Davies pays tribute to ‘top class’ support

Ben Davies paid tribute to our supporters after we fell to a 1-0 defeat against Vitesse in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday evening.

We were up against it from the off at a packed-out GelreDome as the hosts began with aggression and intensity in a cauldron of noise in Arnhem. We battled well against our buoyant opponents - who won their Eredivisie derby against NEC on Saturday - but, ultimately, we were left empty handed come the final whistle as a late strike from Maximilian Wittek sealed the points for the hosts.

Speaking to Spurs TV after the game, the frustration and disappointment was clear on the face of Ben - skipper on the night - who felt we had ‘got a few things wrong’ against our Dutch opponents.

However, despite the difficulties of the evening, the Welshman made a point of thanking the Spurs fans who made the journey out to the Netherlands - amid the current challenges associated with travelling abroad - and cheered us on throughout the 90 minutes.

“It’s a tough one to take,” Ben said pitchside in Arnhem. “We’re very disappointed with the result and it’s a tough position that we’ve now put ourselves in the group. (Vitesse) are a very good side, but we have to back ourselves to perform better than we did tonight. We probably lost a lot of second balls, and we were on the back foot on occasions. It was pretty tough. I don’t think it was a commitment issue, we just got a few things wrong.

“I just want to say, our fans tonight, to be fair, to travel out here in the circumstances, it’s tough, but we’re really grateful for their support. They were top class.”

The focus for the team now quickly switches back to the domestic scene as we return to Premier League action with a big game away to West Ham United on Sunday (2pm).

Now in his eighth season with us, Ben is acutely aware of the importance of this fixture, but he also knows just how significant a positive result in east London could be for us come the end of the season.

“It is a huge game for us,” he said. “They did well last year and they are going to be up and around it again. So, it’s going to be important that we pick up points where we can.”

Ben Davies on Spurs TV