AGAINST Tottenham Hotspur our current side proudly wrote its name in the club’s Cup history, even in brave defeat. It was our day in the sun, and after the performance every single U’s player should have come off the pitch with their confidence bolstered, knowing that they can compete with players at a very high level. I fully expect to see some of that confidence expressing itself out on the pitch at Southend tomorrow.

The major talking point of the game occurred after just 59 seconds, when Tom Eastman and Alex Wynter collided horribly. Alex was unconscious before he hit the ground, and his convulsions as he lay on the pitch sent a shudder around the ground. Thankfully, it sounds like he is now on the road to full recovery.

To pick out some individual star performers, 19-year-old Kane Vincent-Young took 10 minutes to get his bearings, but after that he was the accomplished defender that we know he can be, always looking to stride forward purposefully with the ball.

Alex Gilbey did a great job in the middle of the pitch, with so much thankless but essential work, largely without the ball. George Moncur showed the ball skills that set him apart, not fazed by facing a higher level of opposition. Spurs were playing against unknown opponents, but all the same we gave them more problems that we should reasonably have expected, and they by no means had the full measure of us when full time arrived.

I often think that starting a game too well can be counter-productive, particularly in the Cup. On Saturday we need not have worried. Common sense suggests that if you lose both central defenders after one minute, replacing them with a promising player just turned 20, and a slightly erratic left back, you will have first degree problems. It didn’t work out like that as Kent and Briggs replaced Eastman and Wynter almost seamlessly, not looking out of place against Harry Kane.

Kane’s starting position was interesting. As the lone front runner he tended to play in the space between Kent and Briggs. Total concentration was required. Possibly the game’s highlight was Frankie’s clinical tackle on Kane, when the England forward was bearing down on goal. At that precise moment you saw all of Frankie’s quality as he bided his time and chose his moment to take the ball off Kane.

We had some early scares. Our left flank was like an open door during the brief opening phase of the game. Darren Ambrose knew that if he engaged Trippier high up the pitch then he was very likely to get skinned and leave Vincent-Young facing Trippier and Chadli running at him. So Ambrose used his experience to allow Trippier to only pick up the ball deep and wide, knowing that Trippier’s delivery into the box was immaculate when he did carry the ball in the final third.

As soon as Gavin Massey switched to our left flank, Trippier was pinned back defensively as Gavin ran him round the houses. So we saw the best of Trippier (attacking) and the worst (defending) in the space of 90 minutes.

The centre of the pitch was always going to be a difficult area, with Owen Garvan and Alex Gilbey often out-numbered. There is little they could do but go into a defensive mindset, working back compactly so as not to be played around. Our boys achieved that, but a lot of their tireless work without the ball would be easy to overlook.

Kevin Keen deserves many plaudits for sending out a team that caused Spurs problems. There was an equality about the quality of thinking on the touchline that tells you all you need to know about the depth of our manager’s tactical imagination.

Did we ever look like beating Spurs? No, not really. We needed every key incident to go our way, and they simply didn’t. Marvin Sordell had a clear run at goal, but the ball shaved the outside of the far post and went to safety. Darren Ambrose had the sort of chance that he usually converts, with plenty of the goal to aim for, his shot was deflected to safety. At other end of the pitch, Eric Dier short optimistically from range, and a cruel deflection wrong-footed and evaded U’s keeper Jake Kean.

If those three incidents had gone our way, what might the final result have been? Would Spurs have found an extra gear needed? Who knows? They went into the interval one goal up, and once the second hit our net, it felt like the game was almost up, but between the interval and that cruelly deflected second goal, we had Spurs rocking back on their heels.

For the latter part of this week, talk of Spurs will have been consigned to history as our next game is what matters. It should be a carnival occasion at Roots Hall, and we need to find survival mode double quick. If it means turning a bit ugly to get a point at places like Southend, then it is a price well worth paying (although a streaky 1-0 would be even better!).