Spurs' Pre-Season Opener: Vilahamn Delighted with "Spursy" Performance

Robert Vilahamn expressed his satisfaction with his side's performance in their 6-1 victory over London City Lionesses in the opening fixture of their pre-season programme on Saturday.

The match, played at Hotspur Way in warm conditions, saw 23 players get valuable minutes on the pitch. This included the debuts of defender Ella Morris and young forward Araya Dennis, who both made their first appearances for the club.

Spurs took the lead in the 19th minute when Shuang Wang netted her first goal in Lilywhite. Eight minutes later, Jess Naz doubled the advantage with a composed finish inside the box.

Although London City Lionesses pulled one back before half-time, Spurs dominated the second half. Martha Thomas restored the two-goal advantage before Lenna Gunning-Williams, who enters the new season after scoring 14 goals for Ipswich Town last term, bagged a brace. Midfielder Olga Ahtinen completed the scoring with a late strike.

Speaking to the club after the game, Vilahamn highlighted the positive aspects of the performance: “We played a lot of players and they all looked like Spurs players, trying to do everything that we have worked on, and that was really pleasing for me."

He was particularly impressed with the second XI's energy and goal-scoring prowess, noting that "the second XI came in with a lot of energy and scored some beautiful goals, whereas the first XI needed to break London City Lionesses down, so we did it together."

Vilahamn's optimism extended beyond the result: "It was a pleasure to see all the players perform in this way in the early stages of pre-season because we have a lot of work to do, however it’s only two weeks in and we look like a team already now.”

He also expressed his confidence in the development of younger players, particularly Lenna Gunning-Williams and Araya Dennis: “Lenna developed well on her loan spell last season, now we are looking at Araya and Lenna to make sure they are very close to competing. And they showed that, Lenna scored two beautiful goals and she was one of the best players on the pitch, so to see these young players developing in our environment and to make sure we can give them playing time, I like that because that’s what we want to do at the Club and what I want to do as a coach."

The pre-season opener provided a positive start for Spurs, showcasing the squad's depth and individual talent. Vilahamn's focus on integrating young players and fostering a strong team spirit bodes well for the season ahead.