SWPL

All the action from the weekend’s SWPL 1  football …  New Queen’s Park manager Iain Robinson could do little as his side endured a 14-0 slaughter at the hands of second place Rangers. Goals from Lizzie Arnot, Mia McAuley, Oliva McLoughlin and Rio Hardy made sure the game was won by half time but Jo Potter’s side did not take their foot off the gas. In fact, they pushed just about as far as it could go with McAulay and McLoughlin each adding another goal before pressure forced Ciara Bonner to turn the ball into her own net. Three goals in four minutes from Brogan Hay before a Katie Wilkinson double made it ten but the visitors did not stop there. Camille Lafaix was the third player to get a double with a Dionne Brown own goal in between. Adding insult in injury time was Jane Ross to complete the rout for the side that has racked up an astonishing 91 goals in 18 league games but still trail leaders Glasgow City by five points. Strugglers Queen’s Park meanwhile sit just three points off the bottom.     Competition leaders Glasgow City made light work of a visiting Aberdeen side, coming out of Petershill Park comfortable 6-1 winners. In a frenetic opening fifteen minutes, Nicole Kozlova’s double was swiftly followed by goals from Brenna Lovera and Natalia Wrobel to make it four. Aberdeen held out for over half an hour but substitute Lisa Forrest added her name to the scoresheet for Lovera made it a brace. It was little more than a consolation but Aberdeen’s Nicola Jameison got the last word to deny to the home side a clean sheet with the game’s final goal. Defeat leaves the Dons in 10th, four points off of Queen’s Park albeit with two games in hand on the Glasgow side.   Celtic meanwhile overcame a resilient Partick Thistle with a 4-2 win to keep their hopes of a title challenge alive. What looked set to be a relatively comfortable afternoon following Saoirse Noonan’s early opener proved to be very much the opposite as Carla Boyce continued her goalscoring form to level the game just before the hour mark. However the visitors’ resistance was well and truly broken by a three goal flurry that saw Noonan, Kelly Clark and Maria McAneny put the tie to bed. Captain Demi Falconer brought the score back to two with a bullet header but it proved too late as the Elena Sadiku’s side took all three points at Neww Douglas Park. Having played two games fewer than Glasgow City, they will hope to cut the nine point gap down with games against Aberdeen and Hearts approaching. Thistle now find themselves five points off the top six, with Motherwell having played a game more.   Continuing their impressive season, Hibernian were 6-0 winners against Spartans at Meadowbank. Eilidh Adams’ opener just four minutes in set the tone for a difficult afternoon for the visitors. Midfielder Michaela McAlonie added her name to a quickly growing list and was soon followed by two former Rangers players in Chiara Grant and Kirsten Reilly before Adams rounded off the scoring before the break. There would only be one goal in the second half with Kirsty Morrison adding the gloss to an excellent performance from the Edinburgh side who could find themselves level on points with Rangers should they win away to Dundee United on Wednesday. Spartans’ hopes of making the top half look slightly more complicated after defeat as face a nine point deficit.   A Laura Berry hat-trick ensured Motherwell strengthened their ambitions of a top half finish, downing bottom side Dundee United in a straightforward 6-1 win away at Foundation Park. Following two Berry goals including a well taken penalty, Chelsie Watson added two of her own before Freya Brien responded brilliantly for the home side with a goal from kick-off. Ultimately the resistance proved futile as Berry added her third before Sophie Black made it six. It has been a difficult season for United who sit bottom with just four points, having conceded 93 goals.    

