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Motherwell showed fighting spirit but would ultimately suffer a heavy 5-1 defeat to defending champions Glasgow City in a tough encounter at Alliance Park on Sunday.

Priscilla Chinchilla fired the visitors in front early into the second half, before Ode Fulutudilu netted a spectacular second minutes later.

Fulutudilu added a third on the hour mark, before Aoife Colville netted a fourth with a well-placed header.

Jenna Clark sealed victory for Glasgow City with a fifth, before Katie Rice added a late consolation for the hosts.

The women of steel started on the front foot with Paul Brownlie’s side showing real intensity in the early stages.

Clever link-up play between Amy Anderson and Carla Boyce allowed Motherwell to break quickly, and Boyce’s incisive through ball left London Pollard racing Glasgow City goalkeeper Lee Alexander to the ball, but the experienced stopper reacted quickly to clear her lines.

Khym Ramsay would be called into action in the Motherwell goal minutes later. Julia Molin’s floated delivery found Fulutudilu with her back to goal, but Ramsay was alert to close the angle and produce a smart save.

The visitors then came close to the opener on the half-hour mark following an exquisite interchange of play in the build-up. Hayley Lauder’s clever through ball was skilfully flicked on by Chinchilla, but Lauder’s low driven effort whistled past the post.

Motherwell headed into half-time with the scores level, following a strong battling performance in the first half.

However, Glasgow City would break the deadlock minutes into the second half.

Lauder’s looping free-kick was punched clear by Ramsay, but only as far as Chinchilla, who calmly placed her strike high into the net past the Motherwell shot-stopper from a few yards out.

The visitors doubled their advantage minutes later. A well-worked counter attack allowed Tyler Dodds to break with pace on the right, before playing through Fulutudilu who rifled her strike high into the top left corner, leaving Ramsay with no chance.

City then added a third on the hour mark. Leanne Crichton was dispossessed deep into her own half in what appeared to be a clear foul on the midfielder, but the referee waved play on and Fulutudilu coolly slotted her strike past Ramsay for her second of the game.

The visitors added a fourth with 20 minutes left to play. Molin’s perfectly weighted delivery was met superbly by Colville who guided her headed effort off the inside of the post to secure a comfortable advantage.

City continued to threaten the Motherwell goal and would add their fifth in the latter stages of the game. Lauder’s curling free-kick was met excellently by Clark, who diverted her header into the bottom left corner.

Motherwell netted a well-deserved consolation in the dying stages. Rice’s powerful strike from long-range was too hot to handle for Alexander, who spilled the midfielder’s effort over the line to give Brownlie’s side something to show for their efforts.

Despite the scoreline, Motherwell will have several positives to take after a strong battling performance against tough opposition. The women of steel will look to rectify the result with a win away to Hibernian next week.

Every day is a school day for Motherwell midfielder Gill Inglis as she mixes her career as a primary teacher alongside captaining the Motherwell women’s side in SWPL1.

It is a tough routine, but one that is going well, with children back in the classroom and Paul Brownlie’s side on a run of three straight home wins in the league – taking them into the top half of the table and within two points of last season’s points tally after just nine games played.

The last 18 months have not been easy, however, and through the more difficult periods of the pandemic, Gill believes that football was often her escape from the difficulties and stresses she endured.

She also points to the sacrifices made by female footballers during one of the most challenging times in the game’s history and hopes with a degree of normality returning to our everyday lives that women’s football in Scotland can continue to thrive.

“It has been challenging at times, it was hard working from home and doing online learning,” she explained. “I’m just happy things are getting back a bit closer to normal now.

“There are numerous teams in the league where players will still have full-time jobs alongside training in the morning, training at night and having games at the weekend. We are used to making sacrifices for football.

“We continued to work hard during the pandemic, and I think like it was for many of us, football was a bit of a saviour for us at times. It gave us something to focus on when things weren’t so easy in other parts of our lives.

“I think we are all delighted and grateful that it has been able to continue and was able to start back as quickly as it did.”

This summer saw wholesale changes in the women’s setup at ‘Well, with a new management team appointed and almost a complete overhaul of the playing squad.

