Ryan: 'The fans pushed us on!'

Ryan Sessegnon paid tribute to our supporters after we secured our place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough.

The game might have been beamed live across the country on national television but that didn’t stop almost 50,000 fans turning out in a windy and drizzly N17 to back the team to victory in our midweek third round replay.

And Ryan admitted the support from the stands was key for the lads in the game as it helped them get into their groove in the early stages and kick-on in the encounter.

We roared into a 2-0 lead with Giovani Lo Celso opening the scoring inside two minutes before his compatriot Erik Lamela doubled our advantage on 16 minutes. The visitors did get back into the tie with George Saville getting on the scoresheet on 83 minutes but we did enough to hold on for what the England Under-21 international felt was a significant win for us.

“It was a very important win for us and for the team morale, to get a win after four without one, and I think we can get a boost from that ahead of our upcoming games,” he explained.

“And credit to the fans for their backing last night. To have almost 50,000 here for an FA Cup replay on Tuesday night, credit to them because they really pushed us on.”

With more minutes under his belt, playing the full 90 against Boro, the wing-back is hoping he can continue to get better and better in a Spurs shirt. Last night's outing was his ninth appearance for the Club since recovering from a hamstring injury which saw him miss the start of the season but ever keen to show his worth, Ryan's focus now is simply to make the most of each chance he gets.

“I haven’t been too happy with my performances as of late,” the former Fulham man explained. “But I think last night against Boro was a bit of a step-by-step game for me. Each time I get a run out in the team, I need to try to improve and that is my aim

“It can be tough when things aren’t going how you want them to. Personally, I set my standards very high so if I drop below them, I do get a bit frustrated. It’s a mental thing. I just try to improve, stay focussed and remember why I’m at this big Club. I’m here for a reason and I just want to show that.”