SWPL

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)