Under-21s thrash Wolves to return to summit

Our Under-21s produced a five-star performance to brush Wolves aside and return to the top of the Premier League 2 table on Monday night.

Jude Soonsup-Bell and Tyrell Ashcroft came up with two similarly good finishes in the first half - the latter marking his first goal for the Club - to put us in control and despite Fletcher Holman capitalising on a mistake at the back to make it 2-1, we continued to dominate after the break, Rio Kyerematen's effort helped in by goalkeeper James Storer, Will Lankshear adding another before birthday boy Yago Santiago's fine strike deflected in off defender Alfie Pond to complete a resounding 5-1 victory.

In truth, it could have been an even bigger winning margin as we controlled the majority of the game at the Lamex Stadium, enjoying 73 per cent possession and creating a host of other chances, although the five goals we did score were enough to take us back ahead of West Ham at the divison's summit on goal difference and having played two games less than the Hammers. We'll need four points from our remaining three matches to guarantee top spot and a favourable draw in the play-off phase of the season, while defeat for West Ham in their final game against Leicester City on 26 April would also make first place for us a mathematical certainty.

After some early chances went begging - Jamie Donley's shot was deflected narrowly wide while Soonsup-Bell couldn't connect with a header in the box - we took the lead after 20 minutes when Kyerematen, playing in an unfamiliar inverted left-back role, crossed for Soonsup-Bell to catch the ball with a sweet, right-footed volley which flew back across Storer and into the bottom corner. Seven minutes later it was 2-0 as Santiago broke through the defence and exchanged passes with Donley in the box, before Soonsup-Bell teed up Ashcroft to thump home from 18 yards out, at a similar angle to the opener.

Wolves tried a handful of forays forward but kept getting caught out by the offside flag, while Tyrese Hall saw his low shot through a crowded box spooned just wide by Storer as we looked for a third goal. The visitors, though, were the ones to score next and it came somewhat out of the blue, Holman winning a 50-50 with goalkeeper Luca Gunter at the edge of the box and simply slotting into the unguarded net with 33 minutes gone.

Hall had chances either side of the interval, the midfielder's low shot blocked on the line by Aaron Keto-Diyawa just before half-time before his angled effort from inside the box at the start of the second period was well saved by Storer, while Lankshear also found himself frustrated in the opening stages of the second half, the striker denied by a challenge from behind by Pond which led to failed appeals for a penalty, then by a flying save from the keeper as he tried to pick out the top corner.

Soonsup-Bell's close-range effort at the near post was somehow kept out by Storer, while Lankshear was showcasing some impressive speed with his runs in behind as we constantly caused the visitors problems with our forward passes. On one such attack in the 65th minute, he tried to lift the ball over the committed Storer but the latter got a touch at the edge of the area to deny him, but seconds later the keeper was left kicking himself as he got his hands to Kyerematen's lofted ball in from the left but only succeeded in helping it into the net. Three minutes after that, Lankshear got the breakthrough that his endeavours had deserved when he again ran in behind and slotted home from the left angle for his 15th league goal of the season.

Our fifth of the evening arrived in the 76th minute when we broke forward in numbers, Lankshear shifted the ball out to Santiago - who was celebrating his 21st birthday - on the left and a couple of stepovers later, the Spanish starlet's shot deflected in off Pond to inflict more misery on the away side. Substitute Max Robson almost scored with his first touch in the closing moments after a cute free-kick from Donley saw Soonsup-Bell cut the ball back from the right, but Robson's strike cannoned off the near post. Nevertheless, it was a thoroughly-deserved, dominant win for Wayne Burnett's men.

Reaction on SPURSPLAY

'We got the ball back very quickly'

Naturally, coach Wayne was delighted after the game, telling SPURSPLAY: "I'm really pleased. We found it a little bit difficult in the first half, they got lots of men behind the ball and they covered the spaces very well even though we scored two goals, but we came out in the second half and played some really good stuff at times. We created lots of chances which was pleasing, but the most pleasing thing for me was how well we played out of possession - that might sound strange even though we had 73 per cent possession, but the way in which we reacted and got the ball back very quickly probably gave us the opportunity to create those chances and have the amount of possession that we had. That was really pleasing for me, we got the ball back very quickly and we were able to get control and sustain more attacks."

Match data

Goals: Spurs - Soonsup-Bell 20, Ashcroft 27, Kyerematen 65, Lankshear 68, Pond (OG) 76; Wolves - Holman 33.

Yellow cards: Spurs - Kyerematen 80; Wolves - Pond 72, Whittingham 84.

Referee: Jason Richardson.

Venue: Lamex Stadium, Stevenage.

Weather: Partly cloudy, moderate breeze, six degrees.

Attendance: 318.