After clinching a place in the Final of the Premier League Cup last weekend, Hibernian Ladies were full of confidence when they faced Lochee United at the weekend. Mandy Burns dropped out due to work commitments and was replaced by Suzanne Grant who was making her first start for Hibernian following her recent move from Glasgow City. Hibernian were still without the services of Stacey Cook, Tracey Burns and Natalie Ross through injury.

As they have done in recent games Hibernian made a whirlwind start, looking for an early breakthrough and playing impressive flowing football, Suzanne Grant almost putting Hibernian ahead in the opening minutes with a snap shot that went narrowly wide. It was not long before Hibs made the breakthrough, the goal coming from a fine team move. Shelley Grant started the attack playing the ball to Joelle Murray who in turn fed the ball to Julie Ferguson, she looked up and found Kim Little with a neat left footed pass and the young Hibernian forward made no mistake finding the bottom corner of the net from just outside of the penalty area with a fierce strike.

All the pressure continued to come from Hibs and they soon doubled their advantage when Kirsty McBride lobbed an exquisite shot over the head of the hapless Lochee goalkeeper. Hibernian were going for the jugular as they looked to kill off Lochee early on but chances came and went as both Suzanne Grant and Laura Kennedy came close with efforts that went just wide of goal. Following these chances the tempo of Hibs play dropped allowing Lochee back into the game.

As Lochee chased the game Hibernian caught them out with a fine counter attacking move. Shelley Grant found Julie Ferguson in the middle of the field and she hit the ball over the top of the Lochee defence for Suzanne Grant to run onto. With the keeper advancing from her goal line to narrow the angle, Suzanne Grant lifted the ball over the out stretched arms of the despairing shot stopper and into the back of the net. A fantastic finish from the striker, her third goal in two games for the club.

The third goal knocked the stuffing out of Lochee and killed off this match as a contest but it was to get worse for them when Hibs grabbed a fourth goal after piling the pressure on the home side. After a goal mouth scramble the ball broke lose to Kirsy McBride on the left, she crossed deep into the box and found Julie Ferguson at the back post. She controlled the ball under pressure and squared the ball to Joelle Murray who took one touch to go past a defender before striking an unstoppable shot past the goalkeeper.

Half Time: Lochee United 0 Hibernian Ladies 4

The second half started with Hibernian again taking control, dominating possession and creating chance after chance. It was not long before goal number five arrived. Kirsty McBride played the ball in from the left meeting the run of Julie Ferguson who flicked the ball up with her left foot before smashing it into the top corner with her right foot. A technically superb finish from the Scotland Internationalist giving the Lochee goal keeper no chance.

Lochee managed to create a couple of chances as Hibs again let the tempo drop but found goal keeper Debbie McDonald in inspiring form. Firstly a Lochee striker out paced the Hibs rearguard finding themselves in a one-on-one but Debbie McDonald dived low at the feet of the striker to save well. Then a long ball played into the Hibs penalty area saw Lochee awarded with a spot kick after Louise Young was adjudged to have handled. The Hibernian bench believed the decision was harsh and justice carried out, in their eyes, when the penalty was fired low to the keepers right hand side and Debbie McDonald produced a tremendous save to tip the ball around the post at the expense of a corner.

The sense of injustice Hibernian felt regarding the penalty spurred the side on and they again rallied and pressed the Lochee defence. Kim Little sent over a corner kick and Joelle Murray jumped highest to power a header into the back of the net for Hibs sixth goal. More chances were created by Hibs but Laura Kennedy, Suzanne Grant and Kim Little could not convert them. A seventh goal was coming and it duly arrived after a long throw in from Joelle Murray into the Lochee penalty area was headed high into the air by a defender. Julie Ferguson reacted quickest to out jump the defence and score her second of the game with a header.

Full Time: Lochee United 0 Hibernian Ladies 7

Hibernian Ladies: Debbie McDonald, Shelley Grant, Suzy Robertson, Frankie Brown, Louise Young, Joelle Murray, Julie Ferguson, Kirsty McBride, Kim Little, Suzanne Grant, Laura Kennedy. Subs: Alison McDonald, Ashleigh McCallum, Marlene Pearson, Karen McKenzie.

A fine performance from the Ladies and they yet again impressed. The girls are not getting carried away, afterwards Julie Ferguson gave her views after the match: “We won the game although, truth be told it could have been a hell of a lot more. We started the game playing the best football we have played all season, passing the ball about with one and two touches. We had spoke before the game the importance of keeping the ball moving and we did not disappoint.

“Overall we completely dominated the game from start to finish and we never looked like losing the game and worked very hard as a team to keep our tempo and our standard high. There were excellent individual performances, but the team performance was more satisfying and everyone is really backing one another to do well and that is showing in our football. Everyone at Hibs is on a high at the moment but we know we have tough challenges around the corner and we are not getting carried away as we have to take it one game at a time and are completely focussed on our next opponents Forfar, who in the past have proved to be a difficult hard working team.”

Richard Payne

 

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Hibs are now just one goal behind leaders Glasgow City after a 7-0 win at Lochee piled on the pressure. Julie Ferguson and Joelle Murray each scored twice and Kirsty McBride, Suzanne Grant and Kim Little were also on target for the Dalkeith side. 

“It was a thoroughly professional performance,” says Hibs boss Iain Johnston. “A good away win and another clean sheet.”