Ladies league defence begins

On Wednesday evening Hibernian Ladies began the defence of their Scottish Women’s Premier League crown against City rivals Edinburgh Ladies. The sides clashed just three days before with the Hibees storming back from two goals down to crush their opponents and while they never gave Edinburgh a two goal head start this time, the outcome was to be quite similar.

Having been involved in the UEFA Women’s Cup, Hibernian were starting their league campaign a little later than the rest of the teams but they were determined to make up for lost ground and quickly, as they looked to close the gap on early leaders Glasgow City. Hibs were full of confidence and having gone two years without a league defeat, they had every reason to be so.

 New Manager Maggie Wilson made two changes from Sunday’s emphatic win as Suzanne Robertson and Frankie Brown both found themselves on the bench with Kirsty McBride and Joelle Murray their replacements. The game kicked off with both sides looking edgy and playing at a slow pace, not quite the high tempo Hibs normally attack their opponents with at the beginning of matches.

Just like on Sunday, Edinburgh were sitting deep and not allowing Hibernian any room to gain momentum, ensuring there was no space for the Hibs playmakers to operate in. Hibernian were seeing a lot of possession but there was no end product in the early stages, but the first real chance of the game naturally fell the way of Hibs as Shelley Kerr found Kirsty McBride wide left and the Scotland wingers’ first time cross was fired just over the crossbar by Mandy Burns.

Hibernian were beginning to take control and become more of a threat to the Edinburgh goal, they were using their full backs well, pushing them forward and trying to penetrate the Edinburgh defensive ranks with balls in behind. Makeshift full backs Julie Ferguson and Kirsty McBride were causing Edinburgh all sorts of problems with their surges forward and Kim Little, Suzanne Grant and Mandy Burns all got onto the end of telling crosses but could not provide the killer finish.

The breakthrough finally came when a Kirsty McBride run down the left wing resulted in a cross that was met by Mandy Burns making a typical run into the penalty area, and she fired Hibs into the lead from close range. It was Burns second goal in two games as she continues a fine run of form.

With a goal behind them, the pressure was off and Hibs began to relax and play their normal game, going close twice when Suzanne Grant and Kim Little had chances to double their advantage. Edinburgh remained on the back foot and without influential striker Debbie McWhinnie they struggled against a resilient Hibs defence. Hibernian suffered a blow when Pauline Hamill was forced to leave the field through injury with Suzanne Robertson her replacement.

As half-time approached Hibs appeared to become frustrated at the lack of space afforded them by Edinburgh, the home side continued to sit deep whilst fighting for every ball. The first half ended with Hibs on top but given their level of dominance they perhaps should have been on easy street.

Half Time: Edinburgh Ladies 0 Hibernian Ladies 1

The pace that had been lacking in the game during the first half was evident immediately on the restart as Hibs began at a high tempo. It was only a matter of time before Hibs scored again and the goal duly arrived when Kim Little scored from a Joelle Murray cross. It was just what Hibs needed, a goal that allowed them some breathing space against stuffy opposition.

 Hibs continued to dominate the play with good inter-passing from back to front that was pleasant on the watching eyes. It wasn’t long before they added a third goal as Julie Ferguson and Suzanne Grant linked up well before teeing up Joelle Murray perfectly to smash an unstoppable shot past the Edinburgh goalkeeper. It was another timely boost for Murray, who will make her Scotland debut in the friendly against Belgium on Sunday,

Laura Kennedy was a second half substitute and it did not take her long to become involved as she set up Kim Little only to be denied by some great defensive play. Chances were coming and going for Hibs without adding to their tally and with fifteen minutes to go they looked a sure bet for the three points but Edinburgh had other ideas.

First Edinburgh pulled a goal back through a superbly taken free kick by Sarah Archibald that gave Hibs keeper Gemma Faye no chance and then a ball from midfield was crossed into the penalty area to Diana Barry, who held off Suzanne Robertson before firing past Gemma Faye to make it 3-2. Suddenly the pressure was back on Hibs, and they began to look nervous holding onto a fragile lead, but as Edinburgh pushed for an equaliser they left gaps at the back that were clinically exploited by the prolific Kim Little who put the game beyond doubt with a fine finish.

Two minutes later Little turned goal provider as she set up striker partner Suzanne Grant who made no mistake from close range. In the dying minutes Stacey Cook picked the ball up just inside the Edinburgh half and hit a speculative shot that caught out the Edinburgh goalkeeper for a sensational sixth goal for Hibs. Hibernian will have been disappointed they allowed Edinburgh back into the game from such a comfortable position but at the same time pleased the response of the side.

The difference between Hibernian and the majority of the teams in the SWPL is the quality and quantity of striking options available to the Easter Road side, meaning it is very difficult to close out a particular avenue of attack as there are just so many available to them. It was a decent performance from Hibs but just like Sunday, defensive lapses were punished and this could prove costly in closer run games.

Full Time: Edinburgh Ladies 2 Hibernian Ladies 6

Hibernian Ladies: Gemma Faye, Kirsty McBride, Stacey Cook, Shelley Kerr, Julie Ferguson, Joelle Murray, Mandy Burns, Natalie Ross, Pauline Hamill, Suzanne Grant, Kim Little. Subs: Laura Kennedy, Alison Donnelly, Tracey Burns, Marlene Pearson, Frankie Brown, Joanna Hutcheson.

Whilst delighted with her sides win, Midfielder Julie Ferguson believes there is still hard work to be done by the team on the training field. She commented; ”We are delighted to get our first league win of the season – it was important that we started off on the right note and I think we did that today. It was disappointing to lose two goals but there wasn’t much we could have done about the free-kick, hopefully in the next game we can keep a clean sheet. I felt we dominated and thoroughly deserved our win but we still know that we can play better and we are working hard on the training pitch to improve as a team.”

Richard Payne

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