HILLS IS STAYING REALISTIC AT SPURS

IN THE quest for promotion to the promised land of the Women’s Super League, Tottenham Hotspur are currently the Premier League Southern Division pole-sitters with four wins from four.

But manager Karen Hills insists a top-three finish is simply the aim.

For the last two seasons, the champions of both regional divisions have been able to play-off for a spot in WSL 2 and Brighton & Hove Albion will take their place in the 2017-18 campaign.

Victories over Swindon Town, Crystal Palace, QPR and Lewes, with 15 goals scored in the process, place Spurs comfortably at the top ahead of this afternoon’s visit from C&K Basildon.

But Hills, whose team lifted the Premier League Cup and Ryman Cup last term, as well as finishing runners-up in the Capital Cup, is refusing to get carried away.

Hills, who joined Spurs in April 2009, and guided her team to sixth-place last term, said: “We want to do better than we did last season. The target we’ve set is to finish in the top three.

“To get into three finals last season was fantastic and to win two exceeded all my expectations.

“It was a good end to the season, but we weren’t consistent enough in the league. Improving on that has to be our aim now.

“We’re in a good place at the moment, but I’m honest, grounded and realistic. We can challenge, but at the moment that’s looking too far ahead.”

Hills felt her team lacked a killer instinct in front of goal last term, but that is something they worked hard to rectify in the close season and they are already reaping the benefits.

A testing set of pre-season challenges, including matches with the development teams of Chelsea and Arsenal, emphasised the need to take chances.

And that has been put into practice, no more so than in the 10-0 triumph over West Ham United in the Premier League Cup first round, which featured eight different goal scorers.

Hills added: “We always knew we had the quality. It was about the girls believing and finding form.

“We’ve got a fantastic support mechanism from the club and we’ve found players come to us, rather than us having to go to them.

“People want to play for Tottenham.”