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Match Preview | Aberdeen Women v Motherwell Women

26 April 2023
Author AFC Media Team

 

Aberdeen Women return to action on Sunday lunchtime when they welcome Motherwell Women to the Balmoral Stadium. Kick-off is 1pm. The Dons head into the game in good form having won back to back games, defeating Hamilton Accies and Dundee Utd. Season ticket holders and AberDNA members are able to access the game for free.  Ticket info can be found here.

Academy Director Gav Levey gives his thoughts ahead of the final Sunday home game of the season:

“Hamilton Accies was a big occasion and a huge win. The atmosphere in training prior to the game had been great, the girls were so eager to get going and they showed that on the pitch. It was a really impressive performance until Hamilton managed to get a goal, which was their first chance of the game. It was not as comfortable as it should have been, and we had to defend late on to get over the line, but I thought for the majority of the game we were in total control. We dominated possession but lacked a cutting edge and that is something we will continue to work on. The outcome of the game though is exactly what we’ve been looking for.

“We were so comfortable in the game and are starting to look much fitter and stronger which I feel is a consequence to how the girls are training. We’re moving the ball much better over bigger areas of the pitch as well, which has been one of our key focuses in recent times.

“Three days after the Hamilton fixture, we followed up with a hard fought victory away at Dundee United where I thought some of our football was excellent. We started the game so well and went on to score some incredible goals in a game that Millie scored her first ever goals for Aberdeen FC Women and Bayley marked her 100th appearance in a Dons shirt by also scoring a brace. I’ve said it for a while – this is a team waiting to put in a top performance and we saw hints of a performance like that in Dundee.

“Again, we made it hard for ourselves with one or two of the goals we conceded, but Dundee United made it difficult and credit to them because they made it a really competitive game. It was end-to-end and neither team wanted to accept the draw. It was important that we were the ones to come away with the three points and it was certainly three points well earned.

“We talk a lot about resilience and developing a stronger mindset to help avoid certain situations that we’ve experienced earlier in the season. We’ve worked hard on it in training, but it’s different when you have to put that into a game. We’re developing better habits and the character of the squad is where I believe we are now making the biggest progress. We’ve put in some really strong collective performances when the odds have been stacked against us at times, but this was a different scenario against both Hamilton Accies and Dundee United, where we knew both matches were essentially games we had to win.

“The girls knew this was a chance to have one of their biggest weeks of the season. We said if it’s going to be one of the biggest then make it one of your best, and you could see with their character, they totally earned both the wins.

“Our first match sees us face a Motherwell side who put on a strong performance against Rangers in last week’s Scottish Cup Semi-Final at Hampden.  It’s fantastic that this competition now has the incentive of playing at our National Stadium for both the Semi-Finals and Finals, and I’m sure it marked a very special occasion for Paul, Leanne and all the Motherwell players, staff and families.

“I want to say thank you to all the supporters. It is great when the weather is a bit better and the earlier kick-offs have made a difference to the size of the crowds. It gives the girls such a big lift and it showed in their performance against Hamilton. It was great to see so many young girls in the crowd, and so many of them staying behind to get photo and autographs.

“It’s therefore feels fitting to give a special mention to Aimee Black who made her AFC Women debut against Hamilton where she played her part in helping us get the win. I remember Aimee as a young girl waiting to see the players come off the pitch a few years ago, and now she is playing with these same players. Hopefully some of the young fans in the crowd also share that ambition of Aimee’s and can see themselves playing in our first team one day.”