Spurs closer to seventh heaven as Robinson declared fit

Tottenham coach Martin Jol breathed a huge sigh of relief when it emerged today that England goalkeeper Paul Robinson will be fit for their final two games of the season.

Spurs face Middlesbrough away and Blackburn at home as they chase a UEFA Cup place and Jol feared he could have lost his star keeper after he was forced to leave the field during the second half of yesterday’s 5-1 mauling of Aston Villa.

Robinson limped off after colliding with Villa’s England striker Darius Vassell as they both battled for a loose ball.

Vassell carried on after treatment but Robinson was replaced by substitute keeper Radek Cerny and disappeared down the tunnel at White Hart Lane for an intensive examination of his leg.

But Jol’s fears were unfounded as scans showed that there was no long-term damage and that Robinson will be fit for the final run-in.

Jol said: “Paul got a dead leg but he’s had it scanned and there is no problem. He will be fit for the last two games.”

Tottenham kept their European hopes very much alive with a five-star super show that had Villa on the ropes from the start.

Spurs raced into a three-goal lead in the opening half with Mali striker Fredi Kanoute hitting a double either side of skipper Ledley King’s 18th-minute effort.

Villa grabbed a lifeline when Gareth Barry converted a spot-kick in the closing stages of the first-half but Andy Reid unleashed a stunning 25-yard shot in the 66th minute for the fourth and Stephen Kelly put Spurs seventh with a fifth in the last minute.

But the main topic of controversy surrounded Villa’s claims for a penalty just seconds before Spurs scored their fifth-minute opener through Kanoute.

Mark Delaney appeared to be felled by Erik Edman but Mark Clattenburg, the official in charge when Spurs scored the ’goal that never was’ against Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier this season, rejected their appeals.

Robinson collected the ball and sent it straight down the pitch to Kanoute, who held off Liam Ridgewell’s challenge to put Spurs in front.

Both managers, not surprisingly, had conflicting views on the incident.

Jol said: “It was not a penalty. I have since seen it on TV and I still don’t think it was penalty.”

But his Villa counterpart, David O’Leary, eschewed a different opinion.

The Irishman said: “It was a definite penalty and a double kick in the teeth for us.

“Whether we would have scored the penalty is a different matter but I can tell you that if we had scored, Spurs would not have gone straight down the other end and got their goal. But for me, the fourth goal knocked the stuffing out of us – it was the killer.”

The Villa manager also refused to rule his side out of the running for the same UEFA Cup place despite their five-goal thumping.

He added: “The best team won the game. We let ourselves down but I have got a small group of players and for the second year running they have done me proud. I am not ruling ourselves out of a European place with six points left to play for.”

Jol also has his sights firmly fixed on a European place and they now occupy the all-important seventh position in the Barclays Premiership on goal difference ahead of Middlesbrough.

So their clash on Teesside next Saturday becomes vital for Jol, who is already wondering if the two points they were denied at Old Trafford, when Clattenburg ruled out Pedro Mendes’ goal even though his long-range effort had clearly crossed the line, will come back to haunt them in the final analysis.

Jol added: “I think that was one of the best performances of the season. But it is a complicated situation for the seventh spot.

“However, it would be a huge bonus for everybody at this club if we were to get into Europe. But I think it will go right to the last match. Hopefully the Manchester United game won’t be a decider.”