Under-18s suffer narrow Spurs loss
Swansea City Under-18s kicked off the New Year with an impressive defensive display at Tottenham but fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat against the league leaders in Premier League South.
Spurs dominated the early stages of the game and soon found themselves ahead as Rodel Richards set up midfielder Paris Maghoma, whose side-footed effort beat Swans’ goalkeeper Nathan Shepperd on 23 minutes.
The hosts continued to threaten but were left frustrated by some determined defending on the edge of the Swansea area.
The Swans’ rapid frontline posed a threat on the counter-attack, but Shepperd was kept busy with the young stopper doing well to prevent first Richards and then J’Neil Bennett from extending Tottenham’s lead.
Spurs’ did have the ball in the net again early in the second-half after Shepperd’s save deflected into the path of Spurs’ defender Luis Binks, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
Maghoma came close to scoring his and Tottenham’s second of the afternoon after the break, before Elliot Thorpe put a half-chance over the crossbar.
Swans’ forward Jayden Reid had a chance to equalise late in the second-half after a mistake from Spurs’ defender Dennis Cirkin, but it wasn’t to be for the visitors who will still be pleased with their defensive efforts against a Tottenham side who have been in free-scoring form.
The young Swans’ are next in action on Saturday, January 19th when they will return to the capital to face West Ham United.
Tottenham Hotspur: Josh Oluwayemi, Brooklyn Lyons-Foster (Maximus Tainio, 46), Luis Binks, Dennis Cirkin, Dilan Markanday, Harvey White, Paris Maghoma, Rayan Clarke (Elliot Thorpe, 77), J’Neil Bennett, Rodel Richards (Chay Cooper, 85).
Unused Subs: Kacper Kurylowicz, Louis Maxwell.
Swansea City: Nathan Shepperd, Ryan Bevan, Jacob Jones, Will Rickard (Jayden Reid, 60), Tivonge Rushesha, Jake Thomas, Cameron Evans, Owain Evans, Dan Williams, Mason Jones-Thomas, Bradley Gibbings (Shaquille Wynter-Coles, 60).
Unused Subs: Scott Reed, Connor Shields, Marc Walsh.
