The two boys that could do anything

And so, it begins. Fresh-faced and blonde of hair, the young Englishman stands nervously on the side-line, awaiting the 4th official’s board. Awaiting his introduction to Premier League football.

Born less than an hour from White Hart Lane and picked up by the club at such a young age, you could even suggest that he’s one of Tottenham’s own. A prodigious goal-scorer all through the youth ranks at Spurs, there was little doubt this day would eventually come. Some cutting of teeth had been required with loan moves to the lower leagues, naturally, but it was all worth it for this moment. This beautiful moment when a boy becomes a man; when an academy lad takes his first steps into Tottenham folklore.

Sent on with Spurs chasing an equaliser and only minutes left, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The newspaper headlines were there for the writing:

“Academy prospect comes good – fans call for immediate induction to Spurs Hall of Fame”

Got to be Harry Kane, right?

Not quite. Well actually, not at all.

I am, in fact, describing – the now well-travelled – Lee Barnard, a player that the 15 year old me couldn’t have been more intrigued by. A striker that seemed on the verge of coming through the Spurs ranks to score goals in the big league. The thought of this was one that I found simply fantastic.

[linequote]Some cutting of teeth had been required with loan moves to the lower leagues, naturally, but it was all worth it for this moment. This beautiful moment when a boy becomes a man; when an academy lad takes his first steps into Tottenham folklore.[/linequote]

I remember the day he made his debut. Easter Monday, 2006 and I was watching the game with my dad as Spurs, with 10 minutes or so to go, found themselves in the familiar position of losing to Man Utd. When the camera panned to Barnard warming up, overjoyed, I began enthusiastically telling my old man about how many goals he’d scored at reserve level (which I believe, at last count, was around the 3 million mark), and how he was definitely going to be a Spurs great.

Sadly, this was not to be. Spurs would lose the match 2-1, and our ‘next big thing’ would go on to make only two more appearances for the club, before eventually being flogged to Southend United, aged 23…

I was left feeling rather deflated.

Granted, I didn’t live in London at this stage, so had never once taken in a reserve game to see whether he was actually any good, but I’d read a lot about him, given him plenty of preferential treatment on Football Manager, and felt genuinely invested in him. Up to that point I hadn’t had much to get excited about in the way of young striking talent at Spurs, so it was thrilling to think the time was finally about to come. It wasn’t and it seemed like it never was.

And thus, on Thursday the 25th of August, 2011 (exactly 3 years and 7 months to the day Barnard finally left Spurs), as I stood in the Park Lane Upper reading the starting line-up on my phone, I think I was justified in my decision not to get too excited about the young English lad we were starting up top against Hearts in the Europa League. A decision, I certainly feel, was vindicated after – right in front of me – I watched him timidly pass a penalty straight at the Hearts keeper.

I wasn’t hopeful. And I definitely wasn’t alone in that feeling.

But in the words of famous philosopher, LL Cool J: “When adversity strikes, that’s when you have to be the most calm. Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on.”

I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Harry Kane has that quote taped to the inside of his locker at Hotspur Way or tattooed on his ankle in Chinese. Because now, a third of the way through his second full Premier League season, he has proved me, and every other person that doubted him, completely wrong.

He’s gone from being a player, lazily thought of as a traditional English target man, useful for not-much-more than getting up and winning flick-ons, to being regarded as one of the most intelligent strikers in the Premier League, and beyond. His ability to hold up the ball in heavily-congested areas and bring in his teammates is, in my view, the best in the league; his range of passing (which has developed at a rate of knots over the last 18 months) is as solid as you’re likely to see from a front-man; and his ability to find space in dangerous areas, and, ultimately, to finish makes him worthy of the comparisons made between him and some of the best PL strikers that have come before him.

All of this at this, at the age of just 22.

I don’t need to go back over everything that Kane has done in the last 12 or so months – it’s well documented, we all know it. But, with Harry’s seemingly favourite goal-scoring month now behind us and another North London Derby goal in the bag, I’m reminded of the day the boy from Chingford stole my heart.

[linequote]He’s gone from being a player, lazily thought of as a traditional English target man, useful for not-much-more than getting up and winning flick-ons, to being regarded as one of the most intelligent strikers in the Premier League[/linequote]

It was a Saturday. But, more importantly, it was NLD day, and at around Noon I found myself in The Bell & Hare beer garden enjoying the pre-match atmosphere. Upon checking the team (and unsurprisingly seeing Kane named up-top), I was reminded back to a couple things said on The Fighting Cock podcast earlier that week:

“If Kane scores on Saturday, I might die…”

“…There will be at least eight deaths in White Hart Lane”

Kane was about to put those statements well and truly to the test, as he bagged a 2nd half brace to give Spurs a famous 2-1 comeback win.

However, instead of dying, I’d actually never felt more alive at a football match. At the moment, with 5 minutes to go, that Kane’s looping header nestled into the back of the net, I was overcome with a feeling of sheer euphoria that I never knew the game of round-ball could conjure up.

Standing in the Paxton End, I can remember so clearly the moment that Bentaleb got on the ball and looked up towards goal. It all happened in a split second, but it felt like everything was moving in slow motion, as I had the time to switch my gaze onto Kane, who was standing completely crowded out, in a disadvantageous position in the Woolwich penalty box. I remember thinking to myself, as the floated ball left Nabil’s foot, ‘what an utter waste’. But then suddenly, time went from moving in slow motion, to freezing all together.

Kane, with his body at all kinds of wrong angles, was just hanging in the air for what seemed like an age. Hanging, just beckoning the ball towards him…

February the 7th, 2015 (nearly 9 years to the day Lee Barnard made his Spurs debut). The day that Harry Kane, fresh-faced and blonde of hair, went from being an academy lad to writing his name into Tottenham folklore.

The day that 24 year old me learnt the value of patience.