“We want this feeling more”- Ho reflects on his first win as Tottenham Manager | OneFootball

Tottenham Women made the perfect start in their WSL campaign against West Ham, sealing a 1-0 win over their London rivals thanks to a late penalty from Beth England. Head coach Martin Ho told the media he was pleased with his side’s performance.

“I think you always want to start with a win,” he said. “For me personally, because you come into the league, you don’t have much time to implement a lot of things in five weeks, and I think we’ve done as much as we can.”

Reflecting on the win, Ho stressed the importance of the three points and the boost it gives to the squad’s morale: “That’s the first win in nine months since January. So that’s a really big one for the team, for confidence, belief and really big, big step for us to move forward.”

Ho reflected on how evenly matched the game was, noting Tottenham’s inability to make the most of the chances they created. “We’ve had numerous chances in the game. Maybe we’ve been going shy of the ball, or we haven’t really got into really good attack,” he said.

During the match, Ho was shown a yellow card, though both he and the crowd were unclear on the reason. “I pointed to my own player, and I was saying to Cathinka to get the ball, and she said I put my arms in the air,” he explained. Despite the booking, he felt the officiating overall was fair: “I can’t raise my arm and that’s fine.”

The Spurs head coach was also full of praise for new signing, Japanese international Toko Koga: “I think for a 19-year-old, she’s very mature for her age, well above her years and has done exceptionally well.

“I think when you get six or seven months or eight months, you’re going to see a really talented player. I believe probably one of the best in world football.”

On captain Bethany England, who converted the decisive penalty, Ho highlighted the value of her leadership in key moments: “The skipper steps up for her moment. I think everyone does exceptionally well to win the penalty.”