Tottenham advanced into round four of the FA Cup after a comfortable victory at White Hart in their first competitive match against Cheltenham. Jermain Defoe put Spurs ahead midway through the first half, sliding in on the goal-line after Giovani dos Santos chipped goalkeeper Scott Brown. Roman Pavlyuchenko made it two shortly before the break, stroking in from six yards after a slick one-touch move. Cheltenham showed plenty of spirit but Giovani lifted in a late third. It was a comfortable afternoon for Spurs boss Harry Redknapp, who made 10 changes to the team that beat West Brom in midweek. A capacity crowd saw Michael Dawson back as captain, returning to the starting line-up for the first time since a 5-1 home defeat by Manchester City in August. There was little chance of a repeat of that scoreline but, roared on throughout by the 5000 travelling fans packing out their allocation at the Park Lane end, the Robins, second in League Two, made a confident start as Kaid Mohamed raced clear in the opening moments and forced Carlo Cudicini into a low save. Spurs employed widemen Niko Kranjcar and Steven Pienaar in unusual central midfield roles and midfielder Jake Livermore at right-back but soon found their customary passing touch, Giovani and Aaron Lennon causing numerous problems to the Cheltenham defence with their pace and trickery. Pavlyuchenko jinked away from the the defenders and curled a shot on to the roof of the net but Cheltenham kept their shape admirably and ...

• published: 08 Jan 2012
• views: 69492
• author: thefacup