CHRIS WISE Norwich City Reserves 0, Tottenham Reserves 5: Andy Hughes stepped up his comeback from injury with another solid run-out - but here was precious little else for the die-hards to cheer as city Reserves crashed to another heavy defeat.

CHRIS WISE

Norwich City Reserves 0, Tottenham Reserves 5

Andy Hughes stepped up his comeback from injury with another solid run-out - but here was precious little else for the die-hards to cheer as city Reserves crashed to another heavy defeat.

Wearing a mask to protect the cheekbone he fractured last month, the Canaries skipper followed up his welcome return for the first team at Plymouth on Saturday by playing for 45 minutes at right-back for Keith Webb's second string.

He came through the match with no problems to put himself in line for a full recall against Watford on Saturday, but there was nothing he could do to prevent an impressive Spurs side from surging into a 2-0 lead at the break. And once he had departed along with first-team colleague Peter Thorne it was downhill all the way for an extremely inexperienced Norwich side, with Jim Brennan and 10 teenagers conceding a further three goals.

The class gap between the two teams was evident from the start and it took Tottenham only 11 minutes to take the lead with Calum Davenport marking his return to Carrow Road by heading home Johnnie Jackson's corner.

The visitors increased their lead in spectacular fashion on the half-hour mark when Polish striker Grzegorz Rasiak beat Joe Lewis with an acrobatic overhead kick from some 12 yards out - and took complete control in the second half with two smart finishes in the space of just eight minutes from Lee Barnard swiftly doubling their advantage.

To their credit the City youngsters, many of whom had played a full game for the Academy at the weekend, kept their shape and never stopped battling, but Spurs simply had too much know-how for them and Jackson fired a free-kick against the underside of the bar before substitute Simon Dawkins completed the scoring seven minutes from time as he scrambled the ball home from close range after Lewis had tipped his original shot onto the woodwork.

Another substitute Seb Muddel had a chance to score a late consolation goal near the end but Radek Cerny made a good save to deny him and the hosts were left to reflect on a fifth successive defeat that leave s them rooted to the bottom of the Premiership Reserve South League table.

t Norwich City Reserves: Lewis, Hughes (Howlett 45) Brennan, Spillane, Gusterson, Cave-Brown, Rossi Jarvis, Fisk, Eagle, Thorne (Smart 45), Martin (Muddel 70). Subs not used: Eames, Arnold.

t Tottenham Reserves: Cerny, Kelly (McKie 45), Ifil, McKenna, Lee, Davenport, Routledge (Maghoma 75), Jackson, Barnard, Rasiak (Dawkins 59), Barcham. Subs not used: Burch, Lewis.

t Attendance: 2213