FA CUP FIFTH ROAD REPLAY: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3 STEVENAGE 1

By DAN CARRIER

March 7, 2012

IT has not been a particularly glorious cup run so far: no epic encounters that stand out, no last minute snatching of victory from the jaws of defeat, no Lilywhite hero to emerge and single-handedly drag his team mates into the next round.

Up until now, it has been a stroll against Cheltenham at home, followed by that awful performance away at Watford on a truly freezing and miserable night when we should have lost four nil… and then there was another downbeat display when were live on the telly on a Sunday afternoon against tonight's opponents.

If you get to a cup final, you want one of your heroes to go down in the club's folklore as the man who made the difference, the Ricky, the Gazza, and it was well into this game before a possible cup hero emerged.

Tonight, perhaps, the man who we'll remember when we're old and grey as the 2012 Cup King put his hand up, and frankly it couldn't happen to a better Spur. Jermain Defoe has had a pretty miserable season. He has not been in the side and because of his lack of game time it means it is very possible he won't get to represent England at the European Championships. How he must have felt hearing Louis Saha had been signed at the end of January and being handed a starting berth, after biding his time, coming on and doing his best but still not getting the run out he believes he deserves.

It must have been one of those grit your teeth moments.

Tonight, Defoe turned this game on its head as Tottenham looked pale, off form, bereft of confidence and a goal down against a Stevenage team that were playing out of their skin. He'd hardly touched the ball when on 25 he suddenly found it heading towards him from a long belt by Kaboul. One touch to make it sit up nicely and the next second Chris Day in the opponents' goal is picking it out of a corner.

He looks fresh and desperate to get his season on track. Perhaps after tonight he will get the run outs he needs to head to the Euros, and freshen up a side who have lost two on the bounce.

The Stevenage fans didn't care that they'd been in the lead and comfortable: this was their cup final, and they kept up a 90 minute banter with the home terraces in a call-and-answer style of chants. They enjoyed themselves immensely, and were helped by the fact things didn't start off as planned: after gentle to'ing and fro'ing, Stevenage advanced on the left flank and found themselves heading into the box. Ryan Nelsen dragged down Michael Bostwick and on two minutes Stevenage found themselves with a penalty to convert. It was finished neatly.

Then three minutes later Dawson landed awkwardly and had to be stretchered off. He was replaced by Kyle Walker. An inauspicious start.

By 20 minutes, Day in the Stevenage goal hadn't touched the ball and they'd held the superstars at arms length. But five minutes later Defoe controlled a ball from the back, let it bounce once and then from just outside the box nailed an absolute belter, in typical Defoe style. It was the first flash of brilliance from the striker and it roused his team mates to get into their stride.

Stevenage weren't content to roll over and have their bellies tickled. You could see why they had got this far in the competition: aggression, pace and that sixth sense of knowing where their team mates were moving meant they were not just pudding headed lower league fodder.

Defoe thought he had got a second on 47 when he turned a cross home but the linesman said it was offside – a close, but correct, decision. Then it was time for Spurs to crank it up a little, and as Stevenage began to throw themselves about to keep up, Bale forced the unfortunate Darius Charles into a scrambled attempt at a tackle. Penalty, Adebayor, 54 on the clock, 2-1.

It could have been another on 60 when Bale walloped a long ranger against the bar and then Adebayor sent a header just over a split second later. And all the while Defoe was hustling, bustling, fetching and carrying, and looking for that half a yard on the edge of the box to work the ball onto his right and unleash the beast. He should have got his second on 69, when he met a Bale cross but saw his effort blocked by Day and he went close again on 72.

His second had to come, and it did, courtesy of a truly wonderful move by Bale. He hurled a throw in behind the Stevenage full back and Defoe collected. He stepped inside and placed his effort. It was great vision by Bale and deadly finishing by Defoe.

After the game Defoe said he was ready to play a big part in the run in. "I feel sharp, and I have done all season," he said.
"When you play in a team like this, you know you will get chances. The manager knows if I am called upon I'll be ready."

Maybe twiddling his thumbs as the season has unwound is actually going to prove to be a boon for the forward. He will be fresh, and when it comes down to those latter stages of cup games when it needs someone to find that bit of inspiration, perhaps Defoe will step up and become the Ricky Villa of 2012.