Another Excellent Spartans Display

Iain MacKay

SPARTANS women’s side were in brilliant form against Dundee United at Ainslie Park and the visitors were lucky to get away with a 5-1 beating. This was another excellent display in Spartans ongoing successful season in Scottish Women’s FA and is significant these games are controlled by a referee and two assistants.

Matilde Peace was the referee at Ainslie Park and she gave a faultless display, including taking quick action when Spartans under-19 international star, Sarah Archibald, went down in agony while she was foraging up the left side of the park. The game was halted for several minutes and, eventually, the injured Spartans player was taken away in an ambulance to hospital. This young left-sided player was out of the game for a year with Cruciate ligament problems and it was sad to see her being taken away in an ambulance. Hopefully, Sarah will make a full recovery.

The home side opened the scoring in the first minute with Debbie McWhinnie getting a foot to a ball from the left to knock it past Gemma Clark in the Dundee United goal. This young goalie went on to have an inspired game, including several breathtaking saves. Tammy Harkin went close to notching an equaliser for the visitors from a free kick after the quick moving Susan Blyth was brought down just outside the 18 yard line. United kept up the pressure with shots from Emma McCauley and Debbie Johnston and Spartans keeper, Jo Hutcheson was very lucky, indeed, not to be red-carded when she saved with both hands, a shot outside her 18 yard line. She picked up a yellow card for what appeared to be a quite deliberate move to stop Dundee United scoring. But that was only an interlude in a game dominated by Spartans.  

United were lucky to escape again when a cut back landed perfectly for Diane Barry to hammer a wonderful shot off the underside of the bar and the ball was cleared. Clark denied Lousie Young another goal for Spartans with one of her many stunning saves and blocks. Danni Pagliarulo set up another chance for the home side with a superb lofted ball over the visiting defence, but Kate MacGillivray came in from the left to hammer her shot over the bar. Glorious passing moves from Spartans continued to keep the Dundee United defence on high alert but there was nothing they could do to stop the home side going 2-0 in front. Julie Melrose, yet another in the all-star Spartans line up delivered a perfect cross from the right to the back post where MacGillivray arrived at full speed to ram the ball in to the roof of the Dundee United goal.

The home defence did not look good when they allowed Blyth to reduce the lead to 2-1. But the reply for Spartans came almost immediately when Barry, another internationalist, scored the best goal of the game when she lashed an unstoppable shot past Clark from fully 28 yards out and it was 3-1 at the half-way stage by which time Sarah Archibald was on her way to hospital.

But there was no let-up in the Spartans attacks in the second half and they went on to really put Dundee United through the mill with brilliant passing football. At the back, Claire Crosbie was in great form and most of the play was in the visitors half. Spartans broke through again to make it 4-1 in the 67^th minute and it was the classy Melrose who was on target with a shot from the right-side of the 18 yard line and the ball cannoned in to the back of the net off the inside of the far post. Another shot from Melrose crashed back in to play off the underside of the Dundee United crossbar and it took a great save from Clark to deny Pagliarulo a goal. The keeper produced a wonderful save to tip that net-bound shot over the bar for a corner then Crosbie joined in the Spartans attack to send another shot just wide.

At the other end, the talented Emma McCulley was unlucky not to reduce the deficit when she finished off a good move with a shot that was just too high. Before the final whistle of this entertaining and enjoyable game, Barry scored again to make the final scoreline 5-1 in favour of Spartans. Team spokesman, Carson Ralton, said” Dundee United were lucky to get away with that scoreline. It should have been much wider as Spartans played great football. This big 3G is brilliant and it allows us to play great passing football!”

Spartans - Jo Hutcheson, Michelle Faughan, Louise Moultrey, Danni Pagliarulo, Sarah Archibald, Julie Melrose, Claire Crosbie Kate MacGillivray, Louise Young, Diane Barry, Debbie McWhinnie, Hayley Lauder, Patricia McLaughlin, Stacey Calder.

Dundee United - Gemma Clark, Debbie Johnston, Tammi Harkin, Faye Hughes, Emma McCulley, Susan Blyth, Laura Boag, Lorna Harkins, Laurie Denney, Claire Kelly, Lynsay McKinlay, Sam Milne.

Referee - Matilde Peace.

 

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