Our run to the UEFA Europa League Final has seen key players produce some key moments, but there have also been some special nights for a handful of our Academy starlets over the course of the campaign.
From first starts to breakthrough goals, debuts and even – unfortunately – a red card, our youngsters have come up with some significant cameos in support of their senior colleagues during our 14-match run to Wednesday’s showpiece match against Manchester United in Bilbao.
Excluding homegrown goalkeepers Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman, plus striker Dane Scarlett, all of whom have been in and around the first team squad for some time, we’ve had at least one current Academy player in every matchday squad in the Europa League this term, with 10 different youngsters featuring on the teamsheet throughout the competition so far.
While Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear, Callum Olusesi and Damola Ajayi have all earned match minutes in Europe, Alfie Dorrington, Dante Cassanova, Maeson King, Rio Kyerematen, Malachi Hardy and even schoolboy Luca Williams-Barnett have been named among our substitutes at different points throughout the campaign, earning valuable exposure to the first team environment as Ange Postecoglou’s men have battled on through an injury-hit season to move within 90 minutes of glory on the continent.
As we approach the final in Spain, here's a look back at some of the memorable moments from our Academy players during this Europa League adventure...
Lankshear’s debut and Moore’s first start
Our trip to Budapest to take on Ferencvaros on matchday two in the new-look league phase back on 3 October brought headline time news that included a senior competitive debut for centre-forward Will Lankshear and a first start for 17-year-old attacking midfielder Mikey Moore.
Both players impressed on the night – Will went close to opening his account in the second half while Mikey was named Man of the Match by our supporters after a fantastic display over 90 minutes as we secured a 2-1 victory.
“That was my first start, so it was a proud day for me and my family, and for everyone who has helped me in my career so far,” recalled Mikey. “I think I played quite well for my first start and it was nice to share it with Will because we’d come through the Under-18s together for a bit, so we had a nice link-up on the day.”
Will, who has gone on to spend the second half of the campaign on loan at West Bromwich Albion, said: “It was an amazing moment for me and it sort of kick-started everything, really. My dad flew out there not realising that I was going to play – he was just happy that I was even in the squad. I told him a couple of hours before the game that I was starting and he was thrilled.
“We had a meeting before the game like usual and I remember saying to Mikey that I thought he would play and that hopefully that would be the day I’d come on from the bench, but then I saw my name in the starting line-up and it was crazy! It was a whirlwind of a day, I was really proud but I probably should have scored. Making your debut like that, it’s something that you work towards for your whole life. I thought I did okay that night and it was a nice way to kick-start my Spurs career.”
From the classroom to the first team bench
Young forward Luca Williams-Barnett – who has played a starring role for our Under-18s this term – went to bed on 5 November thinking he’d be going to school the next day. Little did he know, less than 48 hours later, his classmates would be watching him on television, warming up on the touchline in the cauldron of Galatasaray’s RAMS Park in Turkey!
As Luca slept that Tuesday night, our Academy staff – on the coach back from that evening’s Under-21 match at Swindon Town – hurriedly worked to make his involvement in the game possible after receiving word that Ange Postecoglou wanted the youngster in the travelling squad. Under-21s boss Wayne Burnett called Luca’s mum to put the wheels in motion for him to be excused from school while Academy Goalkeeping Coach Dean Brill drove to the family home overnight to collect the player’s passport.
Just a few hours later, Luca, who had only recently turned 16 and who still isn’t even a full-time player yet, was on the plane to Turkey, where he would be named as a substitute for an intense matchday four showdown on 7 November.
It was the first of three consecutive Europa League matchdays in which he was named on the bench. Callum Olusesi was also on the bench for the first time in that game, which we narrowly lost 3-2, with Development Squad defenders Alfie Dorrington and Dante Cassanova additionally listed as substitutes, as they also had been on matchday two at Ferencvaros.
Fellow Academy players Malachi Hardy (Roma, Rangers, Hoffenheim and Elfsborg), Maeson King (Roma) and Rio Kyerematen (Elfsborg) would also earn spots on the bench in subsequent league stage games.
“I felt really proud to be in the squad and it was a great opportunity to get to train and travel with the first team,” said Dante, reflecting on his experiences with the senior team. “I was really happy, especially to be able to tell my family and friends who were all delighted for me. We got a chance to further understand how the senior players prepare to go and compete, especially on a European night with the travelling element.”
Lankshear’s mixed fortunes
Our trip to Galatasaray on 7 November certainly brought mixed emotions for Will Lankshear. Named in the starting line-up for the second time, the striker scored in the 18th minute at RAMS Park to cancel out the hosts’ opener… only to later be sent off for a second bookable offence on the hour mark.
We battled on with 10 men and after Dominic Solanke’s goal, we were somewhat unlucky to have lost 3-2 in the end.
