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Motherwell recorded their second SWPL1 victory in the space of a week as they defeated Forfar Farmington 2-0 at Ravenscraig.

Katie Rice headed home the opener after 19 minutes and Chelsea McEachran secured the three points when she calmly slotted home with nine left on the clock.

Right from the start Motherwell threatened the Forfar goal.

The ball was worked out to Lori Gardner by Chelsea McEachran who took a first time shot in an attempt to lob the keeper. The shot looked like it would dip just under the bar, but it smashed off the woodwork and subsequent post to deny ‘Well the perfect start.

The women of steel enjoyed most of the early possession, with further attempts Beth McLeod and Sarah Crilly continuing to test Fiona McNicoll in the Forfar goal.

Forfar were repressed to trying to play the ball in behind the ‘Well defence to try and get a sniff of goal but Georgie Rafferty was up to the task of dealing with each attack.

The deadlock was broken on 19 minutes when Rice powered home a header from a corner. The initial ball into the box wasn’t dealt with by the Forfar defence and the midfielder was there to nod it into the left-hand side of the net.

Danni McGinley had Forfar’s best chance of the match with 39 minutes on the clock. The forward picked up the ball on the edge of the box, turned and got her shot away heading towards the bottom left corner but Anna Vincenti got down well to make the save.

Nicola Davidson came inches wide from getting a late equaliser for Forfar, she picked up the bobbling loose ball and opted for the half volley from range, she struck it sweetly, but it landed inches away from the bottom left corner.

Motherwell were able to withstand the late push from Forfar to see out the half and to go into the break leading 1-0.

McLeod came close to extending ‘Well’s lead with 60 minutes played. The winger latched onto Claire Adams through ball before taking on the shot from just inside the box, her effort however was straight at the keeper.

Cassie Cowper and Robyn Smith tested Vincenti with two well hit shots back-to-back between them both. Cowper came agonisingly close with a half volley and Smith was denied by a diving save to protect Motherwell’s slim lead.

McEachran doubled Motherwell’s lead with 81 minutes played as she picked up the over the top through ball, running in on goal she was able to compose herself to pick her place and slot the ball past the onrushing keeper.

Spurred on by the goal, Motherwell continued to keep their foot on the gas by continuing to search for another. Finding success by playing down the wings, Steph Knox was the supplier for numerous balls into the box but to no avail.

The scoreline would remain unchanged as the women of steel would see out the remainder of the match and get an important three points making it two wins on the bounce.

After picking up a highly significant victory at Stirling University last Sunday, Motherwell could take another big step away from the foot of the SWPL1 table when they face Forfar Farmington at Ravenscraig on Sunday.

Taking all three points at Ochilview lifted the women of steel seven points ahead of Stirling, who currently occupy bottom spot.

Three points on Sunday would take Donald Jennow’s sides advantage on Farmington in second bottom to the same tally.

‘Well will be boosted by the return of skipper Kerry Montgomery from suspension and the midfielder will be determined to lead the side to their first victory of the season at Ravenscraig.

Kick-off is at 2:30pm.

THE OPPOSITION

Forfar Farmington will visit North Lanarkshire on Sunday afternoon determined to record their second victory of the season over Motherwell.

It’s been a difficult campaign so far for Stevie Baxter’s side, with the 3-2 success over ‘Well back in February their only win from their opening eight league fixtures.

They currently sit second bottom in SWPL1, three points above Stirling University.

Their currently situation represents drastically contrasting campaign to the one they enjoyed last season – in which they narrowly missed out on a top four finish by just three points.

Despite their current struggles, Forfar are a team that carry a threat and their performance in last week’s narrow 4-3 defeat to Celtic serves as a timely reminder of their abilities.

POSITION

Motherwell: SWPL1 – sixth – eight points
Forfar Farmington: SWPL1 – seventh – four points

WHAT THEY SAID

Motherwell head coach Donald Jennow hopes his side can build on a big three points when Forfar Farmington visit Ravenscraig.

A dramatic encounter earlier in the season finished 3-2 for the hosts at Station Park and Jennow is anticipating similar excitement when the two sides meet again on Sunday.

“Personally I’d settle for a drab game with a better result than our last fixture with Forfar,” he said.

“Though with both teams scoring goals right now I think that’s unlikely. 

“Forfar have a knack for keeping themselves in games because they carry a goal threat and put teams under pressure.

“We will have to defend well and make sure we do the basics consistently.”

Claire Adams is targeting victory on Sunday to put to an end Mothwrwell’s wait for a win at Ravenscraig.

