Luca Williams-Barnett scored another incredible goal from distance to help our Under-18s register an important 2-1 home victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.
The young forward, who lit up last week’s Under-17 Premier League Cup final with a hat-trick and has already scored twice from the half-way line this season, again coaxed a collective gasp from the Hotspur Way crowd as he curled a superb shot into an unguarded net from the right wing, adjacent to the edge of the centre circle, to put us 2-0 up in a game we really had to win to keep ourselves in the mix in the Under-18 Premier League southern division title race.
George Feeney had already fired us in front as we dominated the game in the first half before Villa came on strong after the break, goalkeeper Sam Archer saving TJ Carroll’s penalty and defender Jun’ai Byfield making a miraculous goal-line clearance either side of Max Lott’s 65th-minute strike as Stuart Lewis’ troops produced a resilient display to make sure of the points.
We also squandered further chances ourselves, hitting the woodwork twice in a dramatic, high-intensity clash which saw us win the first of four games we had in hand on leaders Southampton to move seven points behind them with nine more still available. Crucially, we also took points off Villa, another side in the mix and with games in hand on the table-toppers.
Tynan Thompson was twice denied by the visitors’ ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Owen Asemota while Ellis Lehane had a couple of efforts blocked as we started well. The opener arrived mid-way through the first half in a move that started with Archer at the back, Miracle Adewole was subsequently sent away down the right and his low cut-back was almost passed inside the near post by Feeney as he arrived at the edge of the box.
Three minutes later, Williams-Barnett pounced on a loose ball and sensationally struck from distance with Asemota off his line to double our lead and by half-time you felt we could and should have been further in front after Adewole shot wide, Thompson was denied twice more by the keeper – including a big save in a one-on-one opportunity on 41 minutes – and Lehane saw his near-post shot from the winger’s cut-back kept out on the line.
Williams-Barnett saw a shot on the break deflected just wide at the start of the second half following Harry Byrne’s quick thinking on a throw-in before a huge double save from Archer kept us in command, the keeper denying Carroll with his initial penalty kick after Ronny Moncur’s challenge on Markie Meade in the box, before producing an even better stop to deny the same player on the follow-up.
Always mesmerising with the ball at his feet, Williams-Barnett skipped over a couple of challenges before clipping the ball over Asemota from a tight angle, only to see it hit the bar, but Villa managed to get themselves off the mark on 64 minutes, Lott finishing off a counter-attack to set up a fiercely-competitive last half-hour.
Meade missed a great chance to draw them level moments later, while Lott was denied by Archer and Jack McGrath fired wide before two more big opportunities slipped away from us, substitute Reiss Elliott-Parris hitting the near post as he arrived onto Williams-Barnett’s cut-back from the left before the same two players combined again, this time Williams-Barnett sending Elliott-Parris through on goal, only for Asemota to make his second big one-on-one block of the game.
Two minutes from time, Villa skipper Woody Burgess thought he’d scored when he unleashed a powerful drive from the left angle, but an amazing clearance from Byfield on the line meant it stayed 2-1 and ensured the points were ours.
Reaction on SPURSPLAY
‘A top Under-18s game and outstanding to win it’
Under-18s Coach Stuart was delighted with the character shown by the players: “It was an unbelievable game,” he told SPURSPLAY. “In the first half we were outstanding and it was probably some of the best football we’ve played all season, maybe being critical we could have been three our four up on reflection, but the football and the intensity of our play was outstanding. Then in the second half we still had some big moments and opportunities to stretch the scoreline but I also thought we showed some brilliant character and resilience as well to get the win. With the blocks and the penalty save, the match had everything really so it was a real top Under-18s game and it was outstanding to win it.”
On our two goals, Stuart added: “I thought George Feeney was outstanding in the first half with his all-round play, how he broke the game up and how he intercepted the ball, but also his football and he deserved that goal. It was a brilliant finish from the edge of the box, he’s got a good strike on him and he’s got those forward instincts which is great for him and for us, and then what can you say about Luca? We’ve seen it a few times this season. When it dropped to him, we all felt it was possible and with him, you know he can execute it, so it was another outstanding moment but I thought his all-round performance was excellent again. It was some goal – I can’t wait to watch it back!”