Tottenham Hotspur are just two days away from the biggest match in the club’s history, and - as they prepare to face Leicester City in the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals - manager Robert Vilahamn believes experience will play a factor.

The club have a plethora of experienced players who have featured in the latter stages of competitions over the years. Martha Thomas was part of the Manchester United team that lost the final last year, whilst Bethany England was part of one of the most successful teams in WSL history at Chelsea. Vilahamn believes that helps his side.

“I think we can handle it,” he said to VAVEL during a busy pre-match press conference.  

Tottenham’s history in the women’s game is short and brief. They were slow to kickstart the project into action, forcing them to play catchup to bitter rivals Arsenal from the off.

But Sunday can act as a turning point. An opportunity to say they deserve to be at the top of the game. As fans prepare to descend onto the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend, Spurs will be full of excitement. Yet, with excitement, comes nerves. It’s the biggest match in their history, and Vilahamn stated he wasn’t aware of how significant the occasion was when they won the FA Cup quarter-final.

“I didn’t realise when we won the quarter-final that it is huge in this country to be in the semi-finals for the first time, but I’m proud of it,” he stated.

“We’ve taken steps and it’s been about making sure we put Tottenham on the map in women’s football.”

Tottenham’s path of resilience

Tottenham’s journey to the FA Cup semi-finals has not been easy. In their first match, they came from 2-0 down to beat Sheffield United in the final minute 3-2. They scraped past Championship side Charlton 1-0, whilst the Lilywhites beat Manchester City on penalties in the quarter-finals.

It’s been a path full of challenges, yet Vilahamn thinks that has helped build the team’s resilience this season.

“I think when you score in the last minute, that’s always building some strength in the squad,” he said to VAVEL.

“You bond the team essentially. It also shows how much quality you have in the squad, because in both these games, players have come off the bench and had an impact. You feel like you’re part of the team and we’re learning how to win games. It shows really good character and depth.”

Coupled with the experience Tottenham have in the squad, Vilahamn is confident the club are well prepared for Sunday.

“I think we have a few very good leaders in the squad who have been around before and they can help the younger ones,” he told VAVEL.

“I think sometimes the younger ones can help the older ones by ‘just going for it’. Martha Thomas was in the final last year with Manchester United, so we have players who can handle it. But we also have a group that knows what we need to do.”

“I hope we can bring so many fans to the stadium”

The match on Sunday is the second time Spurs have played at the club’s main ground in N17 this campaign. There is expected to be a strong turnout at the stadium, although not on the levels of Arsenal, which will signify a significant moment in the club’s journey as a women’s team.

Vilahamn was quick to highlight how the fans can make an impact on Sunday and help send them to Wembley. 

“I hope we can bring so many fans at the stadium and to do this together. We play them; we don’t play for ourselves,” he stated.

“If we want to reach the final, we need them because they actually give us that extra energy.”

The Swede quickly reminisced about Spurs’ 1-0 win over Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December to emphasise the importance the fans can play in N17.

“When you remember how we played and it was a tough game [against Arsenal], the goal we scored in the game, we started in the build-up and you could hear the fans thinking ‘what’s happening’, but we built that attack up and scored the goal; everyone at the stadium was cheering,” he said, looking back at the historic win.

“It was kind of a goal together with them. We want to have that feeling again and grow from that. Tottenham as a club want to make sure we build the momentum with the fans together with us. I think this is a good way to do that.”