King hails importance of Wisla result
by Joseph Caron Dawe, 02 October 2008
Tottenham captain Ledley King said he was hopeful his side’s Uefa Cup progression would lead to a pick-up in league fortunes, following Spurs’ first round second leg draw with Wisla Krakow on Thursday that saw them advance to the group stage.
Juande Ramos’ side managed to hold off a late surge from their Polish opponents at Stadion Wisly to draw 1-1, a result that took them through following their first-leg 2-1 win at White Hart Lane a fortnight earlier.
King – back in the side after being rested for the league defeat to Portsmouth at the weekend – said the importance of the result was not to be understated, given Spurs’ current domestic plight.
“It was very important. A lot’s been made of our form in the league, which is not good. So it’s important that we get going in the cups,” King told Five after the game.
“We had a good result in the Carling Cup (against Newcastle) and now we’ve progressed in the Uefa Cup. Hopefully now things will pick up.”
Asked whether he thought the aggregate win over Wisla could provide the inspiration for an improved run in The Premier League, King responded: “I hope so.
“We thought that after a few of our previous performances in the cup, but it hasn’t happened. It has to happen sooner or later.”
King also reserved special praise for keeper Heurelho Gomes, who made a number of saves to keep the score level, including a late double stop.
“He was brilliant tonight, as were all the team,” added King. “We knew it was going to be tough coming here, the pitch wasn’t great and we had to fight for every ball. But I thought we showed some character.”