Cobblers 1-3 Tottenham XI report.

Hi all. Finished work early so decided to take the hour drive to Northampton to get some of my much needed Tottenham medicine going. Anyway here's a little report on the game

Tottenham Line up:

Archer

Smith
Hall
Ekong
Stewart

Fredericks
Bostock
parrett
mason

Cabellos

Coulibaly


Tottenham made a bright start, and it was evident they set out to get quick short passing going as well as holding the ball. There was barely enough time to sit down and grab a breath though, when on 5 minutes mason picked up possession and spotted bostocks great run. He played a diagonal ball over the top of the defence and took a touch and slotted into the bottom left hand corner from inside the area. A great start and a goal of quality which I thought would set the tone for the game.

however after the goal the cobblers seemed to react and possession kept swinging in favour of either side. To be honest the rest of the first half, at least from our point of view showed the age of the team, many poor decisions when in possession and misplaced passes to go with it. Coulibaly cut an isolated figure up top, feeding off scraps. However when he did get the ball, his touch let him down, and annoyingly, when not in possession he just wasn't working hard enough to press high up and win possession back.

The 2nd half started, and you could see the staff had made themselves heard in the dressing room. The pace of the game from Tottenham was much faster and players were making themselves available for quick passes more often. We controlled the possession and when the cobblers did get a chance, archer was equal.

Again, the 2nd goal came only 5 or so minutes into the half, a poor back pass from a Northampton defender was punished by Coulibaly. He had a heavy first touch but managed to run onto it and poke home. he loved it came running to the spurs fans who cheered him so in return he treated us to some medal-worth gymnastics as he was then greeted by his teammates. This goal seemed to inject some spark into Coulibaly and he looked a lot more hungry to get the ball.

We were really on top after the goal and we only had to wait another few minutes before a 3rd. The inspired Coulibaly played the ball out to Fredericks and made a great run, Fredericks swiftly returned the ball and Coulibaly obliged. Powering into the top corner from inside the left of the area. Another goal of quality from the young spurs 11. After the goal we controlled the game right upto 80mins or so. Although Northampton weren't without there chances, our passing was quick and we were always looking to get forward. Quick passing, using our flanks and we could have had a few more. Final ball did let us down on a few occasions.

The game then fizzled out. A good few substitutions on either side and a late reply from a cobblers free kick. The free kick was taken and we were not organised enough at the back. Free header for the Northampton player.

All in all a decent performance, we are a small side and at times it looked like they were too physical for us. But we were organised and played some good football

My ratings

Archer. - made some good saves and looks a great shot stopper. Seemed a bit reluctant to come for crosses. Distension was also a bit poor. promising though. 7

Hall & Ekong. - Both played well. Cobblera had a no10 bigger than elokobi!!! Both these lads did well to keep him quiet. A few loose passes ad Dawson-esque poor long balls. Again promising - 8

Stewart - rarely tested and looked really confident going forward. Deffo showed potential. - 7

Fredericks - Although a bit greedy at times, caused so much trouble cutting in from the left flank. Brimming with confidence -7.5

mason - Looked assured at this level as you would expect. great ball for Bostock - 7

parrett - didn't convince me. Worked hard to win possession but nothing to write home about - 6

Bostock. Attitude looked good. Work hard, although looking a bit slow he did control the play often and always looked to make himself available. - 8

Cabellos. Quite a few loose passes and looks really lightweight. - 6

Coulibally. tale of two halves. Looks a great finisher but lots of work to do. - 7. Gymnastics - 10

Subs. Not much time to assess them but jenkinson (I think) was pick of the bunch. Good mazy runs going forward although final ball let him down a bit


All in all it was. Decent game. Coulibaly though, obviously as we're all interested is in my opinion miles away. Poor first touch, can see him getting nothing against top defenders. He does look a natural finisher though and you can see flashes of excellence. Championship loan maybe?

Anyway. Theres my thoughts. Cheers