The women of steel have drawn one and lost two of their three fixtures so far at the indoor venue this season.

“It’s disappointing not to have picked up a win at Ravenscraig so far this season,” Adams said.

“Forfar will be a very competitive game on Sunday so it is important for us to play the best we can to try pick up that first home win.”

It was a big performance at a crucial time.

Motherwell’s emphatic 4-1 victory over Stirling University in SWPL1 last Sunday could prove to be a turning point in their season.

It was three points that lifted the women of steel seven points clear of bottom spot in the league and four clear of Sunday opponents Forfar Farmington.

Claire Adams played a starring role in last Sunday’s success, netting a brace – her first goals since joining the club from Celtic earlier this year.

Now, after tasting victory in the league for the first time since the opening day, Adams is determined to claim a further three points when Forfar visit Ravenscraig.

“The Stirling game was a very important win for us,” she said.

“We came off the back of a heavy defeat against Glasgow City, but to bounce back and take the three points was massive.

“It also give us a huge confidence boost going into the Forfar game.

“I don’t normally score a lot of goals over the course of a season, so to score two in the one game was a nice bonus.

“I’m just happy that it helped the team get an important win.”

With just three league games before the league breaks up for the summer, Donald Jennow’s side face an important few weeks.

The next games will have a huge bearing on whether they will fight it out for a place higher up the table – or face a battle against the drop.

‘Well have a four points advantage over Farmington and they will be well aware of their opportunity to stretch their lead on Sunday afternoon.

If they are going to achieve that however, they will have to record their first victory of the season at Ravenscraig.

The indoor venue hasn’t been a happy hunting ground so far, with two defeats and a draw from their three outings.

“It’s disappointing not to have picked up a win at Ravenscraig so far this season,” Adams added.

“Forfar will be a very competitive game on Sunday so it is important for us to play the best we can to try pick up that first home win.

“They sit four points behind us just now, so we obviously need a good performance to try and move us further ahead.

“We will take each game as it comes.

“As a newly promoted team the main aim is to maintain our spot in the league and if we can pick up another win today then that will keep us moving in the right direction.

“We know we can compete in the league having picked up points against Celtic and Rangers so this is something we can then begin to look at more.”

The last meeting between Forfar and Motherwell received heightened attention, as a controversial refereeing decision denied the visitors a share of the spoils at Station Park.

Kerry Montgomery appeared to have drawn ‘Well level, but they were denied by the full time whistle a fraction of a second before the ball hit the net.

Claire admits it was a tough one to take at the time, but insists that won’t be in anyone’s thoughts when the referee signals the start of the game today.

“There was a controversial decision that didn’t help us, but we won’t speak too much about that,” the youngster added.

“We just need to focus on what we can improve on to better our last result against them.”

Adams was one of the many new faces who arrived at Motherwell ahead of their first season in SWPL1.

The 20-year-old has adjusted to life quickly at Fir Park.

“I‘m thoroughly enjoying my time here,” the former Scotland Under 19 international said.

“When I first joined there was a lot of new faces but we bonded really quickly and this has helped us on the pitch and off.”

“I believe it will continue to get better as the season progresses too and look forward to seeing what we can achieve.”

Kick off indoors at Ravenscraig on Sunday is at 2.30pm. Entry is free.

The women of steel secured their first away win of the season after a tremendous second half performance sealed victory over Stirling University at Ochilview on Sunday.

Sarah Crilly and Claire Adams both grabbed two goals as they put the ‘Well out of sight, before a late consolation for Stirling through Kristina Kim with five minutes to play.

Motherwell started off the game looking the more threatening side. Early chances from Chelsea McEachran and Katie Rice almost saw Donald Jennow’s side get in front.

With just over five minutes played, McEachran found space in the centre of the pitch just outside the box. She let fly from her right foot and the shot was inches away from finding the top right corner of the goal, leaving the keeper routed to the spot.

Rice hit the woodwork moments later which was the closest both sides came to breaking the deadlock. Sarah Crilly burst down the right wing to the byline, cutting inside she tried to find Lori Gardner in the box, the deflected clearance fell to Rice who hit the ball sweetly before it cannoned off the barand eventually cleared.

Motherwell were nearly in again through Gardner, who beat the offside trap and was running in on goal to collect the through ball, but the keeper got there a fraction before her to clear the ball.

There were penalty shouts from the Stirling bench as they felt they should’ve had a penalty with 25 minutes played. Emma Lyons hit the ground from the long free kick, the ref however didn’t seem to agree.

