SWPL1: Hibernian go top of the league ahead of international break | OneFootball

Hibernian head into the international break at the top of the table following their win against Motherwell last weekend. Rangers, Aberdeen and Spartans all put three points on the board, with Jane Ross grabbing four goals in Hamilton – including a first-half hat trick.

All eyes were on Celtic vs Glasgow City in the first Glasgow Derby of the season. It ended all square at 2-2 and points shared between the two giants.

Celtic 2-2 Glasgow City

Last season’s champions took on the Hoops in the first Glasgow Derby of the year at the Penny Cars Stadium.

Clare Shine got the goals rolling for the away side and was soon followed by newly-called up Lauren Davidson. Despite having a two-goal advantage at half-time, Fran Alonso’s side managed to claw back two goals through Olivia Chance – their latest signing from New Zealand.

Japanese international Shen Mengyu put her stamp on life in Glasgow with both assists. Chance commented on the relationship of both subs after the match, saying: “When she came on with me, we were able to play great combinations and that contributed to the goals.” – via Celtic Women.

POTM: Clare Shine

Jodie Bartle and Julia Molin during the Scottish Women’s Premier League 1 match between Celtic and Glasgow City | Copyright: Colin Poultney

Hamilton 0-7 Rangers

In Lanarkshire, Rangers got their SWPL1 campaign off to a flyer with a 7-0 win over Hamilton. Jane Ross stole the show with four goals – three of them coming in the first-half.

Lizzie Arnot picked up where she left off last season after winning the Golden Boot, Demi Vance and Zoe Ness also got themselves on the scoresheet.

Kirsty MacLean made her first team debut, joining the likes of Emma Watson and Jodi McLeary on the list of academy players to break through into the top flight.

Head Coach Malky Thomson praised his side for being patient after their first league match of the season against Partick Thistle was cancelled last week.

“I’m absolutely over the moon, more in terms of how we prepared for that game. The group is getting more resilient, each time something is put in their way they deal with it, and they dealt with it last week.” – via Rangers Women.

POTM: Jane Ross

Jane Ross during the Scottish Womens Premier League Cup match between Rangers and Aberdeen | Copyright: Colin Poultney

Motherwell 0-4 Hibernian

Paul Brownlie’s Motherwell were handed their second defeat in a row this season following their 6-0 loss against Glasgow City last week.

Experiencing the opposite, Hibernian have two wins out of two and sit top of the league on six points. On Sunday it was an easy win for the Hibees with four different goal-scorers securing the win. Boyle and Morrison were at the double at half-time to give Hibs the advantage, and it was Boyce and Muir who finished the job in the second 45.

Although his squad managed a 4-0 victory and clean sheet, Hibernian Head Coach Dean Gibson wasn’t too convinced of the performance.

He said: “I thought we were good in spells, I don’t think we were great. If I had to score it out of ten, I told the girls I would give it a six or seven. I didn’t come here expecting to score four, five, six goals but based off the chances we created, I’m slightly disappointed at the amount we took.” – via Hibernian Women.

POTM: Rachael Boyle

Partick Thistle 0-2 Aberdeen

It was a tale of two newcomer clubs as Partick Thistle hosted Aberdeen in their first ever SWPL1 league match. Both clubs were part of the promotion alongside Hamilton from the SWPL2 this season.

The first half finished a goalless one, despite a few chances for both sides to take the lead.

Eva Thomson opened the scoring for the Dons less than ten minutes after the restart. A clever strike put Aberdeen 1-0 up, ultimately unsettling Thistle. Another quiet period ended with a 95th minute goal from substitute Mya Chrsitie. Two goals earned Glasgow their first three points in the league.

Aberdeen’s Emma Hunter commented: “It was a really difficult game. It suited them more than it suited us that there were loads of breaks, loads of fouls and the game didn’t flow. We didn’t get the chance to get a foothold in the game. It ended up a really scrappy game, but its these games you need to stick to what your good at and see the game out”. – via Aberdeen Women.

POTM: Natasha Bruce

Spartans 3-1 Hearts

In Edinburgh, Spartans came back from 1-0 down to snatch the three points with three second-half goals. Both teams failed to breakthrough in the first half of the match, until Claire Delworth’s free-kick was judged to be over the line after a mix-up.

It only took Spartans six minutes to find the equaliser through Galbraith, the second goal game 20 minutes later. To make sure all points were going home with them, Marshall executed a great turn and finish into the corner of the net. A jam-packed second half finished 3-1.

Head Coach Eva Olid spoke positively despite her teams loss: “We played better in the first half, there was a balance between both teams. We lost it in the second half with our forward players becoming tired. We have players that are injured, so we need to get these players recovered to create more subs like we needed in the second half.” – Via Hearts Women.

POTM: Rachel Harrison (200th appearance special)

This weekend’s fixtures

Due to international break and other factors surrounding, only two SWPL1 fixtures will take place this weekend:

Aberdeen vs Hamilton Academical

Partick Thistle vs Motherwell

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