England Holds Nerve for Spurs in Winning Start for Ho

Martin Ho's first game in charge of Tottenham ended in a celebratory mood as Bethany England's late penalty gave the north London side a slender but valuable victory in their season opener against West Ham.

- Tom Garry

For large parts of the contest, during which the opposing goalkeepers generally had little to do, it had looked as though the teams might play out a goalless draw, but Katrina Gorry fouled Eveliina Summanen inside the area to present the home side with a chance to win the game on 86 minutes, and England tucked her spot-kick into the right-hand corner.

"The players are speaking to each other [saying]: 'We've missed this feeling, we want this feeling more," said Ho, who has taken over a team that had failed to win any of their final 10 league games of last season. "They were completely rock bottom, if we're going to be honest, in terms of confidence and belief. They were a shadow of themselves. Seeing them today now, it's a totally different team in terms of the confidence, the belief, the energy and the enthusiasm."

Ho's new side had controlled more of the possession and had plenty of the ball in the final third, offering them some cause for optimism long-term, but what they were initially lacking yesterday was that spark of creativity and a decisive ball inside the West Ham penalty area.