SWPL’s ‘Top Four’ bears resemblance to the halcyon days of heavyweight boxing

As the SWPL approaches the split, the top four sides have set out their stalls ahead of what could be an era defining season for the game in Scotland.  Picture this, it’s the late 2010s and the boxing heavyweight division is stacked with box office bouts between fighters in their prime as Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder have the potential to create eye watering match-ups. Imagine that, only they actually get to all fight each other. Not once, but over and over with each being one being knocked down and knocking the other down off their perch with equal impunity and disregard. Well that is exactly what you’ll find in the SWPL as Rangers, Celtic, Glasgow City and Hibs all sit on an incredulous  51 points going into the final game before the split where they will compete in the Golden Gloves stages of competition. It’s time to meet your prize fighters. The Favourites For some, calling a side level on points with three other teams might beggar belief but that is exactly what Rangers were not so long ago. Tucking teams away left, right and centre Jo Potter’s players toyed with their opponents and scored for fun as they the falling at the qualification hurdles of the Champions League against Arsenal and Atletico Madrid looked a distant memory. 110 goals in 21 games (not to mention the 24 against one unfortunate Scottish Cup opponent) forces a second glance and yet that is how dominant they have been. A scorched earth policy has served the Glasgow side nicely as Potter remembers all too well the feeling of losing the title on the final day to Celtic on goal difference but the play itself is far more patient than the numbers would indicate. Potter described the win over Partick Thistle as ‘a controlled performance’. The result being 6-0 only goes to show where the manager’s priorities lie. Clever switches of play from the pinpoint Tessell Middag, the 44 cap Dutch international who can count Ajax, Manchester City, Fiorentina among others on her glistening CV forces sides who would like nothing more than to sit back and be compact to open themselves up. Queue Katie Wilkinson, who recovered from the disappointment of leaving her childhood club Aston Villa to tear up trees in Scotland after arriving in the summer from Southampton. 29 goals in just 21 league games this season, it is fair to say Wilkinson is a shoe-in for top scorer. As double cup winners last season, beating Celtic in November felt like a title unification bout that left them looking like runaway champions. Any team that comes flying out of the traps however, is bound to hit a speed bump. Although no one could have predicated that they would lose not one, but two consecutive games 3-0 as Glasgow City and Hibs gave them an almighty bloody nose. Potter bemoaned the panic, the lack of quality and her players coming off second best in their duels as it looked as though another title would slip through their fingers. To their credit they put the results behind them and have avoided any slip-ups since with another win over their Glasgow rivals. ‘Nothing sweeter’ as Rio Hardy put it. Setting them on their way to defend their belt against Hibs in the League Cup final in March. A squad that has managed to blend the experience of players like Lizzie Arnot from the bench or 147 cap Jane Ross has been invaluable in integrating the academy’s fledglings with Jodi McLeary and Kirsty McLean making their mark in the senior side or even Lily Boyce making her debut against Westdyke having been at the club since she was eight. As in all great sides, there seems to be an addiction to winning trophies. Laura Rafferty describing how her ‘eyes light up’ for silverware is one not lost on Potter who has an FA Cup winner’s medal to proudly display in her home. The question is, can her players deliver a first league medal to add to the collection. The Poster Ghirls It beggars belief but just a few months ago the title holders were considered an outside bet by some. Misguided as it was, the explanation stems from their participation in the Champion’s League group stages representing Scotland on the European stage. An achievement that cannot be overstated in terms of the impact it could have on the domestic game but also led to them having games to claw back a nine point lead at the of table. The effects of the truncated calendar still being felt by players. Maria McAneney feeling that the ‘schedule’s been all over the place recently’ after the weekend’s 2-2 draw ‘I don’t think I’ve had that in my professional career’ the midfielder had said after that goal. In part also because an out of sorts Celtic were dealt one blow after another in a bruising October which saw them win them win just one game from five in all competitions. Victory coming in the form of a 1-0 squeeze past 9th place Spartans. Tired legs and minds trudged forward, fighting on four competitive fronts and wisened from their European campaign despite not picking up a single point. However when the suggestion was put to her that the side might be ‘leggy’, Sadiku, was unequivocal in her view that fatigue should not explain the off-colour form her side has endured. Instead the side reset (in part thanks to a week in sunny Gran Canaria), added some depth to the squad with Emma Westin and Momo Nakao arriving with Abi Harrison returning for a second spell and scoring a hat-trick in her first start; powering the side to an undefeated run stretching back to November. Caitlin Hayes’ departure to Brighton was a blow but it is perhaps testament to the side’s ability to turn players into WSL calibre. Besides, the side were confident they could to do job without her. ‘Relentless and ruthlessness’, that