Ugo Ehiogu’s U21 side tasted defeat in their final pre-season game of the summer as they went down to a strong Birmingham City side.
Jon Toral – who is on loan from Arsenal – netted a hat-trick in what was a disastorous five minutes for the young Spurs after going into the half-time break level, leaving Anton Walkes’ second-half effort as nothing more than a consolation.
Ehiogu described the experience as ‘a lesson learnt’, but suggested that the result may have been slightly flattering for Gary Rowett’s side.
“It’s really disappointing to lose in that manner because there were some really positive performances from the likes of Dominic Ball, Ismail Azzaoui and Connor Ogilvie in the first half,” said the 42-year-old, who played for Birmingham’s rivals Aston Villa and West Brom.
“It’s the first time the boys have played Saturday-Tuesday so let’s hope it’s a lesson that they’ll learn, because our concentration waned for a five-minute period and that’s really what cost us.”
Toral – on joined from the Emirates Stadium less than a week ago – opened the floodgates on 50 minutes before adding further efforts with 52 and 55 on the clock.
Walkes’ converted Ryan Loft’s parried shot on 73 minutes, but any chances of a comeback were short-lived as Wes Thomas added a fourth nine minutes from time.
Ehiogu’s team will be hoping for a better result come Monday, when they open up their Barclays U21 Premier League season against Everton.
