Tottenham Friendly ends Scoreless at Colchester United
By Logan Holmes
Tottenham travelled to Colchester for their second pre-season friendly. United finished 20th in League One last season, avoiding relegation by three points, but they made Spurs work hard throughout and created chances of their own in a game which ended scoreless.
Andros Townsend was lively for Spurs against Colchester [Photo: Jav The_DoC_66]First Half Team:
Friedel; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Rose; Huddlestone, Sigurdsson, Carroll; Townsend, Falque, Adebayor
Subs: Lloris, Naughton, Fryers, Caulker, Assou-Ekotto, Parker, Dombaxe, Bentaleb, Coulthirst, Kane, Defoe, Vigouroux
Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale missed the game due to slight injuries picked up in training. Emmanuel Adebayor who only returned to training at the beginning of the week started while Benoit Assou-Ekottto who similarly started back this week was among the substitutes. The only players who have yet to be included are Younes Kaboul and Sandro who are recovering from injury and Mousa Dembele, Clint Dempsey and Paulinho who were given additional time off due to their extended international duties during the summer.
Iago Falque started the game and along with Shaq Coulthirst and Harry Kane were added to the squad for Monday’s match against Swindon. Nebil Bentelab and Laste Dombaxe who played at Swindon was again included in the squad whole some who played for the SpursXI who defeated Kingstonian 4 – 0 last night were omitted.
Colchester had a bright start and hit the post in the opening minute with a shot from watt after a partially cleared corner. Andros Townsend was proving lively cutting in from the left. First after 10 minutes, the goalkeeper turned his shot away and then five minutes later Wright again came to the rescue and dived low to parry his effort. A minute later Danny Rose went down as he cut into the area but the referee ignored the penalty appeals.
At the other end Colchester’s Ibehre missed with a header and Wright fired over from another corner after 18 minutes. With just under half an hour played a shot from Adebayor went well wide from the edge of the area. Then the goalkeeper saved from Falque and a couple of minutes later, Adebayor missed with a header.
Three minutes before the break a good run for Colchester by Sears from their own half results in a shot which goes wide of Friedel’s goal.
Colchester have been very lively and threatened the Tottenham goal on a number of occasions while for Spurs the main threat appears to be coming from Townsend on the left.
Half-time: Colchester 0 Tottenham 0
Second Half Team: Lloris; Naughton, Caulker, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto; Carroll, Huddlestone, Parker; Townsend, Defoe, Kane
Townsend carried on after half-time as he had done in the first coming close within three minutes of the restart. Colchester continued to threaten the Spurs goal and after 52 minutes Hugo Lloris had to be quick when a Ibehre shot was blocked and the goalkeeper came out quickly to deny Watt a shooting chance. Harry Kane responded for Spurs after with a shot which Walker saved but when it came out to Jermain Defoe, he shot over. Townsend again went close before Lloris was again called into action to make a good save to his left from Sears after Watt and Olufemi combined to set him up.
Zeke Fryers, Bentaleb and Dombaxe came on for Dawson, Carroll, Huddlestone after an hour and Coulthirst replaced Townsend three minutes later.
Defoe created a shooting chance on the edge of the area but it went wide with 15 minutes to play and then two minutes later Kane hit the base of the post when played in on goal. Spurs continue to threaten and with ten minutes left the goalkeeper, Cousins, makes a good save to deny Defoe and then recovers well to save again from Dombaxe who was off-side. A late effort by Kyle Naughton with three minutes remaining was covered by the goalkeeper as the match ended goalless.
Full-Time: Colchester United 0 Tottenham 0
Colchester made Spurs work hard which is what Andre Villas-Boas will have wanted as the players build up their fitness ahead of the matches next week in Hong Kong – all part of the process of being prepared for the opening game at Crystal Palace on 18th August. it was only in the latter stages of the second half that Spurs started to create more chances but when they did they found the Colchester goalkeepers in top form.