“That was probably the biggest moment and the happiest moment of my career when I scored, and then also the not-so happiest memory of my life,” reflected Will. “Their crowd was wild. I don’t really know what was going through my head with the goal celebration – I probably should’ve had something planned before the game. Obviously I expect myself to score, but I didn’t expect to score so much that I had planned a celebration!
“After the red card, all of the players came into the changing room and told me not to worry about it, to keep my head up and just learn. I think the whole experience was a massive learning curve for me and I’ve really taken it with me to my loan and all the games I’ve played since. I gained so much experience from that moment. It’s something that probably happens to a lot of players but I experienced it really early in my career and now, there’s been many times where I’ve played on loan, I’ve been on a yellow card and I’ve further understood how to deal with it. I’ve learned that now.”
Olusesi goes from Grimsby to Germany
Our trip to face Hoffenheim for matchday seven on 23 January saw us head to Germany without a plethora of first team regulars due to injury. We only named eight substitutes on the night and all bar Fraser Forster were products of our Academy.
In the closing stages, teenage midfielder Callum Olusesi came off the bench to make his debut for the Club, having been an unused substitute in a number of previous matches across all competitions.
“It was a surreal experience to be honest, something that you dream of,” the 18-year-old said. “I remember at the time when I was told to come over and put the kit on, it kind of felt like I was dreaming. After all the hard work you put in over the years, I finally got the opportunity to get on the pitch. It was a great moment, even to this day, it was like a dream. I’d played for the Under-18s at Grimsby a couple of days before in the FA Youth Cup, that was a mad game, then we trained at home on the Wednesday, then flew out and the game was on the Thursday, so it was quite a hectic period with all the travelling. I didn’t really go home during that spell, but it was worth it!”
What made Callum’s debut even more wholesome was the fact that he got to share the pitch with his childhood pal Mikey Moore. The pair have been friends since primary school and have come up through the system at the Club in the same age group.
“There were a lot of Academy boys on the bench that day and being close to Callum, I was hoping that he’d be one of the ones to get on,” said Mikey. “Once he came on, I was so happy for him and the win was a good way to top it off. It was a proud night for both of us, coming from Sunday league together to playing in the Europa League. My mum and dad are close to his family and we live together now in digs, so we’re close to each other. We’re in with a lovely family, he’s got his room next to mine so we’re in watching football every night together! We’re different characters – I’m a little bit louder than him and he’s very calm and collected!”
Callum added: “You couldn’t really write it to be honest. It was surreal. Mikey and I didn’t get to speak to each other until afterwards when we actually properly discussed it in terms of where we’d come from to where we were then. It’s a great story.”
Brilliant Brandon
Although he’s 26 years of age and has been in the first team squad for several years now, it would be remiss of us not to mention the contributions to this European run of Academy alum Brandon Austin.
Having graduated from our development ranks into the senior set-up a number of years ago, the talented goalkeeper had to bide his time as he waited for his chance – then made sure he took it when the opportunity finally arrived back in January.
He’d made his senior competitive debut in the Premier League in a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle United at the turn of the year, but helped us to a 3-2 victory with some superb stops on his first European appearance away to Hoffenheim on 23 January.
He then picked up his first clean sheet in another win – this one 3-0 – seven nights later against Elfsborg on matchday eight.
“I was definitely most happy with the win, but it does make it better when it’s a clean sheet as well!” he smiled, looking back on the latter outing. “Obviously it was a big moment that I’d waited so long for – I’ve been at the Club since I was eight years old, so to get an opportunity and to do well is something I’ve always dreamed of. To do it at home as well and to have the fans there, it just made it extra-special.”
“When I scored, I felt like the moment didn’t really sink in until I saw some of the players coming to celebrate with me,” smiled Damola, looking back on that special night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. “I feel like Dane and Pedro (Porro) were the main two that I probably remember. My mum was there in the crowd but I didn’t really know where she was. I saw some of the fans and felt like I wanted to jump in and celebrate with them! You can tell by the pictures, it was just a top night. Everyone really celebrated with each other and it was great to experience it with players that I’ve been around in the Academy, reaching such a high moment together.”
Mikey added: “For me personally it was the best night I’ve had so far. I was buzzing when I scored and when the other two boys got their goals, I was so proud. When Damola scored, I was jokingly thinking, ‘I’ve played 10 games and I still haven’t got a goal but he’s come on for two minutes and he’s scored straight away!’ so maybe I was a bit jealous about that, but when I got the ball in the lead-up to my goal, I was thinking in my head that I was joining him and I wasn’t letting this opportunity pass!”
Some of our Academy staff were in the stands that night, including Under-18s Coach Stuart Lewis: “It was such an emotional evening – along with some of the other staff, I’ve been on the training pitches with some of those players from the Under-12s and Under-13s, and the amount of days we’ve spent training them and practicing their finishing and having those individual meetings that we always do... to then have that evening at the stadium, I can’t put it into words,” he said. “It’s what the job is about, ultimately. I was there with my son and my dad, my phone was going wild, Ryan Mason texted me straight after the game and the whole evening meant so much to everybody.”