Two of Tottenham's summer recruits have heaped praise on the club's fans after making their White hart Lane debuts.

Giovani Dos Santos and Heurelho Gomes both appeared in Sunday's 5-0 demolition of Roma and were blown away by the 'incredible' support from the team's 'twelfth man'.

Two goals each from in-form Darren Bent and another recent capture in David Bentley helped propel Spurs to a dominant win in their toughest pre-season test. Aaron Lennon signaled his intention to fight for this first team place by slotting home in the second half, after good work from the young Mexican.

“Sunday was unbelievable,” Dos Santos told the club's official website.

“The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible and it was a great feeling to play in front of them.

“The team is very strong now and we need to keep our form up against Middlesbrough next weekend and make the best possible start to the season.”

Gomes, dubbed 'The Octopus' by fans at his former club PSV, has experienced a quiet pre-season in the Spurs goal but his unorthodox post-match routine has already made him a crowd favourite.

Dutch supporters in the stands would mimic the Brazilian international as he leaped above the crossbar before every match, and he is pleased to see that London fans are equally full of life.

“The fans at the Lane are like an extra man for the team, which is very important for us,” he said.

“I enjoyed playing in front of them.

“As with my time at PSV, I play my football with the fans and for the fans, and the atmosphere in the stadium was great.”

Tottenham start the new season proper with a visit to the Riverside to take Gareth Southgate's Middlesbrough side. Expectations are high following a summer of spending and they will be keen to avoid a repeat of last year's disappointing first-day defeat to newly-promoted Sunderland.

[Guardian-Series]

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