Antonin Kinsky has reflected on the role that the Tottenham supporters played in his own and the team’s revival in the final few matches of the campaign.
It felt as if the universe was conspiring to send Tottenham down this season, with the club ravaged by injuries, including to their number one goalkeeper, having several big refereeing calls going against them and losing matches they should not have.
However, despite all those setbacks, the team managed to pull through and secure survival in the Premier League on the final day of the season.
Several unlikely heroes, including Kinsky, put their hand up for Spurs in the business end of the season, and the goalkeeper has now spoken about the impact that the supporters had on the team’s turnaround.
Antonin Kinsky admits Spurs fans gave him energy
While there seemed to be a disconnect between the Spurs players and the fans earlier in the season, the supporters decided to fully get behind the team and show their support during the relegation battle.
Kinsky admitted that having the fans backing them made a huge difference to him and his teammates, who fed off the energy from the crowd.
When asked if he felt the fans being behind the team, Kinsky told Football.London: “Of course I’m aware because when I stand on the pitch I feel the support. This is the best thing a player can get. Definitely, the confidence and everything should be dependent on the preparation and the mentality of the player, but when you go out there on the pitch and sometimes the fans cheer your name or generally, the support is huge, like it was before the game [against Everton] when we were arriving, it gave me so much energy.
“It didn’t matter if that game was 30 degrees [in the sun], it could be 45 or 50, I think everyone had so much energy that we could play four halves! If they are thankful and grateful to us, then I have the same towards them because they make the club special. Of course there are people inside [Spurs], but the size of the club is based on the fans, and this is incredible.”
Kinsky reveals his hard work paid off at the end of the season
The 23-year-old made some crucial saves over recent weeks, including the late ones against Wolves and Everton, without which the Lilywhites may have been in the Championship.
The goalkeeper is delighted that he could contribute to the team, confessing that the hard work he has been putting in on the training field the whole campaign came in handy towards the end.
When asked about his save to keep out Tyrique George’s 99th-minute curler, Kinsky said: “I was happy [with the save]. I knew he is good one-on-one, the winger, and I was expecting the shot. There was someone blocking the view a little bit so I needed to adjust the position. But then it was a shot I was able to save so of course that was a nice feeling.
“The season ended really nicely. It didn’t go according to the plan, but it ended very nicely. I’m happy for the situation that we stay in the league and at the same time that I was able to get back on the pitch for the seven games. This is why I train every day, why I do football, because I want to experience this moment, not from the bench but from the pitch.”