According to a report by Tottenham Hotspur’s official website, the heroics of our U19 midfielder Paris Maghoma helped secure a much-needed 1-0 win against Brugge in the Terborg tournament in Holland.

We endured a challenging time in the group stages and it is great that we somehow managed to clinch a 5th-place finish at the end of it. This does come as great news for our younger players and from here on, they can only go forward.

In general, our U19 side has been quite promising in recent times and the display against Brugge was certainly yet another encouraging sign. Our defence was quite commendable and Brooklyn Lyons-Foster made quite a mark after returning from an injury he had sustained in March.

The likes of Troy Parrott and midfielder Elliot Thorpe came close to scoring but they failed to convert the chances. However, the U19s were lucky enough to have Maghoma in the mix since his goal ultimately proved to make all the difference.

All in all, it goes without saying that this was a good learning experience for the youngsters. They managed to sandwich a victory against Heerenveen between losses to Midtjylland and Atletico Paranaense but the win against Brugge is certainly a brilliant way to end the academy season.

Scott Parker’s men will now brace themselves for the new season and some of the players will be pushing for greater opportunities as well. However, given the way they have performed, it looks like the future is bright for the lot.