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Despite a hearty and robust Motherwell performance, Hibernian came away with maximum points on Wednesday night at Penicuik Park.

In a game of very few opportunities, Kirsty Morrison’s second half strike was enough to give the Hibees three points in a 1-0 win.

Hibernian controlled most of the possession in the opening exchanges without really creating a clear cut chance.

Siobhan Hunter had an effort from distance but was well over Khym Ramsay’s crossbar.

Motherwell grew into the game as the half went on and London Pollard had the best chance for the women of steel.

On 35 minutes, the striker was put through on goal, however put her effort wide of the mark.

Hibernian looked to start the second half with a bang, Morrison got down the right wing before crossing into the box looking for Amy Gallacher. However, it just evaded her.

The home side broke the deadlock on 54 minutes.

Alexa Coyle turned and drilled a low cross into the danger area and Morrison finished to score the only goal of the game.

Leanne Crichton had an opportunity to get Motherwell on level terms. The midfielder had a go from a free-kick from 25 yards, which went agonisingly wide from the post.

The away side pushed for an equaliser in a much improved second half performance, but were unfortunate not to draw level in the final stages of the game.

Motherwell now turn to Spartans on Sunday back at Alliance Park, with an opportunity to go four points clear in fifth place.

Motherwell will be looking to follow up on their fine Lanarkshire derby win when they take on Hibernian.

Kick off at Penicuik Athletic Park on Wednesday 26 January is at 7pm.

Tale of the Tape

Last time out, Hibernian ran out 4-0 victors at Alliance Park at the start of the season in SWPL1. 

In the two games prior to this meeting, the Hibees won by a one-goal margin on both occasions, winning 1-0 and 3-2 respectively. 

After their 2-1 victory against Hamilton on Sunday, the women of steel are one place and six points behind Hibernian going into the game. 

Form Guide

Hibernian faced off against top of the table Rangers in their previous outing, where the Gers won 2-1. 

They have accumulated five points out of a possible 18 in their last six matches, scoring six goals in the process. 

Motherwell climbed up to fifth in the table and bettered their 2020/21 SWPL1 points total after a victory at New Douglas Park against Hamilton.

Leanne Crichton and Carla Boyce got the goals, whilst Chelsie Watson rattled the post from the penalty spot in the first half. 

Motherwell cruised to their fourth league victory and second Lanarkshire derby triumph after defeating local rivals Hamilton 2-1.

Paige McAllister’s close-range finish put the women of steel in the ascendency midway through the first half, before Carla Boyce netted the second early into the second half.

In the dying stages of the game, Josi Giard netted Hamilton a late consolation.

Looking for their second Lanarkshire derby victory of the season, ‘Well applied the early pressure and came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock after 15 minutes.

Lori Gardner skillfully worked her way into the box, nutmegging her opponent in the process, before picking out Amy Anderson at the edge of the box, but the midfielder lost her footing and sent her effort well over the bar.

After controlling much of the early possession, Motherwell continued to threaten and deservedly netted the opener minutes later.

Leanne Crichton’s pinpoint delivery was poorly misjudged by Hamilton stopper Jeni Currie, and her looping cross ricocheted off the bar to the feet of McAllister, who coolly slotted her strike home from close range.

Hamilton thought they had brought themselves level 10 minutes later. Tiree Burchill quickly closed down Khym Ramsay’s clearance, and the striker raced through to tap in the rebound. However, the referee adjudged that Ramsay was fouled in the build-up, and the equaliser was soon disallowed.

With the half-time whistle looming, Motherwell pressed forward in search of a vital second goal as Gardner continued to cause the hosts problems.

The winger skipped past several lacklustre Hamilton challenges before being impeded in the box, leaving the referee no alternative but to award the spot kick. Boyce stepped up, but the striker’s low effort rattled off the post, allowing the keeper to easily gather.

Minutes into the second half, the visitors doubled their advantage.

Katie Rice’s perfectly weighted cross fell kindly to Boyce deep into the Hamilton penalty area, and the forward calmly placed her strike past Currie to put the visitors in control of the tie.

With the final few minutes ticking away, the hosts netted a late consolation. Giard latched onto Hannah Coakley’s long ball, and the striker’s exquisite finish left Ramsay with no chance.

This result will be a confidence booster for Motherwell as Paul Brownlie’s side move into fifth place and two points clear of Spartans, who they will face at the end of the month.

It is the Lanarkshire derby up next for Motherwell as they take on Hamilton Academical at New Douglas Park on Sunday 23 January. 

Kick off is 2pm. 

Come and Watch

Tickets are priced at £5 for adults and £3 for concessions, and can be purchased on the gate.