The rest of the half was an end-to-end encounter with both sides looking to go into the break on top. However the defences remained stern and teams would go into the interval with nothing to separate them.

Motherwell replicated the high intensity start which they started the game with after the break, after a couple early half chances they would go on to score two goals in quick succession.

The deadlock was eventually broken with 51 minutes played through a Claire Adams free kick. The long-ranged cross was intended to find a claret and amber shirt in the box, but the defence failed to clear the incoming cross and the ball found the far side of the net.

Sarah Crilly made it 2-0 just four minutes later as she finished off a smart short corner routine. The winger danced past two defenders before finding the far-right corner with a curling shot to leave the keeper helpless.

Adams bagged another goal on 64 minutes straight from another set piece. This time a corner as the keeper failed to collect, the ball bounced into the net unchallenged to further extend the lead.

With the women of steel smelling blood, Beth McLeod came close to adding ‘Well’s fourth as she latched onto a through ball bounding down on the keeper, the Stirling keeper however got down well to make the save.

Crilly bagged another with 16 minutes remaining with a smart half volley finish. She collected Georgie Rafferty’s long ball into the box before bringing it down onto her right foot to strike back across goal and into the bottom left corner. A composed finish from the winger.

Stirling had one of their best chances of the match through Abby Callaghan shortly after, the striker collected the loose clearance and attempted to volley it into the net, she struck a nice connection with the ball but ultimately it floated harmlessly wide.

Shortly after Gemma Mason was superbly denied by Morgan Gunter in the ‘Well goal. Mason seemed to have struck a sweet connection with an ambitious strike and it looked to by heading into the top right corner, but Hunter was equally up to the task of saving the effort by tipping it out for a corner.

Stirling eventually got a goal back with five minutes to play through Kristina Kim, who rose above everyone from the corner to nod into the right-hand side of the net.

The women of steel were able to see out the remaining five minutes of play and secure an important victory to ensure that the three points would be heading back to Lanarkshire for the first time this season.

Next up for Motherwell is Forfar Farmington at Ravenscraig on Sunday 5 May with a 2.30pm kick off.

Motherwell: Hunter, Knox, Rolph, Rafferty, Crilly, Roberts, MacLeod, McEachran, Rice, Adams, Gardner.

Subs: Vincenti, K McManus, Hutchison, Trialist A, Trialist B.

Motherwell travel to Ochilview for a crucial SWPL1 clash with Stirling University on Sunday.

The women of steel are without a win in the league since their opening day victory over Stirling. Donald Jennow’s side will be desperate to end their winless run and stretch their advantage over the bottom side to seven points.

‘Well suffered a harsh lesson in their heavy defeat at Glasgow City last week and they will have to do without their skipper Kerry Montgomery, who was sent off midway through the second half.

The next seven days will bring fixtures against the side in bottom and the side in second bottom spot, two matches that will have a big say in whether Motherwell can challenge further up the table or face a fight for survival.

Kick-off is at midday at Ochilview in Stenhousemuir.

The Opposition

Stirling University have experienced a challenging start to the 2019 season.

Craig Beveridge’s side have managed just a single point from their first seven league encounters and they’ll be all too aware of the importance of avoiding becoming cut adrift at the foot of the table.

In their last league outing, Stirling held firm against cup double winners Hibernian for 70 minutes, but would eventually fall to a 3-0 defeat.

Goals have been scarce for the team in green so far this term, they have managed just three in the league while conceding 21 times.

Position

Stirling University: SWPL1 – eighth – one point

Motherwell: SWPL1 – sixth – five points

What They Said

Motherwell head coach Donald Jennow feels the first round of league fixtures have been a mixed bag for his side.

The women of steel sit in sixth after seven games played and Jennow has urged his squad to strive for improved consistency as the second round begins against Stirling.

“We have performed well at times and been punished for mistakes on other occasions,” he said.

“In the second round of fixtures we need to strive for more consistency.

“If we can do that then we should be able to pick up more points.”

Motherwell suffered a heavy defeat against Glasgow City at Petershill Park on Sunday.

Four first-half goals for Kirsty Howat had the league leaders in command at half time and they would add to their tally a further four times after the break.

City broke the deadlock after five minutes when Kirsty Howat headed the ball past Morgan Hunter from a corner and she added her second three minutes later, capitalising on a slack back pass before rounding the keeper and slotting home.

Hunter pulled off a string of saves before Howat completed her hat trick when she scrambled home from a corner.

