The All Whites captain was making his first start for Spurs and made a positive impact straight away, winning every aerial duel and being in the right place when needed in the second half, showing good awareness to follow in and clear the loose ball after a Joel Byrom shot had been spilled by goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.
“I thought Ryan was fantastic,” England international Dawson, who captained the side at Stevenage, said of the Kiwi’s contribution.
“We changed the formation a little, playing myself, Younes Kaboul and Ryan. He played in the middle and was outstanding,” Dawson added.
“He won everything in the air, was strong and played really well. He showed all of his experience in what was a real test for us against a big, physical team.”
Tottenham thought they had taken the lead in the 54th minute when Louis Saha – who arrived at White Hart Lane with Nelsen during the January transfer window – turned the ball towards goal but it took a deflection off Scott Parker, standing on the line in an offside position, and was disallowed.
Nelsen, 34, was making his first start since August – and his first for Tottenham following his transfer from Blackburn Rovers – and showed no ill effects from his long-term knee injury, getting through the 90 minutes with ease.
Given Spurs’ excellent form this season in the Premier League, the failure to beat Stevenage was a surprise but they will be heavy favourites to defeat the League One outfit when the sides meet in the replay at White Hart Lane.

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