Martin Ho on building momentum ahead of tough contest with the Seagulls

Tottenham Hotspur Women look to continue their excellent start to the season which has seen three wins in four Barclays Women’s Super League, and a dramatic penalty shootout win against Aston Villa in the Subway Women’s League Cup.

Head coach, Martin Ho spoke to the media ahead of the team’s clash against Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend.

Reflections upon a positive start

Ho is delighted with Spurs’ start to the season and praised his squad for their commitment and belief. However, he acknowledged that the team needs to continue to improve and build upon this:

“I know there’s still a lot more to come from us. We’ve had some ups and downs, some dips in performance, but we’ve had some really solid performances too. We’ve got to continue to build momentum, keep building, evolving and taking the right steps. This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

With such a positive start to their 2025/26 league campaign, the hard work must continue each week to maintain consistency in performances.

Supporting Black History Month

October is Black History Month, and the head coach made it clear that the club are in full support of this. Regarding how the players will acknowledge and celebrate the movement, he reminded that this will be a collective decision:

“The players will decide what they want to do as a collective. Me and the club will support them. I’ll let the players decide, it’s their game and it’s what they want to do. They have to make that decision and whatever they do, they’ll make me aware of it, and I’ll support it.”

Praising his squad

Last weekend, Tottenham Hotspur veteran and fan-favourite, Ashleigh Neville made her return to the pitch as a second half substitute. On this subject, Ho did nothing but praise the fullback:

“I’ve seen Ash a lot when I was at my previous Clubs. Obviously, she’s been back in training, so it was nice for Ash to get some minutes in the game after some time out. She’s been unfortunate with some of those injuries, but now she’s fit, healthy, competitive and wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s aggressive off the ball and has the ability to carry the ball through the pitch when we have it.  Ash added a lot in that game against Leicester. Her experience of the league helped us; she slowed the game down and took the sting out at times when she needed to. I was delighted to see her back on the pitch.”

Spurs have been standout in midfield, with Drew Spence and Evelina Summanen commanding the middle of the field. When asked about their partnership and impact on their teammates, Ho was full of praise. But he also reminded that the squad has an abundance of talented midfielders:

“There’s Drew, Eveliina, Maite [Oroz], Olivia [Holdt], Kit [Graham], Olga [Ahtinen]… there’s quite a few in there (midfield options).  At the start of the season, we had a couple of injuries, so Drew and Eveliina played together. I think they built a good relationship. They both have international experience, and both their skillsets and characteristics complement one another. They’re both good with the ball but have different ways of playing. Eveliina is really intelligent at breaking up play, identifying those moments, while Drew’s really combative in one-v-one scenarios, gets up close and makes sure people know she’s there. They have a really good relationship. It’s something we’ve used in the games we’ve played.”

On summer signing, Cathinka Tandberg being nominated for the WSL Player of the Month award, and WSL Goal of the Month award for September, Ho spoke highly of the Norwegian forward. It is clear that her strengths and adept finishes are key to his long-term vision with the club:

“She’s had a big impact, personally and professionally. A very infectious player around the group and a really good individual. She adds a lot of quality to us as a team, she gives us different dimensions as a player, in terms of how we want to attack and defend. Her goal against Everton was wonderful, instinctive, very creative and very aware of her surroundings. Someone shooting from just inside the opposition’s half is very brave – I’m glad it went in.”

A tough test in Brighton

The Seagulls travel to Brisbane Road to face Spurs this weekend. Regarding head coach, Dario Vidošić, Ho expressed his admiration for the manager and the progress he is making at the helm with Brighton:

“Dario’s done a wonderful job there. They’ve done really well in terms of building the team and their performances are getting better and better.”

In fact, Ho even showed excitement for the challenge of facing the strong side whilst analysing their typical style of play:

“They have a really nice playing style, very front footed, very aggressive off the ball and they want to contest possession. We know it’s going to be a tough game, but one we’re excited for.”