All the action from the weekend’s SWPL 1  football …  Rangers suffered a second consecutive loss in a shock 3-0 defeat at home to Hibernian, having been undefeated up until last weekend. Hibs meanwhile continue their impressive season, sat only two points behind rivals Hearts with a game in hand.  Glasgow City extended their lead at the top of the table to five points after thrashing bottom side Dundee United 7-0, with Lisa Forrest and Katie Lockwood both bagging a brace.  Despite ending their Champions League campaign without a point, Celtic recovered to thump Spartans 5-0 at Ainslie Park. They remain a distant nine points off the top of the table.  Looking to cement their top six credentials, Motherwell held Hearts to 0-0 draw at home. The visitors will no doubt be frustrated to not leapfrog Rangers with a win.  Montrose recorded their first league win since September as they defeated Queen’s Park 1-0 courtesy of a Morgan Hay own goal in the second half.  Finally, Partick Thistle and Aberdeen saw their fixture at the Balmoral Stadium postponed due to high winds, the game was called off just a few hours before kick-off was due to take place.

Venue: Petershill Park                                                   Date: 15/12/24                                                                 Time: 12:10   Glasgow City 3 N. Wróbel (’41 ’56 ’65) Rangers 0 Natalia Wróbel was the star of a dominant display from Glasgow City with a hat-trick to dispatch Rangers. A first defeat of the season sees Jo Potter’s side lose their spot as SWPL leaders.  City’s first half dominance was rewarded in the 41st minute when Rangers’ Jenna Fife and Leah Eddie’s miscommunication outside the box saw Wróbel pounce on the defensive howler first, chipping the ball into the net to break the deadlock.   A powerful finish allowed Wróbel double the lead and her tally just ten minutes into the second half when Katie Hill attempted to clear the danger in the Rangers box but couldn’t get enough on the ball, leaving the goal at the City forward’s mercy.  The hat-trick was completed just nine minutes later as Rangers were once again unable to properly get the ball out of the box before the Poland international put paid the game over.  The teams looked evenly matched in the opening exchanges but the home side began to exert dominance, Wróbel coming close with a curling shot from outside the box that could not find its way on target.  City began to push higher up the pitch and chances to take the lead soon followed with Nicole Kozlova’s flying ball across the face of goal only missing a head to open the scoring.  Rangers facing intense pressure managed a chance of their own, Jodi McLeary’s cross deflected by Katie Wilkinson on target but it was comfortably dealt with by keeper Lee Gibson.  Limited to a few chances by their dominant hosts, Rio Hardy was unable to test the keeper with a rare opportunity early in the second half.  Fife produced a stunning save to deny City’s Wróbel from doubling her lead minutes later, the forward relentless in pursuit of further goals.  The hosts were agonisingly close to adding a fourth but for another point blank save from Gibson to deny Brenna Lovera.  Both sides were separated by a mere point before kick-off but by the time the whistle brought this fixture to an end, they looked miles apart.  What the managers said:  Glasgow City boss Leanne Ross: [On going top of the table] “That was the objective for the day in terms of bouncing back from what we felt was a disappointing result on Wednesday. “It’s always a real battle between the two teams, we’re close in terms of the qualities that we have but I think today, in the conditions, we battled a little bit more and our quality came out a little bit more than Rangers did today. “Really pleased for [Natalia Wróbel], she had a couple of opportunities during the week. […] We spoke about after the game and I just said if she keeps putting herself in those positions and keeps working as hard as she can, her qualities will bring her the goals and she’s proven that today.” Line-ups: Glasgow City: L. Gibson, A. Muir (L. Evans ’68), K. Smit, S. van Diemen, C. Warrington, N. Wrobel (K. Lockwood), H. Lauder (c) (M. Fulton ’86), A. Gambone, N. Kozlova, B. Lovera (L. Forrest ’86). E. Whelan  Substitutes: A. Easdon, J. Love, M. Fulton, K. Lockwood, W. Forsblom, A. Anderson, L. Evans, M. Foley, L. Forrest. Rangers: J. Fife, N. Docherty, L. Eddie (L. Rafferty ’72), K. Hill, J. McLeary (L. Arnot ’46), K. MacLean, O. McLoughlin (C. Devlin ’46), C. Cornet, B.  Hay (M. McAulay ’65), R. Hardy, K. Wilkinson (K. Howat ’65)  Substitutes: V. Esson, L. Rafferty, T. Middag, C. Devlin, K. Howat, M. McAulay, L. Arnot, S. Ewens, C. Lafaix. Referee: Alex Shepherd 

