Tottenham Hotspur

SPURSPLAY

Completing our very first minutes of pre-season, it was the perfect test for our players in tricky, warm weather, facing a completely new opponent and most importantly, building fitness ahead of our Women’s Super League opener next month – West Ham at home, 6 September.

We dominated the majority of the game at Pinatar Arena and carved out a number of good opportunities, but just lacked that finishing touch until four minutes from the end of the game.

Signe Gaupset picked up where she left off from last term as, after a lovely pass from Eveliina Summanen in the build-up, she nutmegged a defender on the far left of the box before curling home into the far corner to kick start our pre-season with a victory.

Five of our new arrivals also picked up vital minutes for the first time in a Lilywhite shirt – Caitlin Dijkstra, Shekiera Martinez, Selma Panengstuen and Victoria Pelova all starting while Kirsty Hanson, who nearly scored with her first touch, was a second-half substitute.

Speaking after the match, Martin told us: “I thought we started really well in the first half. We had a spell, maybe the back end of the first half, we were a little bit transitional. We are trying to get more relationships, connections on the pitch, apply some things, obviously a lot of new players within that, so you maybe have little parts where you look a little bit disjointed, which is fine.

“But I thought our pressure was really good. We were aggressive, we regained quite a lot so, overall, the first half was good, just lacking a goal. But then, in the second half, we came out, we pushed them back. We had numerous chances early in that second half, we should probably take them with some better finishing.

“We got the goal in the end from a good pass from Eveliina through the line, Signe comes inside and finishes really, really well and probably well-deserved of the chances we created in the game. I thought we managed the game really well in terms of there was a lot of breaks in play.

“It's important. I think when you come here, you get a totally different feeling, I'd say, from training in warm weather continuously. It's really humid when you get in a peak game and mid-game. We can use these to our advantage and we can gain from them because these are moments, especially when you play against teams that are different from our league, we'll gain different references from them. There's things we can definitely take forward.

Asked about how the new signings have got on, he added: “They've done really well. I think it's never easy when you come into a new team, new playing style and you've got so many different players around you need to learn from. It started to take a bit of time for some of them, but I was pleased with a lot of the performances, which was good. Now, we have to make sure we can give them some aspects that they can grow on and they can be better at.”

SPURSPLAY

Selma Panengstuen, Caitlin Dijkstra, Victoria Pelova and Shekeira Martinez all started against the Liga F side with Kirsty Hanson entering the action off the bench in the second half.

Martin Ho's team dominated in the Spanish heat - temperatures soaring into the mid-30s in the second half - but had to wait until four minutes from time to get the winner the performance deserved. Eveliina Summanen picked out Gaupset's run in the left channel and the Norway international did the rest, cutting onto her right foot, nutmegging Jujuba Cardoza and curling into the far corner.

It was one-way traffic in the first half as Grenada's goalkeeper Laura Sanchez kept us at bay.

The early threat came from our left with Julie Blakstad and Matilda Vinberg prominent. Vinberg's overlap led to the first effort sliced wide by Pelova before Blakstad drove into the box and rolled into Vinberg, Sanchez blocked her effort, the ball spun towards goal only for Teresa Merida to get back in time.

Our press was also prominent and led to the next two chances. Olga Ahtinen's pressure saw Olivia Holdt's shot deflected wide - Vinberg's inswinging corner cleared off the line - before Matilda Nilden robbed Daniela Minambres and drilled low at goal, her shot deflected and kept out by Sanchez, who got up to block Martinez's follow up.

Grenada's only real chance came on the counter as Miku Kojima's early pass opened us up with Amanda Nilden facing a two on one, however, Barbara Lopez went for goal early and fired straight at Panengstuen from 30 yards despite having Molina in support.

The pattern continued in what turned out to be a stop-start second half with a number of substitutions and series of player treatments required for the home side.

Chances continued to come our way - Blakstad latched onto Gaupset's pass, clipped past Sanchez but inches wide. Martinez then lobbed Sanchez, only to see the goalkeeper get the slightest touch and the ball float just wide. Gaupset was off target from 20 yards and then Hanson might have scored with her first touch in a Spurs shirt but dragged her effort wide from the edge of the box.

