Stevenage's Ben May (left) and Tottenham's Michael Dawson battle for the ball

Spurs fan Daniel Grigg gives his verdict on yesterday’s goalless draw at Stevenage.

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Sometimes a match comes along which highlights the importance of someone who isn’t playing – and yesterday’s FA Cup tie at Stevenage was one of those games.

Illness kept Luka Modric out of the squad and, for the first half at least, his absence was painfully noticeable.

With Jake Livermore partnering him in the centre, Scott Parker’s creative limitations were laid bare, and neither linked up cohesively with Gareth Bale, who played the central role that is usually Rafael van der Vaart’s speciality.

Tottenham struggled for any fluency, and also seemed to be unable to find their two strikers without resorting to long ball tactics.

Louis Saha and Jermain Defoe share a preference for balls that are played in behind the defence, rather than into their chests – and that proved to be too much encouragement for the likes of Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul, who kept thumping the ball down the pitch and bypassing the midfielders.

Defoe and Saha’s lack of height was also an issue against Stevenage’s physical centre-backs, who were both over 6ft tall. Yet the Spurs strikers still had their moments, showing flashes of quality despite the super-tight and committed marking.

Saha almost caught the hosts out in the first half, bringing the ball down brilliantly on the edge of the box and nearly putting away the finish – only to be hindered by a desperate tackle, and the need to stretch to get his foot over the ball.

Defoe also controlled a long ball nicely and forced his way into his right side of the penalty box, but pressure and a narrowing angle put him off taking the shot, and the ball was eventually flicked behind.

Spurs’ defensive strength is often overlooked these days but, in a far tighter game than the 5-0 victory over Newcastle, that factor was vital to both the scoreline and the team’s confidence.

Kaboul made a solid return, and a commanding aerial display by Dawson helped Tottenham to their third clean sheet in a row - and their fourth in five games.

Ryan Nelsen was particularly impressive too, immediately proving himself to be another cheap but very shrewd signing. He is tremendously calm and experienced, much like his former Blackburn team-mate Brad Friedel, who was rested in the cup again.

The new 3-5-2 formation didn’t really work, and the play was less fluid and more static than usual in the first half - but that was down to the players’ failure to find the balance of the system rather than a problem with the tactics themselves, as Redknapp’s second-half alterations and improvements showed.

Some individuals who were key components within the system, like Kyle Walker for example, certainly struggled - and Bale was also unable to get involved in the first half, facing away from goal too often instead of making his usual penetrating bursts.

The Welshman almost rectified that early in the second half when he finally got the chance to run at a scared, retreating defence, resulting in a great finger-tip save from the former Tottenham goalkeeper Chris Day.

The 3-5-2 formation did get the best out of Danny Rose on the left flank though, giving him licence to use his plentiful attacking talents. Indeed, he became Spurs’ main threat – and at times their only threat.

A fine first-half cross very nearly produced a goal for Walker, and Rose was even more unlucky not to get the assist for the disallowed goal in the second period when Parker dawdled on the line and got the final touch on Saha’s goal-bound finish – which was consequently ruled out for offside.

Tottenham fans may understandably have been frustrated with this goalless draw against a League One side. But, despite the need for a replay, Spurs remain the highest-placed side left in the FA Cup – just as they were going into the fifth-round draw.

Now, however, just two homes victories against Stevenage and Bolton separate them from another Wembley semi-final, in a tournament which suddenly looks very winnable indeed.