Harry Redknapp admits Tottenham struggled to produce their best against lower league opposition on Sunday, but is pleased to still be in the FA Cup.
Spurs boss concedes his side found the going tough at Stevenage
Harry Redknapp admits Tottenham struggled to produce their best against lower league opposition on Sunday, but is pleased to still be in the FA Cup.
Spurs were tipped to sweep aside League One outfit Stevenage in their fifth round clash, with their top-flight quality expected to shine through.
They were, however, frustrated for long periods by the third tier promotion hopefuls, with few opportunities created at either end of the field during a keenly-fought contest.
Redknapp says a goalless stalemate was not due to complacency on the part of his team, with Spurs well aware that they were facing a side that would be fired up in their pursuit of a memorable scalp.
He concedes that they could have been much better than they were, but is happy to head back to White Hart Lane with the prospect of booking a place in the quarter-finals still very much on the cards.
"I expected it to be tough, honestly," said Redknapp.
Bumpy
"I knew how hard it was going to be. The pitch was bumpy and the ball was bobbling everywhere, it was a difficult game to play football.
"We have all been here. I have been here so many times in the past, nothing surprises me."
A difficult playing surface and dogged opposition forced Tottenham to abandon their original game plan, with the Premier League title-chasers resorting to long-ball football towards the end.
"We started thumping it didn't we? That wasn't part of the plan," said Redknapp.
"I think the lads weren't comfortable with passing the ball that much. We ended up going long, which wasn't what we wanted to do."
