Lauren Pickett says Tottenham Hotspur Ladies’ mental toughness is proving key for Karen Hills’ side as they settle into life at the top-flight.

Pickett and Bianca Baptiste – turning in eye-catching performances – hit stride either side of the break to ensure Spurs completed an FAWSL 1 coup over Bristol City at Cheshunt, in matchday one of the Continental Tyres Cup group stage.

And with having won three games from four in the highest tiers of the women’s game, the young forward sees every reason for why they can sustain their momentum.

“We were all very determined and we prepared very well for the game,” she said. “Everyone was up for it and we showed that on the pitch. We were mentally prepared being the underdogs, but we pushed through and got the result we deserved.

“We were playing good football so a goal was coming for us. We continued to show good combinations and then we got our goal. It’s also nice to get on the scoresheet, so I’m very happy.”

Spurs soaked up pressure on occasions from the side that drew 1-1 at Arsenal on the weekend, which Pickett credited to the squad’s attention to detail and undeniable team spirit.

She added: “On and off the pitch we work hard as a team, the team spirit is there so that gives us that extra confidence. We are up for every game we play and we drive to success. The effort comes from everyone and that helps us win games!

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy so we all prepared ourselves, we have a lot of characters within our team and that helps everyone to get ready for the game. As a team we all went into the game with confidence and that really helped us. Every individual played well, and we got the result.”

Pickett puts their strong start down to the Lilywhites’ philosophy of taking each game as it comes and says they won’t be getting carried away, but the result sets a standard of excellence that they will be aiming to rise up to in the coming months.

“You could see the effort we put in as a whole was really good,” she added. “Having played a WSL 1 team gave us the indication of where we would like to be, so having beating them has given us an even bigger boost!”