Tale of the Tape 

The first women’s Lanarkshire derby of the season took place earlier this campaign, with the women of steel running out comfortable 3-0 winners. 

Leanne Crichton opened the scoring from the spot, before Lori Gardner blasted home a second. Jemma Hughes added a third in the second half to secure all three points. 

Form Guide

Hamilton last picked up points in the league at the start of November when they drew 2-2 with Spartans. 

They are currently in 10th place in the league with five points. 

Motherwell drew 2-2 with Partick Thistle last weekend, with Amy Anderson and Kaela McDonald-Nguah getting on the scoresheet. 

The claret and amber are one point off of fifth place Spartans. 

Motherwell fought tirelessly to overcome last weekend’s Scottish Cup defeat to earn a thoroughly deserved point with Partick Thistle.

In a tough SWPL1 encounter at Alliance Park, Cara McBrearty fired the visitors ahead early on with a spectacular free-kick, before Amy Anderson pulled Motherwell level with a precise half volley.

Kaela McDonald-Nguah’s close-range effort put Motherwell ahead early into the second half, but Clare Docherty’s strike in the latter stages of the game brought Thistle level.

Looking for redemption after the cup exit at the hands of Partick Thistle, Motherwell started brightly and came close to the opener in the first few minutes.

Paige McAllister’s perfectly weighted through ball accurately picked out McDonald-Nguah on the right, and the striker skipped past her opponent with ease before firing across the face of the goal. But nobody could react quick enough to divert her effort towards goal.

However, despite Motherwell’s early dominance, the visitors netted the opener against the run of play from a free kick.

McBrearty confidently stepped up and curled a spectacular effort from distance into the top left corner, leaving Khym Ramsay with no chance in the Motherwell goal.

Looking for a quick response, the women of steel pressed forward in numbers and equalised minutes later. McDonald-Nguah’s chipped delivery fell kindly to Anderson at the edge of the box, and the midfielder composed herself before powering an exceptional half volley into the top left corner.

With the half-time whistle looming, Motherwell came agonisingly close to adding their second of the afternoon. Carla Boyce skilfully latched onto McDonald-Nguah’s long ball at the edge of the Thistle penalty area, but the striker lost her footing and sent her effort wide of the target.

Minutes into the second half, Paul Brownlie’s side took the lead.

Leanne Crichton’s pinpoint delivery accurately picked out Chelsie Watson in the box, who powered her header across the face of goal, leaving McDonald-Nguah to tap in at the back post.

However, with just 20 minutes remaining; Thistle found the equaliser.

Rebecca McGowan’s long-range effort was too hot to handle for Ramsay, and Docherty was on hand to rifle in the rebound from a yard out.

With the final few minutes ticking away, Motherwell were on the front foot in search of a late winner. Despite rattling the crossbar twice, the Thistle defence stood resolute to settle for a point.

‘Well will be frustrated to have not taken all three points but will be encouraged by their impressive display.

Motherwell controlled the vast majority of the game and will look to build a positive run of form with a victory over Hamilton in the Lanarkshire derby next week.

Motherwell Girls’ Academy are hosting an academy trial session on Sunday 16 January at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility.

To take part, you simply have to turn up on the day.

Trials will start at 11:15am and will finish at 12:30pm.

We’re looking for players who were born between 2010 and 2012 to join the Under 12s team.

We are also looking for players born between 2008 and 2010 to join our Under 14s team.

Finally, we are looking for players to join the Under 16s team who are born between 2006 and 2008.

All players must be free agents and not contracted to any club. We also advise all players take a Lateral Flow Test before attending.

Motherwell are back in SWPL1 action on Sunday 16 January when they take on Partick Thistle at Alliance Park. 

Kick off is 4pm. 

COME AND WATCH

Tickets are priced at £5 for adults whilst children go free. 

There is only a pay at the gate option. 

TALE OF THE TAPE

Motherwell and Partick Thistle faced off last weekend in the Scottish Cup. After going ahead twice in the match, Thistle advanced to the next round after scraping through after a 4-2 victory in the penalty shootout.

Partick Thistle came out on top in the last league meeting earlier this season, when they won 3-2.  

FORM GUIDE

Motherwell occupy sixth place in the table, after achieving ten points from the first 11 games of the season. Motherwell have faced off against the top three in their last four games and have won two games in five in SWPL1. 

The Jags are two points behind the women of steel and currently sit in 9th place in the table. Thistle’s last league game was against Glasgow City, where the champions won 2-0.

Motherwell will be well represented in Scotland’s next Under 19s women’s training camp with four players being selected.

Striker Jemma Hughes has been selected for her first Under 19 call up. Jemma, who broke into the Motherwell first team at the start of the season, has gone on to make 11 appearances in claret and amber, notching her first goal in the Lanarkshire derby.

