The last-minute equalisers, refereeing controversies and memorable goals are the key thought-provoking moments of discussion that engages football supporters across the country, and the mid-season break will enable plenty of time for Head Coach Paul Brownlie to reflect on the 2024/25 SWPL campaign so far.
The women of steel remain firmly in the ascendency, as they chase their long-awaited and evaded ambition of a top-six finish in the Scottish Women’s Premier League table. Motherwell have maintained an advantage over their closest rivals Partick Thistle for much of the 2024/25 SWPL campaign, after a 1-1 stalemate in the last meeting between the sides at Petershill Park in November.
Motherwell have encountered four defeats in the SWPL since September, all coming against title-chasers Rangers, Celtic and Glasgow City. However, in two of their last three fixtures against the full-time top-three sides, Paul Brownlie’s teams were only defeated by a single-goal deficit. In their other five fixtures throughout that time, the women of steel have won four and drew once.
“I’m really pleased with how we’ve performed over the past few months,” Brownlie noted.
“We have really progressed past the initial introduction phase for all our summer additions, and have found a system that the players have really settled into and competed well in. I’m delighted with how we’ve approached and tested the full-time teams, we haven’t sat back and defended in our own penalty box, we’ve taken the game to them all and were deserving of achieving points.
“As with any season, there will always be areas and aspects of our style of play that could be adapted or utilised more effectively, but we are constantly learning and improving ourselves collectively as a squad. Ultimately, we set out a clear objective at the start of the season to finish in the top-six in the SWPL table, and at the halfway stage, we are currently in the position where we want to be which is very pleasing, but the job isn’t close to being completed yet.”
Alongside the closely-fought league campaign, Paul Brownlie’s side confidently secured their place in Round Four of the Scottish Cup, defeating SWPL2 side Rossvale with an assured seven-goal victory. There were seven different goalscorers on display, as Sophie Black, Bailley Collins, Louisa Boyes, Jenna Penman, Lucy Barclay, Sienna McGoldrick and Mason Clark all added their names to the scoresheet. The women of steel were drawn with another SWPL2 club in the round of sixteen, as Bonnyrigg Rose will head to South Lanarkshire to face the hosts at K-Park in the opening fixtures of 2025.
Motherwell will be keen to surpass their Sky Sports league Cup campaign, where they achieved a place in the Quarter-Final stage after defeating local rivals Hamilton following an enthralling penalty shootout, but were eventually defeated by defending champions Rangers.
“The cup campaigns are the perfect opportunity for the team to succeed,” Brownlie emphasised.
“Cup matches are one-off opportunities for the team to progress to the next round, where they can play without the pressurised environment of a league campaign. We achieved real success in 2023, securing a place in the Semi-Final and contested the first domestic women’s match to be played at the National Stadium, Hampden Park. These are experiences that can last a lifetime for the players and can pave the way for the next generation of players coming through, so these opportunities are ones that we really want to capitalise on.
“Bonnyrigg will be another tough task. While the result against Rossvale might look incredibly one-sided, we were really under pressure in the opening stages of the game, and until the second-half; we hadn’t found our standards and hit the correct gear. Bonnyrigg are in the round of sixteen for a reason, they have rightfully earned their place and will be looking to create history by reaching the Quarter-Final stage, but we are confident of the ability within the squad and will be looking to progress to the next round.
The women of steel’s convincing rub of form will have intrigued and enticed the supporters to travel to K-Park in their numbers, with attendances steadily progressing season by season, and the coaching staff are keen to reward their efforts.
“We have been really pleased with the support for the squad this season,” Brownlie explained.
“The women’s game and the popularity of supporting women’s football is continuing to rapidly grow, and we are looking to reward the support from the stands with our performances on the pitch.
“The squad have their sights set on progressing in the cup competitions and finishing the SWPL season inside the top-six, but we aren’t going to get ahead of ourselves. We are pleased with where we are at the halfway stage, but we know that there will still be a considerable amount of work to do when we return in the new year.
“We hope everyone has a happy new year, and we will see you in 2025.”