Inglis captained the side during the 2020/21 campaign and shortly after the arrival of new head coach Brownlie, it was announced she would again lead the team in what is their third season in the top flight.

Inglis has over 10 years experience of playing club football at the highest level in Scotland and after her appointment as captain, Brownlie praised her leadership qualities and her abilities to work as a connection between players and staff.

The captaincy is a role that she has embraced and this season she has been assisted by the addition of a former Scotland star with great experience in the game.

Leanne Crichton was capped 72 times, with two of her three goals for the national side coming in games hosted at Fir Park. She joined the ranks at Motherwell in June as a player/coach and has already made a positive impact on the squad – scoring twice in nine appearances and playing a key role in helping the younger players integrate into the team.

“Being captain is a huge honour and something I am really proud of,” Inglis explained. “I love captaining the team – my aim is to do my best for the squad and I’m happy to help in any way that I can.

“Leanne is a great role model for us as a squad and for the younger players coming through as well. You can always learn; it doesn’t matter what age or stage you are at in your career – you always want to better yourself.

“She’s a huge factor in anyone that wants to play for Motherwell, playing alongside someone so experienced helps anybody, no matter how old you are or how long you’ve been in the game.”

As the women’s game continues to gain increased exposure and respect, there has been increased importance on the players conducting themselves in a professional manner off the pitch.

The players have adjusted well to the increased media exposure as well as being aware of the importance of conducting themselves in the correct manner in the press and on social media.

“I think with the Scottish national team doing so well we need to carry that into Scottish football domestically,” the former Rangers midfielder said.

“Having the focus on social media and the highlights show on the BBC was a wee bit strange at first, it wasn’t something we were used to, but it is something as players that we have all embraced as players.

“The club having a dedicated press officer for the team shows how much the club is invested in us and we are aware of our responsibilities as players and how we conduct ourselves.”

In their first few seasons in the top league, there has been an element of frustration that the Motherwell women’s side have been unable to find a settled ground for their home matches.

That has changed this season with an agreement in place to host all home fixtures at Alliance Park, based in Strathclyde Park, and a settled home seems to be paying off.

‘Well have defeated Hamilton, Hearts and Aberdeen in their last three home encounters, while in contrast have yet to record a league win on the road.

Inglis feels like having a solid base has been integral in the team’s recent success and believes that the new management team at the club have brought with them a new lease of life to the women’s side.

“It is massive for us, we definitely feel a bigger part of the club and having a home ground that we can base ourselves at and can pick up positive results will definitely help us over the course of the season,” she added.

“Everything has completely changed; the manager has tried to bring in a mix of people – I think he has a mix of characters and is finding the best way to get the best out of us.

“You can see the positive changes that have been made. The staff are a breath of fresh air; he’s changed the squad and the way we do things.

“Our approach is different, the manager always says ‘trust the process’, some things he’s fixed in the short term, but there are still things he wants to change, and he has set long term goals for us. We now have a clear vision of where we are going as a squad and that definitely helps us.”

The change of management team has also brought an increased focus on the women’s academy at Motherwell.

As well as his role as head coach, Brownlie also holds the position of head of women and girls performance and he brings with him a great deal of experience from his seven years with the women’s academy at Celtic.

The vision of the women’s academy is like that of the men’s – develop young talent and integrate them into the first team reckoning and given the financial disparity between the top three teams in Scotland (Celtic, Glasgow City and Rangers) and the rest of the teams in the top two leagues, it is imperative that the chasing pack try to find ways in which they can bridge the gap.

“We are probably quite like the men’s team in that model, we want to have an academy and bring players through to the first team,” said Inglis. “If they can successfully make that transition from academy right the way through, then I think the club have done their job well.

“It is difficult because obviously there is a huge financial gap to the teams at the top and sometimes that can be evident on the pitch.

“The governing bodies want to push women’s football and a lot of focus is on the so-called bigger clubs – they bring in a lot of attention and media, but it’s about finding that balance of promoting every club and closing the gap between teams in the league so that it is more competitive – you will get a lot more viewers in if the league is more competitive all over.”

One occasion that was sure to increase interest in the women’s team at Motherwell was the first Lanarkshire derby of the season as the women of steel welcomed Hamilton to Alliance Park.

