The women of steel’s goalscoring woes persisted in ML3, as a commanding performance over local rivals Hamilton was left unrewarded, as the hosts struck twice against the run of play to secure victory on a disappointing and frustrating derby day in Lanarkshire.
Hamilton forward Josephine Giard and teammate Chloe Muir both added their name to the scoresheet across both halves to give the hosts a comfortable advantage, with debutant Laura Berry netting a late consolation for her first goal in claret and amber.
It’s a sore one to take,” Head Coach Paul Brownlie said.
“We’ve got to take chances and do much better with our decision-making in the final third . We had so many opportunities where we broke the lines, but it’s just that last part we’re missing just now. The players are working hard on it to try and rectify it and get it right.
“I think if we had scored the early goal, it would’ve been completely different, but we never, and at the end of the day if we don’t score goals, we can’t win games.”
Brownlie made two changes from the narrow midweek defeat to title-chasers Celtic, with Emily Mutch returning in the Motherwell goal, as Laura McCartney also returned to the starting XI. January acquisitions Sophia Martin and Laura Berry both secured a place on the bench following international appearances for Scotland at the MIMA cup.
As both sides emerged under the floodlights, Motherwell immediately tested the Hamilton stopper, with the visitors firmly in control of the opening exchanges. Morgan Cross’ driving run on the left sliced through the Accies backline, with the forward teeing up Sarah Gibb at the edge of the penalty area, but the midfielder couldn’t apply the finishing touches.
Less than a minute later, Amy Anderson’s pinpoint cross-field pass accurately picked out Bailley Collins, who found Murron Cunningham midway through the Hamilton penalty area, but the experienced defender couldn’t beat Emma Thomson in the Accies goal.
Motherwell continued to flood the Hamilton penalty area in search of a breakthrough, with Collins’ threading a perfectly-weighted through ball to Cross, who was left one-on-one with the keeper, but Thomson again produced an exceptional reaction save.
Motherwell’s frustrations in the final third continued, as Kayla Jardine’s drilled effort from distance narrowly evaded the Hamilton crossbar, with Cunningham and Chelsie Watson also denied from close-range.
Motherwell’s dominant first-half display was eventually undermined moments before the half-time whistle, with Giard coasting through to the edge of the Motherwell penalty area before firing an unstoppable strike past Emily Mutch, which rattled off of the crossbar before nestling into the back of the visiting net.
10-minutes after the restart, Hamilton doubled their advantage, with Muir drilling an incredible left-footed half-volley from over 30-yards out past Mutch, leaving the women of steel stunned after their assured start to the derby.
The visitors route back into the game came shortly after the hour mark, with debutant Laura Berry latching onto fellow Rangers loanee Kayla Jardine’s floated delivery, before dispatching an accurate right-footed volley past Thomson to give the women of steel some confidence and optimism, as the final half hour approached.
The women of steel toiled in search of a deserved equaliser, with Berry forcing a stop from the Hamilton keeper, after powering a low header from Collins’ whipped through ball. Chances from Collins and Martin followed, but the women of steel couldn’t break through the resolute Hamilton backline and were consigned to a disappointing and frustrating derby day defeat at New Douglas Park on Sunday.
