Out of favour Wanderers midfielder Ivan Campo returned to the Reebok stadium on Sunday to rescue a point against a struggling Spurs side. A point that appears to have kept manager Sammy Lee in his job for a while longer.

Bolton need all the help they can if like Tottenham they are to turn their season around, however Campo was omitted from the UEFA Cup squad after he asked to speak to other clubs following Sam Allardyce’s departure to Newcastle United.

Campo Scored The Equaliser Against Spurs

Campo (33) played his first league game of the season against Spurs and demonstrated his value to the Lancashire club contributing with the equaliser. He will not be able to make the same contribution in Europe until after the group stage and the January transfer window is over. By which stage Wanderers could have been dumped out of the competition and Campo could be playing his football in another country with another team. There a number of clubs interested in the Champions League winner although he could opt for a payday in the retirement league in Qatar.

Lee: ‘UEFA Cup Squads Set In Stone’

Lee was bold when speaking to the Bolton News saying ‘it would have been remiss of me to have included him in the UEFA Cup squad when he could have gone elsewhere at a moments notice’ He continued ‘UEFA squads are set in stone once they are named and to have taken up one of the places with a player who might not have been here, would not have been in the club’s best interests’. That may be true but would it have been best to have named the Spaniard in the squad so he can be used to get in to the lucrative group stage, rather than not name him and risk getting dumped out of the competition.

Spurs look certain to make the UEFA Cup group stage, as they take a five goal lead in to the away leg in Cyprus. Manager Martin Jol will want this victory I the first European fixture will help to kick start this season in the same manner as it did last year.

Kaboul Opens Spurs European Account

The home side opened their European account after just five minutes a well worked set piece. Tom Huddlestone’s corner kick and Pascal Chimbonda’s dummy run allowed Kaboul to score with his head from six yards.

Three Goals In As Many Minutes

The Cypriots fought hard through the first half and kept Spurs at bay, it seemed that if they got a lucky break they could continue Spurs frustrating start to the season, the referee denying Darren Bent a stonewall penalty. However the worry was dispelled when Spurs took advantage of another set play, this time it was Keane who put the corner in the box Chimbonda knocked the ball down for Dawson to stab the ball in to the back of the net.

Two minutes later it was the turn of the strikers to get on the score sheet, Assou-Ekotto squared the ball to Keane who flicked the ball into the air with his right foot and volleyed home with his left; the shot was scuffed but it rolled past the Famagusta keeper.

A minute later Darren Bent scored his first UEFA Cup goal for six years, when he scored for Ipswich as a 17 year-old. The £16m striker proved his worth by being quick enough to take advantage of a defensive error. He latched on to a misguided back pass, holding off a defenders challenge long enough to steer the ball into the empty goal from the tightest of angles.

Defoe Demonstrates His Worth To Tottenham

Jermaine Defoe replaced Robbie Keane just after the hour mark, with his first touch of the game he played a delightful chip from twenty five yards over the goalie in to the waiting goal. He scored a second and Spurs sixth on the night when he created a little space and drove the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal from the edge of the box.

Defensive Confusion Costs Spurs A Clean Sheet

The visitors did manage to get a valuable away goal, although it was scant consolation. Tottenham introduced Welsh defender Gareth Bale for his first European appearance when the visitors were waiting to take a throw in. The speed of their play caught the Tottenham defence off guard. In the ensuing mix up Zlogar managed to toe-poke the ball through a gap in the defence. Radek Cerny who had little to do while deputizing for Paul Robinson, managed to get a hand to the shot but failed to stop it crossing the line.

The draw for the first round of the UEFA cup took place on Friday, with staff and fans of the home nation clubs waiting with baited breath to find out who they have to overcome if they are to make it to the moneymaking group stage of the tournament.

UEFA CUP SEEDING

Tottenham Hotspur were seeded in the draw after their successful run in the competition last season. The holders Sevilla could face Salzburg should they fail to win their postponed fixture against AEK Athens in the UEFA Champions League. The game was postponed due to the tragic death of defender Antonio Puerta.

British Team Fixtures

Rabotnicki v Bolton Wanderers
Larissa v Blackburn Rovers
Aberdeen v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Tottenham Hotspur v Anorthosis Famagusta
Everton v Metalist Kharkiv

Sammy Lee takes his Bolton Wanderers side to Macedonia to play Rabotnicki for the first leg, Blackburn Rovers also have an away fixture for the first leg of the first round. Rovers play Greek side Larissa. Tottenham have a home game against Anorthosis Famagusta from Cyprus, the fans could catch a little winter sun on the away trip, which could be their last if their form doesn’t pick up. Everton and Aberdeen both play teams from Ukraine. The toffees play Metalist Kharkiv while the Scottish side play Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. Those with the hardest preparation for these fixtures will be the match commentators who will have to learn the pronunciations of the players names to avoid sounding silly on the night.