Newly signed Ciara Duff will be present at the two-day training camp, after making her Motherwell debut in the Scottish Cup on Sunday. Signed from Boroughmuir Thistle, the goalkeeper looks to be a prospect for the future.

London Pollard also earns international recognition after her move to the women of steel. Having made three starts since her switch from Celtic, the strong and promising striker will be looking to continue her development at international level.

Making up the four, Paige McAllister will join up with Pauline Hamill’s squad, having joined on loan from Celtic in the summer before joining permanently in January.

“Getting four players into the 19s national squad speaks volumes of the work we are doing here at Motherwell,” head coach Paul Brownlie said.

“I’m delighted for the four players, it’s testament to the hard work and commitment they give weekly to become better players.”

The two-day camp will take place on 18 and 19 January.

Motherwell exited the Scottish Women’s Cup on penalties after Partick Thistle twice came from behind to take the tie the distance.

Carla Boyce netted her third Motherwell goal with a well-placed header before Freya MacDonald fired the Jags level early into the second half.

With both sides battling for the winner late on, Leanne Crichton scored a spectacular free kick to restore Motherwell’s advantage with 12 minutes remaining. However, Cheryl McCulloch’s late header forced the game into extra time.

Motherwell started the game brightly and came close to breaking the deadlock after only six minutes.

Lori Gardner’s incisive through ball picked out Boyce on the left. The forward skilfully worked her way past several lacklustre challenges before firing towards goal, but her effort failed to trouble the keeper from distance.

The women of steel continued to dominate the early stages and deservedly took the lead after 12 minutes.

Exceptional link-up play between Gill Inglis and Gardner allowed Inglis to find space on the left, and the Motherwell captain accurately picked out Boyce in the box, who calmly placed her headed effort past Lauren McGregor to give her side the early advantage.

Looking for a response, the hosts came close to the equaliser on the half-hour mark. Clare Docherty was left through on goal after latching onto Amy Bulloch’s well-timed through ball, but debutant goalkeeper Ciara Duff reacted quickly to produce a smart stop.

With the half-time whistle looming, Motherwell came close to doubling their advantage. An excellent interchange of play between Inglis and Crichton left the midfielder in acres of space at the edge of the box, but her powerful effort sailed agonisingly wide of the target.

However, the hosts pulled themselves level early into the second half. Cheryl McCulloch’s low driven cross was brilliantly parried away by Duff, but MacDonald was on hand to coolly slot her strike into the bottom left corner.

With both sides battling for the winner in the dying stages of the game, Motherwell looked to have secured victory as Crichton stepped up and curled a spectacular free kick into the top right corner.

Katie Rice saw a second yellow card and was given her marching orders with only minutes to go.

Cara McBrearty’s subsequent looping free kick was easily prodded home by McCulloch deep into injury time, forcing the contest into extra time.

With neither side able to break the deadlock in the extra 30 minutes, the closely-fought encounter would be settled from the penalty spot.

Despite accurate spot kicks from Boyce and Chelsie Watson, Amy Anderson missed the target whilst Crichton saw her spot kick saved by McGregor, sending Thistle into the fourth round.

Despite exiting the cup prematurely, Motherwell will be encouraged with their display after controlling large periods of the game. Paul Brownlie will look to rectify this result when the pair meet at Alliance Park in the SWPL1 later this month.

Motherwell get their 2022 Scottish Women’s Cup campaign underway on Sunday 9 January when they face Partick Thistle in round three. 

Kick off is 12.30pm at Petershill Park in Glasgow. 

HOW TO WATCH

Tickets will be sold at the gate of the stadium. There is not an option to buy online before the match. 

Tickets are priced at £7 for adults and kids go free. 

Alternatively, there will be a live stream of the match on Partick Thistle Women’s YouTube channel. The stream will launch shortly before kick off.  

TALE OF THE TAPE

Motherwell last faced off against the Jags in September in SWPL1.

In a back and forth game, Thistle came away with all three points in a 3-2 win. Lori Gardner and Kaela McDonald-Nguah grabbed the goals for the women of steel. 

The sides have history in the Scottish Cup. In 2019 Motherwell came out on top in a 2-0 win after extra-time and progressed to the next round. 

FORM GUIDE

Both sides haven’t played since 12 December 2021.

Thistle’s last encounter came against champions Glasgow City, where they were beaten 2-0.

In SWPL1, the Jags last picked up points at the start of November with a 0-0 draw against Spartans. 

Motherwell come into this cup tie after a 7-0 defeat to SWPL Cup winners Celtic before the winter break.

The women of steel have two wins in five stretching back to the end of October.