Three Takeaways from the SWPL1 Action | 26/09/21

SWPL1 returned after the international break as the top three contenders all won, Lauren Evans stepped into the breach and last seasons SWPL2 champions continue to perform well.

Celtic’s resilience will see them be title contenders once again

For some Celtic’s second placed finish last season was an overachievement at the end of a campaign where many thought that Glasgow City and Rangers would be the two main title protagonists. Having lost key personnel in the shape of SWPL1 Player of the Season Lisa Robertson and 15 goal Sarah Ewens to former Scott Booth’s Birmingham City over the summer, there was a feeling that Celtic might be viewed as title outsiders for the second consecutive season but to do that would be to underestimate the indefatigability of Fran Alonso and his side’s desire to prove any doubters wrong, a trait that came to the fore once again during their 2–1 victory over Hibernian at the Penny Cars Stadium on Sunday.

Last season, Alonso’s side developed a knack for pulling out a result when the game was seemingly gone, with two late Old Firm victories and a two goal salvage operation at home to Forfar Farmington particularly notable results and they have now gone 16 league games unbeaten across both this season and last.

Prior to the international break they faced the only side to defeat them last term, champions Glasgow City, coming from 2–0 down at half time to earn a point in a turnaround instigated by the introduction of Chinese forward Shen Mengyu and New Zealand’s Olympic forward Olivia Chance, with the latter scoring both goals and impact from the bench would again come to their aid as they returned to domestic action against a Hibernian side, who despite finishing 24 points behind the Hoops last term have made significant upgrades to their squad and have ambitions to finish much closer to the title picture.

In an evenly fought contest the home side broke the deadlock thanks to a sweetly taken long range effort from Sarah Harkes, the combatitive American taking the ball down before zipping it into the bottom corner. Hibs hit back though, another howitzer this time through Colette Cavanagh levelling the scoreline and with both coaches encouraging their sides to push for a winner, one would duly come in injury time.

A well worked move involving Celtic substitutes Jacynta and Kathleen McGovern, released striker Charlie Wellings to lash the ball into the top corner for her third league goal of the season. It was a moment of quality worthy of winning any game but Hibernian Head Coach Dean Gibson was disappointed not get something from a game, as the Edinburgh side managed to add more attacking threat to the defensive stability that had served them so well towards the back end of last season.

With both Rangers and Glasgow City winning away to Hearts and Hamilton Accies respectively it will once again be the head to heads against their rivals and the chasing pack that will determine the destination of the title and for Celtic, in that regard, it has been a case of so far so good as their Spanish Head Coach pushes them on until the very last.

Lauren Evans takes the gloves, as Accies rack up keeper number four of the season

To quote the Hamilton Accies social media account, “Safe to say we’ve had a strange few weeks with goalkeepers, injury and eligibility.” It was a few weeks that would end with substitute striker Lauren Evans having to take the gloves during their 3–1 loss to Glasgow City at New Douglas Park. The former Glasgow Women and Hearts forward keeping a clean sheet for the 20 minutes she was required to step in following a serious looking injury to on-loan Rangers youngster Chloe Nicolson.

Fortunately it was revealed later in the day that the teenager, who had received treatment from both sets of physios, had been released from hospital but it leaves Gary Doctor looking short in a position that even at the top level of Scottish women’s football can prove difficult to fill.

Sarah Rhind who ended their successful SWPL2 promotion campaign as number one continued to hold onto that position as Accies returned to SWPL1 for the first time since 2018. However injury has seen her miss out in recent weeks with the promising Nicolson stepping in, although she too had to miss out when the Lanarkshire side faced her parent club Rangers, with Lisa Kerr stepping into the breach for that 7–0 defeat, so unexpected was her call that the Accies kit-man didn’t have a shirt with her name on it ready.

With Rhind still a few weeks away and the nature of Nicolson’s knock still to be fully determined, it could see the Accies boss go on the keeper hunt once again in the same week it was announced that striker MT Gardiner will be out for the season.

Whoever steps in for a first ever Lanarkshire derby this coming Sunday against Motherwell, there will be at least one Accies player hoping to focus more on scoring goals at one end than keeping them out at the other.

Aberdeen continue to compete

At the end of Aberdeen’s 4–2 opening day defeat to Celtic, in front of a crowd of 480 at the Balmoral Stadium many observers left thinking that the Dons could make a surprise push for the top half of the table. A run of two wins and a draw in the three games that followed, culminating in Sunday’s 0–0 draw against Spartans, means a top half finish feels a realistic ambition for last season’s SWPL2 champions.

Having earned closely fought victories over last season’s SWPL2 rivals, now SWPL1 contemporaries Partick Thistle and Hamilton Accies, Emma Hunter and Gavin Beith took their side to face a Spartans side well embedded as part of the SWPL1 establishment. The attacking talents of Francesca Ogilvie, Eva Thomson, Eilidh Shore and the currently injured Bayley Hutchsion have been well known ever since their ascent from SWFL1 North began but it is their experienced heads further back in the shape of Loren Campbell, Kelly Forrest and summer signing Donna Paterson that are now being tasked with helping to set a foundation to compliment the attacking exuberance of their younger team-mates, an enthusiasm that at times can leave them scrambling, as evidenced during a 5–2 SWPL League Cup defeat against Rangers earlier this season, the Dons losing four goals in fifteen second half minutes.

In a game of few chances contested in blustery conditions at Ainslie Park neither side were able to create many chances with visiting keeper Gail Gilmour taking the plaudits for two particularly fine saves as the Dons racked up their seventh point from their opening four games. They face Hearts this coming Sunday before a treacherous run that sees them face Rangers, Hibernian and Glasgow City in consecutive weeks. A victory over the Jambos should though leave the co-managers pleased with their opening few weeks work.

SWPL1 Results: Celtic 2–1 Hibernian, Hearts 0–3 Rangers, Spartans 0–0 Aberdeen, Hamilton Accies 1–3 Glasgow City

SWPL2 Results: Glasgow Women 0–0 Dundee United, Boroughmuir Thistle 0–0 Stirling University, St. Johnstone 2–1 Queen’s Park.

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