Tottenham growing on and off pitch as WSL thrashing of Brighton shows

Tottenham are a team on the rise in the Women's Super League and showed on Sunday what they are capable of.

Rehanne Skinner's side thrashed struggling Brighton 8-0 in Crawley to make it three wins from five this season.

Their two defeats came against Arsenal and Manchester City who both finished above Spurs last season when they placed fifth.

Tottenham have only been in the WSL three years but are showing rapid progress and have ambitions to close the gap on those above them.

Last season they were being spoken about as Champions League contenders and despite a strong start by the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea in the WSL this year, Tottenham are reminding people why they should not be written off.

Neville shining as Spurs build momentum

Spurs have been growing on and off the pitch for the past few years and that is being seen in their results.

Their fifth-placed finish in the WSL last season was their highest ever. They had finished seventh and eighth respectively in their first few seasons, but climbed to fifth in 2021-22 despite growing competition and investment from Brighton, West Ham and Everton.

One player thriving is defender Ashleigh Neville, who joined the club in 2017 in the second tier and has already scored four goals in six appearances this season, including two against Brighton.

She is currently the club's top scorer and top assist-maker and had interest from the likes of Manchester United in the summer.

"Every single week Neville consistently delivers. You know what you are going to get. She sets the tone and has real intent," said manager Skinner.

Neville has been tipped for an England call-up before next summer's World Cup, while Spurs' new signings Drew Spence and Nicola Karczewska have also contributed to five goals between them.

"I don't know where the goals have come from this season. It would have been nice to get a hat-trick but we can't really complain with eight goals [against Brighton]," said Neville.

"Everyone kept the momentum going and wanted the same thing. It is massive for us. We showed we can put goals past teams. We need to continue that week in, week out."

Spurs' thrashing of Brighton comes before they welcome Everton and West Ham to Leyton Orient and travel to Reading and Chelsea before Christmas.

Skinner does not believe success will come overnight, but has called for consistency and Spurs are starting to impose themselves regularly against those around them in the table.

"We showed our intent from the first minute [against Brighton]. It showed what the players and the team are capable of in front of goal," said Skinner.

"The players just needed to start believing in it. We needed this and I think it is a platform for us to build on."

What has been put in place to progress?

Manager Rehanne Skinner signed a contract extension in April

Tottenham's progress has been built on strong foundations.

After gaining promotion to the WSL for the 2019-20 season, the women began strengthening their relationship with the club's men's team.

In December 2020, the women began training full-time at Hotspur Way having previously spent only one day a week there, and the rest of the time at The Hive.

It was a show of the club's intent to provide the best possible facilities for the women's team to thrive.

The women were given their own building, training pitch and recovery centre within the complex, next door to their male counterparts.

They need golf buggies to travel around the complex because it is so big, and they have everything available to them - even a 'kitchen garden' growing fresh vegetables used by the club's chefs.

It is also understood United States international Kristie Mewis has trained with Tottenham on occasions this season, including in the week leading up to their victory over Brighton.

With training standards raised, the women moved their home matches to Brisbane Road Stadium at the start of this season - with several games also taking place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

New staff members were brought on board including a nutritionist, while Skinner was given a bigger budget in the transfer market.

That led to the signings of ex-Chelsea striker Spence, Wales international Angharad James, former Manchester United defender Amy Turner and highly rated Poland striker Karczewska.

Manager Skinner also signed a contract extension in April to keep her at the club until 2024, so everything is in place for Tottenham to develop over the next few seasons.

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