Adam Lawrence refused to be too critical of his Newcastle United Under-21s side after they suffered a 4-1 home defeat against Premier League 2 rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The Magpies youngsters almost fell behind inside the opening two minutes as Spurs livewire winger Tynan Thompson struck the crossbar with a powerful rising effort.

However, there was to be no let-off just before the midway point of the first half as the impressive Lucas Williams-Barnett found space on the edge of the area and crashed a low drive beyond Max Thompson and inside his far post.

Magpies captain Cathal Heffernan got his side back on level terms five minutes before half-time with a fine header as the back post as the Republic of Ireland youth international got on the end of an Alfie Harrison free-kick

Spurs restored their lead inside the opening 10 minutes of the second half and it was that man Williams-Barnett once again as the England Under-18 international surpassed his earlier effort with a stunning strike from the edge of the area. The visitors added...