The fourth goal came four minutes before the break when Howat found herself first to the driven through ball and she made no mistake by poking it past the onrushing Hunter to extend City’s lead.

Second half substitute Jordan McLintock made it 5-0 with 54 minutes played and Motherwell’s problems worsened as Kerry Montgomery was ordered off following a second booking.

Jenna Clark made it 6-0 from the resulting free kick and Joanne Paton waltzed her way into the box past three ‘Well defenders before squaring it across the box to fellow substitute Lara Ivanusa to slot into an empty net to make it seven.

Goal number eight for City came with five minutes to play, Clare Shine was on hand to add her name to the scoresheet, advancing forward into the box before producing a smart finish to further extend City’s lead.

The game would finish 8-0 which was unfair on Hunter, who produced some fantastic saves during the match and had spared further blushes for the women of steel.

Motherwell: Hunter, Knox, Rolph, Rafferty, Roberts, Crilly, Montgomery, McEachran, Rice, Adams, Gardner (MacLeod).

After enduring the disappointment of seeing their 3-0 lead over Rangers slip through their grasp, a massive challenge awaits Motherwell on Sunday when they take on Glasgow City at Petershill Park.

It looked like Donald Jennow’s side were set to record their second victory of the season on Wednesday night, but they were stunned as Rangers struck three times in the final eight minutes.

The result was cruel on ‘Well, who had controlled proceedings for the best part of the game. They’ll need to lift themselves quickly with a visit to the 12-in-a-row champions on the horizon.

Kick-off is at 2:10pm.

THE OPPOSITION

Glasgow City have enjoyed a superb start to the 2019 season, winning all five of their league fixtures so far.

In addition to their excellent league form, they have also booked their place in the final of the SWPL Cup, where they will meet Hibernian.

Testimony to the quality within the City squad is that five of their players are set to be included in Shelley Kerr’s Scotland squad for the summer’s World Cup in France.

In their last league outing, Scott Booth’s side had to battle back from a goal behind against Celtic, a result he hailed as their ‘biggest of the season so far’.

POSITION

Motherwell: SWPL1 – sixth – five points

Glasgow City: SWPL1 – first – 15 points

WHAT THEY SAID

‘Well head coach Donald Jennow says his side must bounce back from the disappointment of Wednesday night when they take on Glasgow City.

Jennow, who previously spent five years at City as assistant to Eddie Wolecki Black and knows of the great quality Sunday’s opponents have within their ranks.

“Feeling sorry for ourselves isn’t going to change the result so of course we wait for an opportunity to put it right,” Jennow said.

“Hopefully we can continue to make steps forward and pick up as many points as we can.

“Glasgow City look strong again this year so we expect a tough afternoon but I love that challenge.”

After edging out Celtic 2-1 on Thursday evening, Scott Booth is expecting another tough challenge when Motherwell visit Petershill Park.

“Motherwell have already shown this season that they can put in some really good performances,” he said.

“We have to approach the game right and hopefully we can start better than we did against Celtic.”

Motherwell head coach Donald Jennow insists his squad won’t feel sorry for themselves, despite suffering midweek disappointment against Rangers.

The women of steel saw a 3-0 advantage slip through their grasp on Wednesday evening, with the visitors scoring twice in injury time to rescue a share of the spoils.

It was a tough one to take for Jennow’s side, who looked set for their first victory since the opening day of the 2019 season.

On Sunday, Motherwell travel to 12-in-a-row Scottish champions Glasgow City and despite the big challenge ahead, the ‘Well boss is looking forward to taking on the top team in Scotland.

“On Wednesday we were very good for a large part of the game,” he said. “We passed the ball well at times and created a number of good chances.

“We should have seen the game out but unfortunately we didn’t adjust well enough to being down a player.

“It’s good to have a decent run of league games now and hopefully we can continue to make steps forward and pick up as many points as we can.

“We put every game to bed at the following days training so our focus is always on the next game.

“It was the same approach this week albeit with a tighter turnaround.

“Feeling sorry for ourselves isn’t going to change the result so of course we wait for an opportunity to put it right.”

Injuries suffered to Steph Knox and Lori Gardner both came as huge blows to ‘Well on Wednesday night, with the lack of depth within the squad exposed in the latter stages of the game.

Pamela Liddell made her return to the club as a second half substitute and Jennow is hoping to add further recruits to his squad in the near future.

“The squad needs to grow,” he added. “We had 20 players at the start of the season but for one reason or another that number has dropped.

“We are certainly hopping to add and Pam is the first of those.

