Under-23s victorious against Foxes

Our Under-23s deservedly returned to winning ways with a 3-1 triumph against Leicester City at Stevenage on Friday night.

Three first-half goals put us in firm control - Yago Santiago's first league strike of the season followed shortly afterwards by a classy Alfie Devine finish and Jamie Donley's effort that went in off defender Lewis Brunt for an own goal - and our mature performance continued after the break in spite of a late Leicester consolation from Ethan Fitzhugh as we picked up our first Premier League 2 victory of the calendar year.

With a handful of players back from injuries and suspensions, this outing was a world away from the disastrous defeat at Liverpool last weekend and more in keeping with the dominant displays we produced at this level during the first half of the campaign. Malachi Fagan-Walcott and Tobi Omole - an effective partnership during that period - were reunited at centre-half and provided a solid base in front of recalled goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala, with Jamie Bowden authoritatively patrolling the midfield areas ahead of them and our front men causing plenty of problems for Leicester with their menacing forward runs and confident finishing.

The Foxes' cause wasn't helped when defender Shane Flynn was forced off injured early on - we wish him well - but our return to the Lamex Stadium for the first time since last year, where we've enjoyed a good run of form this term, losing just once, yielded three well-earned points.

Young striker Donley, leading the line on only his second Under-23s appearance, tested Foxes goalkeeper Brad Young early on before a short pause in play as defender Flynn was treated and eventually taken off after a heavy landing. His replacement, Zach Booth, was introduced as a concussion substitute - a first in one of our games - meaning both sides were able to make four changes from then on.

Our opener arrived on 24 minutes after a neat exchange between Devine and Bowden in our half, the ball worked out to the left side where Marcel Lavinier set up Santiago to go surging forward and slot home from the angle. Eight minutes later, Donley heard the call of the superb Devine as he arrived in the box and teed up the midfielder to guide a low shot beyond Young for 2-0 before the duo's roles were reversed, Devine's cross from close to the byline on the right attacked by Donley at the front post, with Leicester skipper Brunt getting the final touch as it sailed in with six minutes of the first half still to play.

The visitors made changes at the break and they had a couple of attempts at reducing the arrears, Tawanda Maswanhise cutting in from the left and arrowing a shot over the bar while substitute Will Russ should have scored when Bowden gave the ball away and he skipped beyond Fagan-Walcott to go through on goal, but the advancing Lo-Tutala made himself big and did enough to force the Leicester man to put his shot wide. Fitzhugh did manage to get his side off the mark on 84 minutes when he ran onto a route one ball down the middle of the pitch and clipped over the onrushing Lo-Tutala, but we continued to be brave in possession and saw the rest of the game out well, Santiago almost adding a fourth in stoppage time, only for Ben Nelson to come across and dispossess him.

'We were due a performance'

Under-23s Coach Wayne Burnett said after the game: "I thought we played with a real intent, purpose and high energy in the first half - we created a number of chances so I'm really pleased with the first-half performance; pleased with the individual performances, plus the team as a collective.

"Changes were made to the team and I thought the players who came in acquitted themselves very well. In the first half, we scored three good goals but in the second half we didn't play with the same energy, purpose or threat and we're disappointed that they've managed to score a goal. But after the last three or four weeks that we've had, we're pleased to get a win and as I said to the players, we were due a performance because we hadn't seen that in the previous two games."

Match data

Goals: Spurs - Santiago 24, Devine 32, Brunt (OG) 39; Leicester - Fitzhugh 84.

Yellow card: Spurs - Omole 78.

Referee: Robert Massey-Ellis.

Venue: Lamex Stadium, Stevenage.

Weather: Clear skies, gentle breeze, 10 degrees.

Attendance: 253.