It was to be an occasion to remember for Brownlie’s side as they recorded a convincing 3-0 success to claim the local bragging rights.

Having spent 10 years at Accies, the result held extra significance for Inglis and it is one she hopes will help tempt more supporters along to future matches.

“It was great, we were firstly delighted with the win in the first derby,” she said. “We were happy with how large parts of the game went.

“It was great to see the media attention around the game and hopefully some of those who go see the men’s team will consider coming along and watching us one week too.”

With the first third of the season completed, Inglis has been pleased that Motherwell have recovered from a difficult start to the campaign.

After dropping out of the SWPL Cup at the group stage and losing their first four league matches, their recent run of 10 points from the last five league matches has come as a much-needed boost.

Behind the scenes, the team have been set targets, though the ‘Well captain is keen to stress that they must focus on continuing to improve and find an improved level of consistency.

“We had quite a tricky start to the season, but we are relatively happy at how we have played over the last few weeks,” she said. “Now the aim is to make our home ground a fortress – having three wins on the bounce there is huge for us.

“Everything is really positive just now, we are only two points off our total for the entirety of last season, when you compare this season to last, I think we have made huge gains.

“We just want to pick up as many points as we can, we obviously have certain targets that we will work on, though the main one is continuing to improve and show a level of consistency as well.”

Motherwell return to league action on 21 November at Alliance Park, when they face champions Glasgow City.

Kick off is at 4pm.

Adult entry to the stadium will cost £5. Children will get in for free. All spectators will be housed in our covered seating area.

Tale of the tape

Glasgow City have won each of the last nine matches with Motherwell in SWPL1.

Motherwell last faced City in the league opener back in August, where the champions ran out 6-0 winners.

Form guide

Motherwell come into this game off the back of a 4-3 victory against Aberdeen to climb up to fifth in the table.

The women of steel have picked up ten points out of a possible 15 in the last five games.

Glasgow City sit in second place after the first round of fixtures, two points behind leaders Rangers.

The champions have yet to be beaten after the first nine games, having won seven and drawn two games against Celtic and Rangers.

New manager Eileen Gleeson got her tenure off to a strong start with a 3-0 win against Spartans in her first game last week.

Motherwell showed fighting spirit to hold off a late Aberdeen comeback to secure a closely-fought victory at Alliance Park on Sunday.

Carla Boyce fired the hosts in front early on, before Chelsie Watson doubled Motherwell’s advantage in quick succession.

Boyce then prodded home the third to give Motherwell a comfortable three goal advantage after 10 minutes.

Bayley Hutchinson pulled one back for the visitors midway through the first half, but Boyce responded to net her hat-trick and Motherwell’s fourth in the second half.

Francesca Ogilvie netted a late second for the visitors, before Johan Fraser added a third to give Motherwell a nerve-racking final 10 minutes.

However, Paul Brownlie’s side stood resolute to record their third league win this season.

Motherwell would break the deadlock after five minutes. Katie Rice’s powerful strike from the edge of the box ricocheted off the crossbar, and Boyce calmly followed up to earn her first goal in claret and amber.

The hosts then doubled their advantage minutes later. Rice’s perfectly weighted free kick was misjudged by the goalkeeper, and Watson stepped up to place her strike high into the net past Gail Gilmour from a few yards out.

The women of steel continued to look threatening in the early stages and would add a third on the 10-minute-mark. Gill Inglis’ curling effort was parried away by the keeper, but only as far as Boyce, who headed home her second of the game.

The visitors pulled one back midway through the first half. Hutchinson latched onto Nadia Sopel’s long ball, and the forward skilfully chipped Khym Ramsay from distance with an exquisite strike to give the Dons a lifeline.

With the hosts continuing to dominate possession, Motherwell restored their three-goal advantage on the hour mark.

Amy Anderson’s floated free kick deflected off the underside of the crossbar and fell kindly to Boyce who rifled her effort low past Gilmour to secure a hat-trick on her first home game of the season.

With the visitors chasing the game in the second half, Aberdeen netted a quickfire double against the run of play. A quick counter attack left Ogilvie through on goal, and the midfielder coolly slotted her strike past Ramsay.

