Hibernian Ladies moved into third place in the Scottish Women’s Premier League after thrashing Raith Rovers 8-0 at the weekend, a win that saw them leapfrog last season’s champions Glasgow City and they are now just a single point behind second placed Spartans.

Goals from Joelle Murray, Mandy Burns, Kirsty McBride, Suzanne Grant, Lisa Robertson and a hat-trick from Laura Kennedy saw Hibs crush their Fife opponents and in doing so, they sent out a clear message to the teams at the top of the table – ‘we will fight all the way’.

Hibernian Ladies Manager Jimmy Burns was pleased with his team’s performance and the way they overcame the difficult playing conditions. He said:”It was a really important game for us because we had to pick up the three points to keep the pressure on those that are above us. We started the game really positively but we took a bit of time to settle because the pitch was not the best - it was heavy and cut up. We try and play passing football and normally play on the field turf at the training centre, which really suits our game.

 “It was a difficult surface for both teams, but for us being a passing team it was not conducive to our style. We continued to pass and move and it took 20-25 minutes for us to come to terms with it, and we created numerous chances that we failed to take them. As a coach it was really pleasing that despite the conditions and the difficulty with the pitch we still managed to pass the ball and play in the wide areas, put crosses in and stick to the game plan that we have tried to foster since the beginning of the season.”

For Jimmy and his coaches, it was pleasing to see all the hard work put in during training was paying off. He commented: ”We have worked really hard on the midfield to get the supporting midfielder up and attacking specific areas, they both did that, and it was pleasing for them and the wide players - Joelle Murray, Suzanne Grant and Lisa Robertson - it really encouraged them to attack the back post areas from crosses from the other side.

“They got goals as a result of that as well. Whilst Hayley Cunningham did not get on the score sheet, she made a lot of assists and had a really positive part to play. The fact that the goals were spread out was really pleasing because before the game had started we had spoken to them about getting players into goal scoring areas and higher up the park. The other side of that is that we did not concede a goal, we did have a couple of scary moments, but we kept a clean sheet which was really important and we kept pressure on those above us in the league.”

After a poor start to the season where Hibernian struggled to put a team on the pitch the Edinburgh side are now looking once more to fight it out with the best in Scotland for honours this term. Jimmy commented: ”We spoke after we won at Dundee United and again before we played Kilmarnock, I said ‘I know we faltered at the start of the season but we really have to concentrate on winning points’. I have never said to them ‘We are going to win the league’ but the team that we have should be competing for the title.

“For me it is always about winning the next game, so in terms of putting a challenge on the league leaders we have done that plus we have changed the focus from just getting a team and getting established. We want to be challenging, we know that we have all to meet again and the others will take points of each other. When we play them again we will play them without fear - that is the main thing because we have a good team, we have a good shape and have the ability in all positions.

“The players we have brought in have made a real big improvement on the team – Danica Dalziel, Hayley Cunningham and Lisa Robertson have all come in done an excellent job to support the players that we already have. Whilst I am not going to say we will win the league, what we want to do is be in there at the mix at the end of the season and to win convincingly on a difficult pitch - making it three back-to-back wins, was really good with a view to going forward.”

On Sunday Hibernian play their final league game before the winter shutdown and Jimmy wants to see his side end the first half of their campaign on a high.”We are going to finish the first half of the season on a really positive high, but if we can go to Kilmarnock and really post a good performance to pick up another three points then I think we are right back in the mix.

“With a view to the second half of the season, if we can maintain our consistency in our league form and if we can continue to win away from home and keep the three points at home then we will be there or thereabouts. We have all the teams to play again and we hope that those we lost points to at the start of the season - when we were struggling for a team and things were no quite right - when we meet them in the second half of the season that we will be a far stronger team with a far more positive outlook on things. It will be a difficult game but we go into it looking to win.”

Jimmy is grateful for all the help and support he has received in his first season with the Ladies. He commented: ”I really appreciate the support that I have had from Lindsay Weir, Bill Hendry and Scott Lindsay. They have been so supportive in trying to get things going and moving forward. As the coach, I know the team are appreciative of that, it has allowed us to go out and perform without having to worry about training facilities or anything else. It has allowed me to concentrate on getting the team right and going forward knowing that they are working away in the background.”