“We’ll get her up to speed as quickly as possible and Wednesday showed she can be a threat for us.”

Having spent five years as assistant manager at City, Jennow knows the club well and is well aware of the task facing his team on Sunday.

“I know a lot of the folks at Glasgow City, but the squad is different now,” he said. “I do know how professional their senior players are and how high they set their standards.

“Players like Leanne [Ross] and Jo [Love] showed me what professionalism was in the game and that is what underpins the club’s success.

“They look strong again this year so we expect a tough afternoon, but I love that challenge.”

Motherwell gave up a three-goal lead as they drew 3-3 with Rangers in SWPL1 on Wednesday night.

First half goals from Mhairi Fyfe and Lori Gardner, and a strike from Sarah Crilly early after half time, had given Donald Jennow’s a deserved and comfortable lead at Ravenscraig.

But the visitors racked up three in the last 10 minutes, including a stoppage-time equaliser, to take an unexpected share of the spoils.

Motherwell were good for their lead and were ahead within 15 minutes.

Katie Rice found herself with the ball from close range but, as she was crowded out, her shot was blocked.

Fyfe however was on hand to cooly sidestep away from the goalkeeper to pass the rebound into the net.

Minutes later, it was two, and it was a sensational strike from Gardner. Cutting in from the left, she curled an unstoppable effort into the top right corner of the net.

Crilly then looked to have sealed the game early in the second half, finding room just inside the box to fire home.

Amy Muir’s low driven effort with 10 minutes on the clock gave Rangers a goal, but what was to follow was still unexpected.

With three minutes left, Jade Gallon broke through to fire past Morgan Hunter and set up a nervy finish.

The women of steel couldn’t hold on and, from a Muir corner, Holly Napier was able to strike from a few yards out in injury time to grab a point.

Motherwell: Hunter, Roberts, Montgomery, Rolph, Knox, Adams, McEachran, Rice, Gardner, Crilly, Fyfe.

Subs: McManus, MacLeod, Liddell.

Nobody expected an easy transition for Motherwell in SWPL1, and it certainly hasn’t proved one so far.

Following on from getting the league campaign off to a winning start against Stirling University, Motherwell haven’t managed to add another victory in their subsequent four matches.

As the women of steel prepare to host Rangers at Ravenscraig on Wednesday evening, Steph Knox insists nobody is reaching for the panic button at this early stage.

With a two-and-a-half-week break without a game, the defender thinks that will have helped the side recover from painful successive defeats against Spartans in their last outings.

“The break has given us much needed time together on the pitch to work on things and regroup,” Knox said. “It’s important to challenge any issues and move past them to improve as a team.

“To suffer back-to-back defeats against Spartans was very disappointing, but we can’t deny that Spartans are a very good team with very good players.

“We know we need to really up our game to compete with teams like Spartans and we proved we can do that against Celtic – it’s just trying to find that consistency.”

With big challenges coming thick and fast, Knox knows that finding consistency won’t be a straightforward exercise.

After hosting Rangers, Donald Jennow’s side head to Petershill Park to face 12-in-a-row title winners Glasgow City.

Only five games into the season, Knox reckons the league table isn’t too significant at this early stage and stressed the importance that they the team don’t look beyond their next game.

“The Rangers game will be a massive challenge for us,” added Knox, who played for the Ibrox side between 2009 and 2015.

“They are an experienced top league side and have a lot of quality.

“We know we’ll have to work hard and really focus to take anything away from the game but we’re up for there challenge and are looking forward to the game.

“It’s important to be realists with our league position, we have seen some interesting results so far this season.

“You can’t take anything for granted and one game at a time is definitely our strategy right now.”

Having had a brief spell at ‘Well last season, Steph rejoined the ranks at Fir Park during the close season and has been an ever-present so far this term.

The defender is enjoying playing regular football and is excited about the heightened attention being placed on the women’s game.

Scotland’s brilliant 1-0 triumph over Brazil during the international break grabbed headlines across the country and Knox will be right behind Shelley Kerr and all of those in dark blue as they head to France for this summer’s World Cup.

“It’s been great coming back to Motherwell,” the 24-year-old said. “For me this season has been about getting back to enjoying playing football.

“The atmosphere at the club is one of the best I’ve been at from both the coaches and the players – I’m loving playing again.

“It’s brilliant to see our national side do so well they’ve really exceeded expectations.

“The result against Brazil was a real confidence boost going into the World Cup. It’s exciting for the country and I’m sure the girls will do us all proud over there.”