Then, less than a minute later, Hutchinson’s low-driven cross was steered past Ramsay by Fraser to give the women of steel a tough final few minutes. However, the Motherwell defence held firm to secure their third league win of the season.

Motherwell’s valiant display will be a real confidence boost for Paul Brownlie’s side, before they host Glasgow City later this month.

London Pollard has joined Motherwell.

The striker goes straight into the squad for the SWPL1 home clash with Aberdeen on Sunday.

“I have been well aware of London’s talent for several years, so to get her signed for Motherwell is a massive signing,” head coach Paul Brownlie said.

“London is still very young and as with all our youth players our approach is always holistic, they have massive commitments with academic studies and we will continue to support our youth players to provide balance with football and studies.

“London can play anywhere along the front three and that provides us with more attacking options.”

Coming through the ranks at Cove Rangers, the 17-year-old burst onto the SWPL1 scene last year at Forfar Farmington, marking her top flight debut for the Station Park side with a double against the women of steel in a 4-2 opening day win in October 2020.

She added further goals against Celtic at K-Park in December, which was enough to catch the eye of the Hoops boss Fran Alonso, who recruited the pacey forward in May of this year.

Pollard was on loan at Thistle from Celtic, and looks to be a real talent for the future.

“I’m so happy to have joined Motherwell,” Pollard added.

“I want to develop my game further and feel Paul and the coaching staff are able to do just that.

“I feel this is a place I can flourish.”

Pollard will wear the number 40 shirt this season.

Kevin van Veen’s clinically-taken double gave Motherwell the win at Aberdeen.

The Dutch striker’s two goals early in the second half did the damage to ensure the Steelmen ended their barren run with all three points taken.

Graham Alexander changed three men from the side which lost last time out to Rangers.

The suspended Stephen O’Donnell was replaced on the teamsheet by Juhani Ojala, with the Finn coming in at centre back and Bevis Mugabi switching to right back.

Callum Slattery and Connor Shields dropped to the bench, with Maguire and Van Veen their respective replacements.

Motherwell came north looking for a reaction to that loss but they found themselves under siege from the off at Pittodrie.

Solholm had to react quick to deny Watkins a free shot at goal from 10 yards early on, before Kelly was called into action soon after with a fingertip touch to turn away Ramirez’s goalbound header.

Motherwell settled but the Aberdeen attacks continued to come in waves.

Kelly just about got to a one-on-one with Watkins to clear, shortly before Ferguson slalomed his way through the ‘Well defence to only fire over from the right side of the area.

Hedges also saw a header from the corner flicked off the line by the head of Ojala, as Motherwell struggled to create any chances of their own in a challenging first half.

Motherwell though have proven time and again they are clinical when the chances do arrive and that proved to be the case just five minutes into the second half.

After a period in possession in attack, Goss swung a pinpoint cross to the near post where Van Veen found himself completely unmarked.

He still had work to do, but picked his spot perfectly to steer the ball across the face of goal and into the bottom-right corner of the net.

Motherwell were invigorated and were two ahead 10 minutes later.

A free-kick from the left was met at the back post by Lamie – on as a sub for the injured Ojala.

His header back across goal found Van Veen perfectly on the penalty spot, and he showed all the composure in the world to half-volley the ball into the net.

Motherwell switched to five at the back soon after and, against a wave of Aberdeen attacks, stood firm brilliantly.

They did have Kelly to thank again, with an unbelievable double save from Ramirez’s header keeping the Dons at bay.

Motherwell take on Aberdeen next in the final game of the first round of fixtures in SWPL1.

Kick-off on Sunday 7 November at Alliance Park is at 4pm.

Tickets will cost £5 for adults, while children go free.

Tale of the tape

Motherwell and Aberdeen faced off in the group stages of the SWPL Cup in August, with the Dons coming away with all three points in a tightly contested 1-0 victory.

The last league meeting came in 2018 in SWPL2, where Motherwell won comfortably 4-0.

Aberdeen’s victory in August was their first victory against the women of steel in the last four encounters.

Form guide

Motherwell and Aberdeen are both locked on seven points after eight games, with an identical match record of two wins, one draw and five losses in SWPL1.

Aberdeen currently occupy sixth in the table due to a superior goal difference.

