Glasgow City close in on ninth straight title
Monday 5 October 2015 10:36, UK
Glasgow City all but secured their ninth successive Scottish Women’s Premier League title after a 2-0 victory away to closest rivals Hibernian on Sunday.
Second-half goals secured the points for City on a day that Hibs needed to win to keep their hopes of the championship alive.
Hayley Lauder slotted into the net 15 minutes after the interval before Erin Cuthbert unleashed a volley from 25 yards to put the tie beyond any doubt.
Glasgow City now lead the Edinburgh outfit by six points and a vastly superior goal difference with just two games remaining.
The match was a fairly low key affair compared to the previous meetings between the teams this season, both of the league matches finishing in 3-3 draws with City winning the SWPL Cup final after being taken to extra-time by Hibs in June.
Hibs may have had the better opportunities in the first half but it was a quarter of an hour before the spectators saw any danger of the score being broken.
An innocuous looking back-pass from Glasgow City central defender Cheryl McCulloch somehow found its way past Lee Alexander in goals, who had to scramble back to clear the ball of her line.
The game continued to be disjointed, with obvious goal-scoring chances few and far between until the half hour mark.
A long ball from Hibernian centre-back Siobhan Hunter went over the heads of the City defence and Abigail Harrison ran through on goal. However, she was forced a little wide before sending her shot just past the post.
Hibs will rue not taking the chances when they came their way in the first half. Harrison shot wide after being put through by Hunter but she shot wide and five minutes before the break a cross from Lisa Robertson found Lia Tweedie in the box, but her header came thumping down off the crossbar.
The resulting set-play yielded another opening for Hibs. Hunter attacked the ball well after coming up from the back, but her effort was cleared off the line by the City defence.
With it goalless at half-time, City swapped Clare Shine with Kerry Montgomery, and Denise O'Sullivan playing further forward.
It proved to be an inspired substitution by head coach Scott Booth. With just over 10 minutes played in the second half O'Sullivan showed good strength and control before feeding Hayley Lauder down the left, who fired a low shot past Jenna Fife.
The Glasgow side then began to control the game and doubled their lead 10 minutes later with a superb 20-yard volley from Erin Cuthbert. A lose header out from Hibernian on the edge of their own box fell to Cuthbert, who caught it flush on the volley and gave the goalkeeper no chance.
City were then happy to sit back and soak up any pressure. Scotland international Kirsty Smith shot over from 12 yards but there was no way back from the Edinburgh club.
The win takes Glasgow City to within touching distance of securing the title, the first under new head coach Scott Booth.
The former Scotland, Aberdeen and Borussia Dortmund striker took over in July and is unbeaten in the league since. Despite needing a mathematical miracle to be overtaken, Booth says they can't celebrate just yet.
He said: "I am really pleased for the players. It's been a long, hard season for them, they've worked really hard to put themselves in this position but we have to remain professional. We set out to win all of our games really, so it will be no different for us in the last couple of games of the season."
Part of the Dortmund side that won the Intercontinental Cup in 1997, Booth says guiding City to the title is up there with the best of his achievements.
Asked where it would rank in his career, he said: "It's really high up. I arrived at Glasgow City with them top of the league, winning games, winning titles. And it's sometimes unusual for a manager to come in under those sorts of circumstances so there's a wee bit of pressure there."
"For me to have a group of players like that and to be able to pretty much secure the title in my first season then I'm pretty happy with that too."
Having overcome their closest title challenge since 2010, City now move their focus to the Champions League. They face a daunting trip to newly crowned Women's Super League 1 champions Chelsea in the first half of their round of 32 tie this Thursday. The return leg takes place on the 14th of October at Airdrie's Excelsior Stadium.
Hibernian Ladies: Fife, Williamson, Brownlie, Hunter, Smith, Robertson, Arthur, Richards, Harrison, Arnot, Tweedie.
Subs: Cornet, Johnstone, Michie, Murray Heron.
Glasgow City: Alexander, Ross, McMurchie, McCulloch, Docherty, Love, O'Sullivan, Cuthbert, Lauder, Grant, Shine.
Subs: Rafferty, Jones, Montgomery, Whyte, Clelland, Hay, Cunningham