Full Draw For The 2008 UEFA Cup First Round

Midtjylland v Lokomotiv Moscow
Groningen v Fiorentina
Rabotnicki v Bolton Wanderers
Sevilla/AEK Athens v Red Bull Salzburg
Nurnberg v Rapid Bucharest
Everton v Metalist Kharkiv
Zenit St Petersburg v Standard Liege
Bayer Leverkusen v Uniao Leiria
Villarreal v BATE Borisov
Sion v Galatasaray
Atletico Madrid v Kayseri Erciyesspor
Bordeaux v Tampere United
Panathinaikos v Artmedia Petrzalka
Sparta Prague v Odense
FC Zurich v Empoli
Sochaux v Panionios
Rapid Vienna v Anderlecht
Pacos de Ferreira v AZ Alkmaar
Sampdoria v Aalborg
Spartak Moscow v Hacken
Hammarby v Braga
Larissa v Blackburn Rovers
Mlada Boleslav v Palermo
Dinamo Zagreb v Ajax
Rennes v Lokomotiv Sofia
Brann v Club Brugge
Bayern Munich v Belenenses
Aberdeen v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Heerenveen v Helsingborgs
Toulouse v CSKA Sofia
Hamburg v Litex Lovech
FK Sarajevo v FC Basel
Austria Vienna v Valerenga
AIK Solna v Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Aris Thessaloniki v Real Zaragoza
Dinamo Bucharest v Elfsborg
Tottenham Hotspur v Anorthosis Famagusta
Lens v FC Copenhagen
Getafe v Twente
Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski v Crvena Zvezda

2008 UEFA First Round Fixture Dates

The first leg matches will be played on the 20th of September and the second leg fixtures will be two weeks later on the 4th October.

Looking for the UEFA Cup First Round Draw?

The UEFA Cup first round draw takes place later today and the English clubs involved will find out who they must over come if they are to make the group stage.

Having had a successful UEFA Cup campaign last season Spurs will hope they are seeded to help them avoid some of the bigger teams in the draw.

Blackburn Rovers made the draw after beating MyPa from Finland, Everton will hope that they have a more successful time in Europe this time round, having been dumped out of the Champions League at the first hurdle last time round.

As the rain came down in sheets on the surface of Hampden Park the two Spanish side took the field to contest the 2007 UEFA Cup final. Sevilla opened the scoring within twenty minutes through Correia, to edge closer to being the first club to retain the UEFA Cup since 1986 when the feat was achieved by Real Madrid.

Espanyol fought back and had an equaliser just ten minutes after going behind. Former Manchester City midfielder Albert Riera’s shot deflected in to Palop’s goal.

In the second half Espanyol were reduced to 10 men when Hurtado was issued with his second yellow, resulting in his dismissal. Leaving his team mates with a mountain to climb. They managed to hold on for the 90 minutes, forcing the game into extra time.

Extra-time brought its very own drama, Sevilla were dominating the game in terms of possession and territory, but they lacked the finishing touch. Until the end of the first half when former Spurs striker Kanoute pushed home a David Garcia cross at the near post.

The game was far from over Espanyol had a whole half of extra time to get back in to the game. It took just ten of the fifteen minutes for them to get level. The goal did not come from an obvious source, substitute Jonatas, his thunderous strike took a minor deflection off Poulsen to even the score and force penalties. Which were won convincingly by Sevilla 3-1.

Tottenham Hotspur new they needed at least a point from the final game of the season against a Joey Barton-less Manchester City to ensure they qualified for UEFA cup football for the second year running.

Spurs were sporting next years 125 year anniversary all white kit For the final game of this campaign. The home side set about reaching their European goal and on ten minutes the reunited Keane and Berbatov partnership opened its account. Jermaine Jenas chipped a delightful ball over the Manchester City defence springing their offside trap. The ball fell for Ireland captain Robbie Keane to volley the lilywhites in front

Manchester City had their opportunities, forcing brilliant saves from Paul Robinson but it was Dimitar Berbatov who scored the games second goal. As the Bulgarian striker tried to make room in the City area for a Spurs shot, the ball broke lose and he clinically struck it past Isaksson, to give Spurs a two-goal advantage.

Tottenham leaked their trademark soft headed goal five minutes before half time. Emile Mpenza found himself unmarked at the back post and he coolly headed home the goal that brought City back in to the game.

The second half was not without incident Jermain Defoe on as a substitute for Keane missed a penalty after Didier Zokora was brought down in the box by City captain Richard Dunne. Isaksson dived the right way and saved the kick, and Defoe was unable to steer the rebound under the bar.

Spurs finish fifth for the second year running, this season however they managed to perform in the cups as well making a semi-final and two quarter-finals which was a vast improvement on last season. Next season will only be a success if Spurs manage to crack the dominance of the big four.

