Aberdeen Women 5 Queen's Park 0 2025/26 SWPL 1 Play-off Final Albert Bartlett Stadium Friday 29 May
Aberdeen Women secured their place in the Scottish Women's Premier League 1 for 2026/27 with a 5-0 win over Queen's Park on Friday night in the Play-off Final. First half goals from Naomi McLaughlin and Maddie Finnie sent The Dons on their way, a second from McLaughlin and strikes from Toni Leigh Finnegan and Darcie Miller wrapping up the victory.
There was one change to the Aberdeen team that drew with Motherwell on the final day of the regular season: Abi Tobin returned from injury, replacing Fran Ogilvie who dropped out. Finnegan took the armband.
It was The Dons who started brightest, Miller doing well to improvise and meet Eva Thomson's ball with an overhead kick, her attempt drawing an impressive save from McPhie.
The first 15 were quite literally all Aberdeen. To Queen's Park's credit, the SWPl2 side were organised and robust, allowing little chances for The Dons, again Miller coming closest, the forward on the end of McLaughlin's cutback.
Breakthrough on 16: McLaughlin firing in from just inside the box with a half volley of sorts after her initial attempt was blocked. A wee deflection helped it on it's way, The Dons not caring. 1-0.
2-0 on 24', Finnie responsible, the defender rising highest to head home a Dons corner, capitalising on some slack marking to full effect.
Things calmed down for a period, with Queen's Park creating a half chance on 34' through Rutherford who managed to get the better of Finnegan and drive towards goal, her ball across the face of the box coming off a couple of Aberdeen bodies in the box, half-hearted appeals waved away.
It could've and maybe should've been three before the break, McLaughlin dispossessing the last line of the Spiders defence on the halfway line, the goal scorer feeding through to Miller, who unleashed Mia Selbie, the wide player eventually forcing a top stop out of McPhie.
Half-time Aberdeen 2-0 Queen's Park.
A third Aberdeen goal to start the second 45 was just what The Dons had in mind, and it was exactly what they got.
McLaughlin was on the end of Tobin's cutback, and although McPhie was able to get a hand on it all the 'keeper could do was push into the net. 3-0. In a season that has been anything but, things were finally beginning to look quite straightforward in Airdrie.
Finnegan grabbed the fourth on the hour, the skipper on the day bundling over the line from a corner through a sea of bodies.
A double Dons change not long after saw Bridget Galloway and Aimee Black introduced, Brodie Greenwood and Eva Thomson withdrawn.
The game was, as expected, petering out with the result a forgone conclusion. On 81' came Holly Daniel, Kerry Beattie, and Erin Carrol, Selbie, McLaughlin, and Tobin off.
Miller finally got the goal she deserved not long after, tapping into an empty net, the ball neatly squared into the forward's path. 5-0, job done in style.
The Dons will play SWPL 1 football next season.
Full-time, Aberdeen 5-0 Queen's Park.
STATS Aberdeen: 24. Katie Cox, 6. Toni Leigh Finnegan (C), 7. Brodie Greenwood (Black 66'), 10. Naomi McLaughlin (Beattie 81') , 15. Maddie Finnie, 17. Emma Ilijoski, 18. Eva Thomson (Galloway 66'), 22. Abi Tobin (Carrol 81'), 25. Darcie Miller, 26. Mya Christie, 30. Mia Selbie (Daniel 81') Substitutes: 1. Anna Prawer, 4. Jess Broadrick, 5. Aimee Black, 8. Bridget Galloway, 11. Holly Daniel, 27. Kerry Beattie, 28. Erin Carrol
GOALS: McLaughlin 16' 46' Finnie 25' Finnegan 60' Queen's Park: 1. Jasmine McPhie, 2. Morgan Hay, 3. Ciara Bonner, 5. Ellie MacDonald, 7. Sophie Rutherford, 9. Abby Callaghan (C), 10. Ellie Kane, 14. Darcie Molley, 15. Abbie Cusack, 17. Summer Thomson, 33. Murron Cummingham Substitutes: 25. Natalie Angelini, 4. Rachael O'Neill, 20. Dara Ostitelu, 22. Rosie McQuillan
