Scottish Women’s Football League | Division 1 North

Inverness CT v Aberdeen

Aberdeen sit at the top of SWFL1 North table going into the summer break after a 4‐2 victory over
Inverness Caley Thistle at Millburn Academy.

The win moves the Dons three points clear of nearest challengers Dunfermline, who have played one
game more than Aberdeen.

The visitors started in positive fashion with Johan Fraser setting up Eilidh Shore to test Kim Jappy in
the Inverness goal after just four minutes. It would be a sign of things to come as Shore and Jappy
would have their own personal duel as the match went on.

Fraser and Chloe Gover both had half‐chances before the Dons made the breakthrough after
nineteen‐minutes.

Bayley Hutchison cut into the penalty area and took the ball around Jappy and as she did so, Jappy
pulled her down to concede a penalty. GOVER stepped up from the spot and buried her penalty low
into the corner to give her side a deserved lead.

The home‐side tried to rally and they could’ve got an equaliser within a minute as Natalie Bodiam
fired a shot wide of the Aberdeen goal.

The Dons almost doubled their lead in the twenty‐fifth minute, after a good move down the left
involving Gover, Hutchison and Francesca Ogilvie created a chance which Sore fired over the bar.
Shore made amends two minutes later as she put the Dons two‐in‐front. After collecting the ball just
outside the area SHORE rounded the keeper and took time to steady herself before firing high into
the net.

Inverness responded immediately and pulled themselves back into the game within a minute of the
re‐start. Kayleigh MACKENZIE pounced on a loose ball in the Dons’ penalty box before firing in a low
shot which Anna Blanchard couldn’t keep out.

Aberdeen weren’t shaken by conceding the goal and they re‐established their two‐goal cushion just
five minutes later. Fraser and Hutchison combined on the right and the latter cut into the penalty
box. Hutchison then found SHORE in the area who fired in the Dons third of the match.
Shore had another effort on goal a few minutes later but Jappy came out on top on this occasion
with a comfortable stop.

Both teams had long‐range efforts as the half grew to a close. Gover fired over the bar from distance
after being set‐up by a Natasha Bruce tackle and MacKenzie saw a long‐range shot parried over by
Blanchard in the Aberdeen goal.

HT: Inverness CT 1 Aberdeen 3

The home‐side clearly felt that they were still in the game and the began the second period on the
attack, drawing a corner in opening seconds of the half which ultimately came to nothing.

Despite Caley’s positive attitude it was the visitors who got on the scoresheet to put the game
beyond their hosts after fifty‐nine minutes. Hutchison was gain involved in the build‐up as she set up
SHORE to fire home from the edge of the box to complete her hat‐trick.

The goal didn’t quite kill‐off Inverness though and they pulled another goal back just three minutes
later. Captain Finella ANNAND climbed highest in a crowded penalty area to score with a powerful
header.

Inverness weren’t going away but as the game entered its closing stages it was Aberdeen who
dominated. It has been a feature of the Dons season so far that they have finished games strongly
and this one was no different as Caley struggled to get out of their own half as the clock ran down.

The visitors could, and really should, have made it five in the closing stages. Loren Campbell just
failed to get on the end of a through‐ball right in the middle of the area before Jappy again denied
Shore and Gover ensuring there were no more goals.

FT: Inverness CT 2 Aberdeen 4

Aberdeen
Anna BLANCHARD
Loren CAMPBELL
Carrie DOIG
Kelly FORREST
Francesca OGILVIE
Natasha BRUCE
Eilidh SHORE
Chloe GOVER
Bayley HUTCHISON
Johan FRASER (Emma MURRAY 83 mins)
Amy PHILLIPS (Deirdre O’RIORDAN 68 mins)
Sub Not Used: Sophie BROWN

Reaction:

Carrie DOIG : “It was really important for us to go into the break at the top of the league. It was important to get the win but unfortunately we didn’t get the clean sheet but we played well as a team and managed to get the goals that we needed. I think there is a massive difference since we played the at the start of the season, you could see we were comfortable with each other and we all now know how each other plays”.

Natasha BRUCE: “I thought we were really comfortable in and out of possession today. They were our first game of the season and now the last of the first half and I think it’s night and day to compare our performances. It was a good collective performance and defensively, apart from the two chances they score from, I thought we were pretty tight. It’s massive for us to go into the break at the top, it’s nice to have a break but we’re only having a week off then back to hard training right to the end of the season”.