Captain Robbie Keane gave Tottenham the dream start to the away leg of their UEFA Cup quarter final against Sevilla. With little more than a minute on the clock the Irishman had managed to break the off-side trap force a save from the keeper and put away the rebound to give his side the lead and a vital away goal.

Spurs continued to create chances in a game that was proving to be as open as the Premiership game against Reading on Sunday. Like the match against Reading this fixture was changed by the decision to award the home side a penalty. Paul Robinson was deemed to have fouled Adriano Correia when he dived at his feet and got two hands on the ball to stop the attack. The Sevilla man made the most of the challenge and the referee awarded the penalty kick. Former Spurs front man Fredi Kanoute coolly put the ball into the goal to draw the cup holders level.

Spurs found themselves a goal behind when a hopeful high ball was played in to the box, the makeshift defence with Pascal Chimbonda covering at centre half for the cup tied Rocha and Injured King and Gardener was unable to clear the danger; the ball was headed in from close range by Kerzhakov after thirty-five minutes.

The referee continued to make strange decisions throughout the game, which continually frustrated the Spurs players as they tried to get another away goal to take back to White Hart Lane for the second leg.

The draw was made today for the last stages of the 2007 UEFA Cup in Glasgow the venue for this year’s final. The eight teams in the draw represent five different countries. Three from Spain, two from Germany and one from Holland, Portugal and England, the draw was open meaning that teams from the same country could face each other for the first time in the competition.

AZ Alkmaar who managed to squeeze past Newcastle on the away goals rule will play Weder Bremen in the first fixture out of the hat. The three Spanish sides were kept apart Osasuna travel to Leverkusen who beat Lens in the last round. Spurs face a tough trip to holders Sevilla. While Espanyol will host Benfica in the last tie of the round.

Quarter-final draw:
1. AZ Alkmaar v Werder Bremen.
2. Bayer Leverkusen v Osasuna
3. Sevilla v Tottenham
4. Espanyol v Benfica

The semi-final draw means that should Spurs progress they could go back to Germany to play Bayer Leverkusen who they beat during the group stages or a second trip to Spain to play Osasuna. The other semi final Bremen or AZ will host either Espanyol or Benfica in the other semi-final.

Semi-final draw:
1. Quarter-final four v Quarter-final one
2. Quarter-final two v Quarter-final three

The order of the final was also drawn for administration purposes and it is detailed below.

Winners of semi-final one v Winners of semi-final two

Having missed the golden opportunity of being the first English club to beat Chelsea in a domestic competition at Stamford Bridge for a few years. The future of Tottenham’s season is up in the hands of the gods. Spurs could face having the same fate as North London rivals, who in the space of eight days were knocked out of all of the competitions they were competing in, effectively ending their season.

Spurs have to win three games in six days if they are to remain on track for their aspirations for this season. All three games are at White Hart Lane, to be in the draw for the UEFA Cup Quarter Finals and Semi Finals they must beat Sporting Braga on Wednesday night.

If they are to compete for a coveted European spot through the league for a second season they will need to get three points at home to Watford, then two days later they face Chelsea in the FA Cup Quarter Final replay providing manager Martin Jol with selection dilemmas. The replay is unusually on a Monday night as the FA does not want to hamper the preparation of Steve McClaren’s England squad ahead of crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Andorra.

Tottenham Hotspur return to European competition after their enforced break, when they received a bye following the expulsion of their round of 32 opponents Feyenoord. Spurs travel to Portugal to play Sporting Braga.

The visitors started the game brightly and could have scored a number of chances but it appeared that Dimitar Berbatov had not packed his shooting boots. Spurs took the lead ten minutes in to the second half when Aaron Lennon broke through two challenges and flick the ball over a defender to Robbie Keane, who in one swift movement controlled the ball with his chest and volleyed the ball over the keeper in to the goal.

Spurs were soon two up and again Lennon was instrumental in the move. This time it was run down the right flank he checked inside and his shot was parried by Santos in the Braga goal, the ball went as far as Malbranque who thumped it into the empty goal.

The home side made a few changes bringing on Diego, Cesinha and Maciel and the changes seemed to work. As Diego was brought down by Gardener in the box and they had a penalty. Braga captain Jorge had his spot-kick saved by Robinson but he managed to squeeze the rebound past the England keeper.

Five minutes later the sides were level when Castanheira whipped in a free-kick from the right wing for Ze Carlos to head home from eight yards. Spurs demonstrated the same resilience as they did on Sunday at Upton Park against West Ham and fought till the final whistle. Their spirit was rewarded when Zokora played Robbie Keane in to the right channel, to put him one on one with the keeper. The Irishman held his nerve and put the ball between Santos’ legs to give Tottenham a one goal advantage and three away goals to take home to White Hart Lane for the second leg.