Motherwell returned to action after the international break with a 5-0 defeat against title-chasing Rangers on Wednesday night.

Prior to that, Motherwell claimed seven points in nine in the league.

Aberdeen also played on Wednesday night, where they fell to a 5-0 defeat to Glasgow City. Three days earlier, they lost 2-0 to Hibernian.

Motherwell showed fighting spirit but would ultimately suffer defeat to Rangers in a tough SWPL1 encounter on Wednesday.

Brianna Westrup fired the hosts in front midway through the first half at the Rangers Training Centre, before Rachel McLaughlin added a second on the stroke of half-time with a clinical finish.

Zoe Ness prodded home a third from close range minutes later to give the hosts a comfortable advantage at half-time. Then, in the second half, Kayla McCoy added a fourth, before Lizzie Arnot struck late on to seal a 5-0 defeat for Motherwell.

The hosts came close to the opener early on with Khym Ramsay performing heroics in the Motherwell goal.

Nicola Docherty’s floated corner fell kindly to Kirsten Reilly at the edge of the box, who set herself before drilling her effort across the face of goal. But Ramsay reacted quickly to parry her strike wide of the post.

Rangers would break the deadlock after 22 minutes. Docherty’s deep cross found Westrup unmarked in the box, and the defender’s perfectly timed volley sailed over the head of Ramsay into the back of the net.

The hosts doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time. Chelsea Cornet’s incisive pass sliced through the Motherwell defence leaving McLaughlin in space, and the forward maintained her composure to coolly slot her strike past Ramsay into the bottom right corner.

Rangers continued to threaten the Motherwell goal and added a third in quick succession. The visitors failed to clear McLaughlin’s floated delivery and Ness calmly placed her strike past Ramsay into the bottom corner from a few yards out.

With the women of steel chasing the game in the second half, Paul Brownlie’s side thought they should’ve been awarded a penalty after Carla Boyce’s effort appeared to strike the hand of Demi Vance.

However, the referee looked disinterested and waved play on despite the adamant pleas of the Motherwell players.

The hosts continued to press and added a fourth in the dying stages of the game.

Rangers skilfully broke through the Motherwell backline with a quick counter attack, and Cornet’s low-driven effort was unfortunately deflected past Ramsay into the bottom corner by the outstretching McCoy.

Rangers sealed all three points in the final minute with a fifth goal. Brogan Hay’s perfectly weighted through ball left Arnot one-on-one with the keeper, and the striker calmly placed her strike nto the bottom right corner to settle the tie.

Despite the scoreline, Motherwell will have plenty of positives to take into this weekend’s encounter with Aberdeen at Alliance Park after a spirited display.

Motherwell have signed striker Carla Boyce.

The 22-year-old, who can play across the front three, joins up after departing Hibernian last month, having netted six goals in 26 appearances for the Hibees.

“Carla is another big signing to further aid the development of this team,” head coach Paul Brownlie said.

“She was one of our main targets when I first arrived at Motherwell during the summer. She will add even more quality to a squad that’s really growing in confidence.

“Carla will add goals to this team, I’m excited to see what she can add to this team.”

Coming through the ranks at Glasgow City, and playing for Rangers and Hibernian, Boyce has established herself as a regular goalscorer and will look to add to her tally this season.

“I’m delighted to sign for Motherwell,” she added.

“I think the club is making great progress, which has been clear to see this season.”

Boyce will wear the number nine shirt for the rest of the season.

Motherwell return to action after two weeks off when they face title-chasing Rangers.

Kick-off at the Rangers Training Ground on Wednesday 3 November is at 8pm.

Tale of the tape

Rangers have won their last six matches with Motherwell.

Last time out, Rangers came away with a 5-0 victory in the group stages of the SWPL Cup.

Motherwell last took something from this fixture in April 2019, when they fought back from 3-0 down to take a point.

Form Guide

Rangers come into this game after exiting the SWPL Cup to rivals Celtic, falling to a 1-0 defeat.

The Gers are unbeaten thus far in SWPL1, having only dropped points against champions Glasgow City.

Motherwell are undefeated in their last three league games, keeping three clean sheets, and have collected seven points out of a possible nine in that time.