Ladies Wrap Up With Win

Hibernian Ladies overcame the odds and their opponents Kilmarnock to move up into second place in the Scottish Women’s Premier League table. In the Ladies final match before the winter shut down, Hibs just edged out their Ayrshire opponents by the odd goal in seven to continue their winning run.

The winter shut down is perhaps coming at the wrong time for Hibs as they continue to rack up both the victories and the points. Before a ball was even kicked against Kilmarnock however the girls had to overcome two major obstacles.

First they went into the game without goalkeeper Gemma Fay, who had picked up an injury in training and had to use outfield player Ally Donnelly between the posts for this crucial match. Also the pitch that was to be used had goals that were not regulation size. Hibs had the option to call the game off but decided they would play – and after picking up a hard fought victory they will be glad they did!

The playing surface was far from ideal, with overgrown grass and cutting up badly in patches, however Hibernian were quick to master the conditions. Almost straight from kick off the Edinburgh side won a corner kick from which they took an early lead. Although the ball had been partially cleared by the Killie defence it fell to Joelle Murray who wasted no time in crossing from Suzanne Grant to put her side in front.

It was just the start Hibernian had been hoping for but at half time they still only had a slender lead and had missed a number of chances to put the game to bed. Kilmarnock started the second half impressively and they also scored quickly through Laura Ferguson to stun their opponents in green. It was game on and both teams traded blows like heavyweight boxers, but it was Hibs that scored next - Joelle Murray played the ball through for Suzanne Grant, she beat the goalkeeper in a foot race and nicked the ball past the shot stopper before slotting it into the empty net for her second goal of the game.

Kilmarnock refused to just accept defeat and they came back at Hibernian with Amy MacDonald smashing a shot from the edge of the penalty area high over the head of stand in goalkeeper Ally Donnelly and the game was levelled at 2-2. Manager Jimmy Burns then made a substitute replacing Hayley Cunningham with Mandy Burns, and that change was to pay immediate dividends when the Burns slotted home a loose ball from close range. The home side continued to fight all the way and equalised for an incredible third time when Kirsty Munro fired the ball into the net.

Hibernian to their credit refused to let their heads drop after being pulled back each time and they got the winning goal their play deserved through Kirsty McBride. Kilmarnock should have levelled for a fourth time in the closing seconds when they found themselves with only Ally Donnelly to beat, but the striker fired over the cross bar and the points returned to Edinburgh.

After the game, a relieved Joelle Murray commented: ”We have been on a good run of form lately and the break has perhaps come at the wrong time for us. I think if we could we would continue right through the Christmas period, as spirits are high and we are playing some great football. However, a rest will help us recover from some hard games recently and I’m sure we will continue our form after the break. Although we don’t have games during the break, we are continuing to train right through and that I am sure will keep team morale high”

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