it inside the post from a very tight angle on the right.

GOAL: SPURS 7-0 STEVENAGE – JADEN BROWN – 77mins
Number seven arrived on 77 minutes as Shashoua played a long ball over the top, substitute left-back Brown beat the advancing Osborn to it and smashed into the empty net.

GOAL: SPURS 7-1 STEVENAGE – BEN WILMOT – 84mins
Mick Cregan’s angled shot from the right almost deceived De Bie but the goalkeeper stuck out his foot to block it on the line. Stevenage kept the attack alive, though, and the ball was lifted over to Wilmot, whose acrobatic shot deflected into the net.

GOAL: SPURS 8-1 STEVENAGE – SAMUEL SHASHOUA – 87mins
We were shooting and scoring at will in the latter stages with Shashoua next to hit the target, running onto a good cross from Bennetts – who proved a nightmare for Stevenage’s defence all night with his powerful running with the ball – to sweep home.

GOAL: SPURS 9-1 STEVENAGE – JACK ROLES – 90mins
Bennetts was again the provider with another run down the left, evading his marker and playing the ball low into the centre where Roles took a touch and lashed high into the net from six yards out.

GOAL: SPURS 10-1 STEVENAGE – SAMUEL SHASHOUA – 90+2mins
The scoring was completed in the second of three added minutes as we pushed forward and Shashoua picked out the bottom corner with a well-struck left-footed shot from just inside the area.

NIGEL GIBBS, ASSISTANT HEAD OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT, SAID

“Obviously the result, but more importantly the performance, was excellent from start to finish. We’re very pleased with a lot of performances tonight. We watched Stevenage’s game against Charlton in the previous round where they played really well and deservedly beat them so we knew it was going to be a tough game but we’ve been hammering home the point that we’ve got to be right at it and obviously we came out of the blocks quickly, got the early goal and we never stopped. Sometimes when the score keeps going up it’s easy to take your foot off the gas but the boys were very professional towards the end and got the big tally of goals.

“We’ve stressed the importance of set pieces for and against and we scored a couple from them tonight – we spread the goals around after Kazaiah’s first three which is credit to the boys and I was really pleased they continued to the last minute. Kazaiah himself has had a length spell away from the pitch but he scored at the weekend against Southampton and he’s getting goals now and looking a real handful. The first three goals were his, very well worked with some good support play from the players behind, so we’re really pleased for him and hopefully there’s more to come.”

MATCH DATA

Spurs: De Bie, Eyoma, Tsaroulla (Brown 74), Skipp (Dinzeyi 69), Marsh (c), Tanganga, Shashoua, Roles, Sterling (Griffiths 77), Duncan, Bennetts. Substitutes (not used): Hinds, Freeman (GK).

Stevenage: Osborn, Fraser, Wilmot, Omar, O'Keefe, Brady (Taylor 75), Georgiou (Croud 66), Guerfi (c), Cregan, Ofuso, Etheridge (Iontton 61). Substitutes (not used): Dowridge, Milton (GK).

Goals: Stevenage – Wilmot 84; Spurs - Sterling 2; 11, 42, Tanganga 59, 63, Eyoma 65, Brown 77, Shashoua 87, 90+2, Roles 90.

Yellow cards: Spurs – Duncan 79; Stevenage - Brady 30, Fraser 66.

Referee: R Cox.

Attendance: 897.

UP NEXT

With a 6-2 victory over Southampton in our most recent Under-18 Premier League game under our belts, we travel to Norwich City for our next domestic fixture on Saturday (December 3) very much in free-scoring form. Kick-off will be at 12noon.