With time ticking away and no little hint of frustration creeping in, Gaupset provided the decisive action - Summanen picked out the pass, Gaupset cut into the box, beat Jujuba Cardoza and planted her shot beyond substitute goalkeeper Alba Ibanez.

There was still time for two more chances - Drew Spence picked out Araya Dennis, her shot tipped over by Ibanez, and in the last action, Ibanez was off her line quickly to save at the feet of Hanson.

Line-ups

Grenada CF Femenino: Sanchez, Merida, Minambres, B Lopez, Molina, Sanmartin, Evans, Kojima, Gil, Jujuba Cardozo, Perea. Substitutes: Ibanez, J Lopez, Martos, Fon, Carlota, Vero, Elena.

Spurs: Panengstuen (Kop 46), Morris (Dennis 70), Dijkstra (Koga 46), A. Nilden, Holdt (Gaupset 46), Vinberg (Pierre 70), M. Nilden (Hanson 70), Martinez (Summanen 70), Ahtinen (Spence 70), Pelova (Tandberg 70), Blakstad (Hills 75). Substitutes (not used): Jackson, Sombath.

Match stats

Goals: Spurs - Gaupset 86.

Yellow cards: Spurs - A Nilden,

Referee: Mireya Lopez Reche.

Venue: Pinatar Arena, Murcia.

Weather: Hot, 32 degrees at kick-off.

Following several seasons of declining use amongst our Season Ticket Holders and, in some cases, misuse of the scheme to gain ticketing points, the Club originally announced that the Automatic Cup Scheme would be discontinued from the 2025/26 season onwards.

We have engaged in a period of consultation with our Fan Advisory Board (FAB) and Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) who requested for the scheme to be reconsidered. Following this consultation, we are pleased to confirm that the Cup Scheme will remain in operation, with revised terms applied to maintain the integrity of the ticketing points system.

These revised terms became applicable as of the 2025/26 season and remain applicable for subsequent seasons, including the 2026/27 season. We therefore kindly ask supporters to take note of the following important information regarding the scheme:

Ticketing Points

Supporters who register for the Cup Scheme commit in advance to attending every home Cup game we play. In recognition of this commitment, these supporters will continue to receive an additional 10 ticketing points per season – in addition to points awarded post-attendance at Cup matches.

To ensure that these points are allocated fairly, they will only be awarded to supporters whose payments are successful for every home Cup game. Should we not receive payment for any home Cup game during a season, the 10 ticketing points will automatically be deducted and the supporter will be removed from the scheme for the remainder of the season.

To mitigate against this happening, we shall continue to provide advanced notice of payment being taken, as well as the opportunity to update any expired card details.

Can’t Attend a Game?

Although supporters on the scheme commit in advance to attending all home Cup games, we recognise that there will be occasions where fans have genuine reasons for being unable to attend.

While it won’t be possible to opt out of the scheme for a particular game (this includes requesting for a cancellation/refund post payment), if a supporter is unable to attend after we have successfully collected payment, they will have the option to forward their ticket to another Member via Ticket Share (Should it be open for that fixture) – or list on the Ticket Exchange should the fixture sell out.

The Club, FAB and THST maintain that the scheme’s 10 bonus ticketing points should only be awarded to supporters who commit to attending every Cup game, as was always intended. In the interests of fairness to Cup Scheme members – and to protect the integrity of our points system – we shall conduct a review of home Cup game attendance at the end of the season.

This review will be data-led and carried out in consultation with the FAB to determine appropriate use of the scheme. While allowances will be made for occasional non-attendance at home Cup games, if a supporter’s attendance is not in line with the spirit of the scheme then consideration will be given to removing them from it. In these cases, their 10 bonus points will be retrospectively removed.

Going Forward

All supporters currently registered on the Cup Scheme will remain registered for 2026/27 – you do not have to do anything unless your card details have expired. As it won’t be possible to register once next season is underway, supporters not already on the scheme who would like to participate must sign up before 5pm on Monday 10 August 2026.

We should like to thank all members of our FAB and THST for their contributions throughout this consultation, as well as all supporters who have taken the time to contact us with their feedback.

How can I update the payment card I use for the Automatic Cup Scheme?

To check or amend your payment card details for the Automatic Cup Scheme, you can log into your e-ticketing account and click View Account Menu > Ticketing > Cup Ticket Scheme > Add or Amend Card Details.

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