In a column for evertonfc.com, Mason Holgate reveals his confidence heading into Monday night's clash at Tottenham Hotspur as the Blues aim to record a third straight victory, how he is soaking up advice from boss Carlo Ancelotti and why he had no hesitation in signing a new Everton contract...

We’ve got a difficult game coming up against Spurs on Monday night but we’re looking forward to the challenge.

Defensively, we’ve been in very good form. We‘ve conceded just once since coming back after the season was suspended.

And the goal Leicester scored was a freak. We felt like we had defended well but the ball just hit him [Kelechi Iheanacho] and went in.

Tottenham have some very good attackers, but that’s what you look forward to as a defender, coming up against the best players.

Personally, I feel I’ve benefited from playing consistently in the team. I’ve always said that playing regularly is my aim, to show what I can do.

Going on loan to West Brom last year and learning to deal with the consistency of playing every week helped me out a lot, not just physically but mentally.

It’s made me feel more ready for when I have had a consistent run of games with Everton.

I signed a new five-year contract with the Club in March. To be rewarded for my hard work and have that show of faith was massive for me.

This is my fifth year at Everton. It’s part of who I am now.

I know everything about the Club, all the people here.

I joined when I had literally just turned 18. When you turn 18, you become an adult and have to do things for yourself.

Everton has always been a part of my adult life and when I got the chance [to sign a new contract] it was something I never questioned.

The future of the Club is very good.

I want to win things here and I’ve said this a few times. As a footballer, there’s nothing else that you want to do.

We’ve got a good core of young players who are going to get better over time. That stands us in good stead.

And as we progress through the years, we are going to get better as we come into our peak years at similar times.

We’ve also got some great experienced players in the squad, like Leighton Baines. I don’t think there are any better examples for a young player coming through.

He works hard, ridiculously hard, and he’s fitter than most people in our team. That’s down to his work-rate. He won’t come in and have an off-day.

Because he has been at Everton for so long, all the new players gauge what Everton is about through people like him and Seamus Coleman.

As a team, I think we are going to keep getting better the more the manager gets his points across.

I want to keep learning and improving under him. At the moment it feels like it’s paying off because, defensively, I feel a lot more sound.

I look at the players who the manager has worked with - especially in my position – and say, ‘If he has helped them to that extreme, everything he is saying is nailed on’.

He has only been here for a short period of time but, as a defensive unit, we’ve all been getting better and better.

All managers are demanding, especially someone who has won what he has won. There are different ways to show that you are demanding and I think he shows that in a nice way.

It has led us on as a team to demand more of ourselves. If someone is not pulling their weight, somebody tells them.

There were so many games when he first came in, he didn’t have a lot of time [to implement his methods]. As that period slowed down and we had more time on the training ground, he’s managed to get his points across.

That’s showing in our performances and results.