SWPL round up: Celtic win but Rangers remain top
With another weekend of Scottish Women’s Premier League action over, it’s time to dive into everything that unfolded in the 12th round.
Misery for Montrose
It was always going to be a hard game for Montrose, but no-one would’ve expected the domination that was on display from Hibernian.
With 11 minutes on the clock, Shannon McGregor struck it into the top corner from outside of the area to give Hibs the lead.
Abbie Ferguson would get her name on the scoresheet next as her volley found its way into the back of the net.
She would get another for her side as Montrose were hit on the counter. Livingstone played a fantastic ball to Ferguson, who took a touch and put it beyond the goalkeeper.
As half-time approached, the home side couldn’t catch a break as Montrose defender, Erin Ross, nudged the ball over the line and into her own net.
McGregor secured her brace in the second half after smashing the ball in the net amidst chaos from a corner.
Hibs were awarded a penalty for a Montrose handball in the 83rd minute. Eilidh Adams, who recently extended her contract with the club, converted from the spot to get her sides sixth goal of the afternoon.
Ferguson went on to earn her hat-trick just three minutes later and in injury time, she would score her fourth goal of the game.
Montrose are still yet to escape the relegation play-off spot as they hope to stay in the SWPL1. They still have a long season ahead of them, but hopefully, they will be able to grab a few points along the way that will help them reach their goal of successive seasons in the topflight of Scottish football.
Celts Dominate Dundee
Celtic dominated from the first minute as they looked to recover from the recent derby loss to Rangers.
With only 23 minutes on the clock, Imane Addi slotted the ball in the back of the Dundee United net to put her side 1-0 up.
Despite creating chance after chance, the score stayed at 1-0 for most of the game. That changed when Celtic manager, Fran Alonso, made changes to his side.
Tiree Burchill, who had been substituted on four minutes earlier, knocked it past the goalkeeper to double Celtic’s lead.
That was all the visitors needed to secure three points as the home side couldn’t fight their way back into the game.
A dominant display from Celtic but they needed luck from elsewhere if they were to win back their spot at the top of the table.
Rangers Retain Top Spot
Rangers gave nothing to aid Celtic’s title hopes today as they ran out victorious against Spartans.
The Gers dominated possession in the opening minutes, but they didn’t find a breakthrough until the 26th minute, when Brogan Hay put her side back in the top spot with a wonderful strike. She had a chance to get a brace in the minutes that followed, but her volley went wide.
Rangers created several chances for the remainder of the first 45, but their second goal didn’t come until after half-time.
Following a corner, Michelle Colson fired it beyond the Spartans goalkeeper to score her first goal for Rangers.
Spartans pulled one back in the 68th minute as they hoped to steal a point from the league leaders, but it wasn’t to be as Megan Bell scored in the final minutes to secure the victory for her team.
An important three points for Rangers as they remain top for another week.
Thistle Win at Firhill
Partick Thistle took on Hamilton today at Firhill, the home of the men’s team, in front of a fantastic crowd.
As the game began, Thistle performed well, as expected, but couldn’t find the breakthrough. With 35 minutes on the clock, they found the goal they had been searching for. Kodie Hay sent in a cross, and it found the head of Lucy Sinclair, who made no mistake in heading it home.
Cara Henderson was the next to score as she found the back of the net for her eighth goal of the season. She was brought down in the box and the referee awarded a penalty to the hosts. She struck it with power and beat the keeper from the spot.
With six minutes to go, Vhairi Munro rolled the ball into the path of Emma Lawton. She put her foot through it and the goalkeeper stood no chance as she added another goal to the story.
A fantastic victory for Thistle as they secured points that Hamilton desperately needed. Hamilton sit rock bottom of the table with their chances of staying up rapidly fading away.
Stalemate for the Champions
It wasn’t to be for either side as Hearts and Glasgow City cancelled each other out in a goalless stalemate.
The first half was uneventful, with quality attacking being halted by quality defenders. Both sides were presented with quite a few chances throughout the half, but neither could capitalise.
As the second half got underway, City were the better team as they began to find space in Hearts’ final third. It wouldn’t last long as adjustments were made, and we reached a stalemate once again.
A match that many expected to be filled with goals ended up being a low-key affair. Hearts will be over the moon with a point from the current champions, but Glasgow City will return home knowing that they probably should’ve taken all three points with them.
Aberdeen Leapfrog Motherwell
Aberdeen needed a win to move into seventh place, and they successfully achieved that at K-Park.
Bayley Hutchison found the goal that put the Dons in front, and it looked as if they would lead going into half-time. Late in the half, Carla Boyce found the back of the net and found the leveller for Motherwell.
With 52 minutes gone, Aberdeen found another goal as Darcie Miller put her side back in the lead.
A few minutes later, Bayley Hutchison grabbed her second goal of the game to give her side a two-goal advantage.
With seven minutes remaining, Hutchison scored again to secure her hat-trick. This was also her 100th goal for the club.
She wasn’t content with just three, as she added a fourth to her tally in the 88th minute.
In the dying minutes, Kayla Jardine found a goal for her side but it was merely a consolation as the referee brought the game to a close.
Aberdeen will be over the moon with this win as it has moved them closer to the top-half of the table. They are now in 7th place and sit three points behind Partick Thistle.
We won’t have to wait long to find out who will take the spot as Aberdeen take on Partick Thistle in their next fixture, a game that may prove to be one of the most exciting of the season.
