Hall secures a point for Under-21s

Our Under-21s secured their first point of 2025 on Saturday lunchtime at Hotspur Way, coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Norwich City in the Premier League 2.

The Canaries took the lead midway through the first half, as Brandon Forbes jinked down the right and cut into the box, before finishing astutely into the bottom left corner.

Wayne Burnett's side dominated possession, but a staunch City defence saw most of our efforts blocked throughout the opening 45 minutes.

However just three minutes after the restart, substitute Max McKnight fired in a perfectly-weighted cross, which Tyrese Hall headed home from close range.

The second half didn't yield many chances at either end, with Hall's goal enough to end a run of five consecutive defeats and keep us five points behind Everton in the final play-off spot.

The first chances of the game both fell to the visitors, the first was a tame effort straight at Luca Gunter before a strong effort from Errol Mundle-Smith was saved by the keeper low to his right. At the other end a lively start from Oliver Irow saw him have a half-volleyed effort blocked 12 minutes in, before firing wide three minutes later, with both opportunities created by Yusuf Akhamrich on the left flank.

Norwich took the lead 16 minutes in, as Forbes won a foot race on the right wing and worked his way past a couple of men, before cutting in and firing across Gunter and into the bottom left corner. Damola Ajayi forced the first save from Caleb Ansen two minutes later, while Akhamrich had a volleyed effort blocked and Rio Kyerematen forced another save before the half-hour mark.

Captain Dante Cassanova fired wide while Leo Black, Kyerematen and Irow had multiple opportunities blocked in a frustrating first-half display that saw us create no fewer than 13 chances, but at the other end Gunter had to make a big save to deny Forbes a second for Norwich.

McKnight replaced Will Andiyapan at the interval and his first contribution was an assist, firing in a perfectly-weighted cross from the right for the arriving Hall to head into the bottom left corner.

After the hour mark, Max Robson could've had a penalty when he was brought down just inside the area by Charlie Wilson, but the referee deemed it simulation and awarded Norwich a free-kick instead. Our former defender Theo Adelusi hooked Robson's flicked header off the line and pandemonium ensued inside the Canaries' penalty area, the ball pinging off multiple bodies before Cassanova eventually get a touch on it - his effort looked like it had gone in, but crept just wide.

At the other end, Pele Arganese-McDermott made a second big sliding challenge of the game deep into stoppage time to deny the visitors a late winner. He was joined at the back by James Rowswell with seven minutes to play as the defender made his first competitive appearance of the season, having recovered from injury.

Neither side could ultimately find a winner, with the point not enough to lift us up the Premier League 2 table, but importantly we remain within touching distance of play-off qualification.

Match data

Goals: Spurs - Tyrese Hall 48; Norwich - Forbes 16.

Yellow cards: Spurs - Ajayi 25, Robson 66, Arganese-McDermott 86; Norwich - Ogwuru 50, Bridge 90+4.

Referee: Callum Walchester.

Venue: Hotspur Way, Enfield.

Weather: Dry, three degrees.