Partick Thistle WFC 1 – 3 Glasgow City A dominant Glasgow City ran away comfortable winners in the Scottish Cup 3rd Round as Thistle were unable to hold on after Cara Henderson’s equaliser.  Lisa Catherine Evans had opened the scoring for City after lashing a shot from outside the box for past Jennifer Currie. Henderson’s equalised from the spot after the hour mark but were unable to hold out for long as Emily Whelan restored the lead before Natalia Wrobel’s quick thinking in front of goal put the tie to bed. Thistle had few chances, relying on quick counter-attacks to catch their opponents off guard but they were unable to test Lee Gibson. Lucy Sinclair’s wide header was arguably the closest the side came outwith the penalty, but her contributions off the ball made life difficult for their free-scoring Glasgow rivals on the day. With fifty-nine league goals this season, City will have been frustrated to only be a goal up at the break, having struggled to capitalise on their opportunities in the final third. Lisa Forrest came close to doubling the lead but her effort hit the crossbar to give Thistle a much needed lifeline. Patient in possession  City’s early goal was apt reward for their dominance in the first half. Pressing high up the pitch, they forced Thistle into searching balls, comfortably dealt with by Kimberley Smit and Claire Walsh. The pair looking just as much at ease on the ball as off it. Sat in front of the duo, Mairead Fulton allowed her side to circulate possession and find space down the channels, eventually rewarded with two goals which came from crosses down the right hand side. Despite a quiet afternoon for Brenna Lovera, unable to summon a repeat of her two goal tally in November, City’s variety in attack and strength in depth saw them come away deserved winners. Disappointing exit but Thistle continue to improve It is often difficult to take comfort from a cup exit but there were plenty of positives to take in defeat. Coming away with an upset was an unlikely proposition when taking into account only one of these sides is ‘professional’. Glasgow City scored twelve goals in the last two games but were held to just one until the 68th minute. The result, albeit not the desired one, is testament to their ability to turn their physicality into a defensive weapon and make life difficult for a side that currently sits top of the league. Despite only one in their last five, there is plenty to suggest that they can turn things around come Wednesday, as they welcome a Spartan side sat just three points behind. What the managers said:  Glasgow City manager Leanne Ross:  “That’s the objective at the start of the day, regardless of how we perform, to make sure that we win the game and get through to the next round. So we’re happy with that. “In terms of performance today, I think we can better in certain aspects of the game but we’ve done enough to get ourselves into the next round of the cup. “I felt comfortable within the game, I didn’t think [Thistle] offered too much on the ball. They were waiting for mistakes from our defenders or looking for a long ball to go in behind.” Partick Thistle WFC coach Ross Stormonth:  “We’ve played against a top side today in Glasgow City. Top of the league, they’re a very good side. I thought we frustrated them for large spells of the game and we had some really nice moments as well. “It’s tough to go out but proud of the girls today is an understatement, they were excellent.” “We showed today a sign that we can play. We’ve not really showed that as much as we would like all season but today and last week against Hibs I thought we were much much better.” Line-ups: Partick Thistle WFC: J. Currie, R. Slater, C. McCulloch , D.L. Falconer, C. Henderson, C. Boyce, A. Bulloch, C. Gibb C. Docherty, S. Cowan, T. Burchill, L. Sinclair Substitutes: A. Fearns, , R. Donaldson, H. Robinson, G. Gray, I. Longcake Glasgow City: L. Gibson, C. Warrington, C. Walsh, M. Fulton, B. Lovera, N. Wrobel, E. Whelan, A. Gambone, L.C. Evans, K. Smit, L. Forrest Substitutes: A. Easdon, A.J. Muir, J. Love, K. Lockwood, W. Forsblom, N. Kozlova, S. van Diemen, M. Foley Referee: Keiran Trayner  (Featured image credit: Craig Dunn)