Points put Derby closer to safety

13 April 2012

Alton Thelwell's week to forget ended in an early exit from Tottenham's defeat at Derby, but the raw young defender was assured that he is a vital part of the future at White Hart Lane.

Thelwell had already spent an unhappy half- hour for the England Under-21s in midweek trying to stem the Spanish tide that overwhelmed Howard Wilkinson's side 4-0 in Birmingham.

Maybe the memory was still a little too fresh as he struggled to shackle international team-mate Malcolm Christie at Pride Park and was finally harassed into conceding the penalty that turned out to be the decider in Derby's victory.

Tottenham boss George Graham, always protective of his youngsters, took the 20-year-old out of the firing line at half-time to ensure that Thelwell's first League start of the year could not develop into anything worse for a promising player.

He will have a quiet chat with Thelwell today and, while reassuring the Holloway-born former trainee, Graham will remind him firmly that graduating to the first team is a long way from being the finished article. 'I took him off because he looked a bit nervous,' said Graham. 'It's all part of the learning process.'

Graham's policy of carefully easing blossoming talent into the first team came in for some criticism at his previous club, Leeds, where successor David O'Leary's calculated gamble to pitch them in at the deep end has paid off in spectacular fashion.

Graham's natural caution has been overtaken by Tottenham's crippling injury problems, under-lined by the fact that Thelwell's replacement for an improved second-half performance by Spurs was another 20-year-old, Anthony Gardner - making his debut more than a year after a £1million move from Port Vale.

But as new owners ENIC debate the way forward for a Tottenham team languishing in the wrong half of the Premiership, the disappointed Thelwell has the full backing of senior team-mates such as Steffen Freund.

Germany midfielder Freund said: 'Alton has a great future and he shouldn't get the blame for us losing.

'You can't expect the youngsters to play well every week - Ledley King is the exception, he already has a high profile and will go on to play for England I'm sure.

'But young players are in and out with their form. It is to be expected and we shouldn't put too much pressure on them. They are always up and down in their first season, but Alton has a good future here.'

Striker Les Ferdinand, still unsure where he will be next season, added: 'The manager is playing these lads because he has to, but they've given a good account of themselves and the future looks bright.'

Branko Strupar, back after two hernia operations, pounced for Derby after 12 minutes with a thumping header before Thelwell bundled Christie over to hand the eager Belgian a second goal from the penalty spot. The striker who manager Jim Smith calls 'a natural' could not conceal his delight after months of misery.

'I'm as happy as a little child,' said Strupar. 'I'm really enjoying life again.'

So are Derby, probably just a couple of wins away from Premier-ship safety, even though they were lax enough to allow Tottenham back into the game - Taribo West's headed own goal should have been improved by luckless on-loan striker Andy Booth before his return to Sheffield Wednesday.

King and substitute Steffen Iversen came close in a frantic goalmouth scramble near the end and from Tim Sherwood's free-kick Gary Doherty produced a header which landed on the roof of the net.

FA Cup quarter-finalists Spurs now lie 12th - 10 points clear of danger - with Graham shrugging off invitations to glance over his shoulder.

But Ferdinand warned his teammates: 'We can't think we're safe. We're being dragged deeper and we have to get as far up that table as we can.'

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David Jones (Footballer)

Sheffield Wednesday

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Points put Derby closer to safety

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