"footholds" in the noun sense

1. bridgehead, foothold

an area in hostile territory that has been captured and is held awaiting further troops and supplies

"an attempt to secure a bridgehead behind enemy lines"

"the only foothold left for British troops in Europe was Gibraltar"

2. foothold, footing

a place providing support for the foot in standing or climbing

3. beachhead, foothold

an initial accomplishment that opens the way for further developments

"the town became a beachhead in the campaign to ban smoking outdoors"

"they are presently attempting to gain a foothold in the Russian market"

Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)

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