Second-half goals by Ledley King and Les Ferdinand earned Tottenham Hotspur an unconvincing 2-0 victory over third division Torquay United in the League Cup second round tonight. Glenn Hoddle's premier league side were sorely tested by their lowly opponents at White Hart Lane and were second-best for sustained periods of the match.
Torquay almost took a shock lead after 30 minutes when 21-year-old defender David Woozley beat Spurs' debutant goalkeeper Kasey Keller but his shot cannoned off the crossbar. By then injury-hit Spurs had already lost defender Gary Doherty, who was taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg after a challenge from behind by Torquay's David Graham.
Hoddle brought on captain Teddy Sheringham for the second half and after 61 minutes the home side made the breakthrough. German international Christian Ziege curled a dangerous free-kick into the penalty area and defender King escaped his marker to sidefoot the ball high into the net.
Eight minutes later Mauricio Taricco crossed for Ferdinand to head home his first goal of the season. Ukrainian Serhiy Rebrov curled a delightful shot against the base of a post as the 1999 winners belatedly confirmed their superiority.
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
