AFC Women 2 | Hutchison 39′; Thomson 58′
Hamilton Accies Women 1 | Coakley 77′
FT | Balmoral Stadium | Park’s Motor Group SWPL1 | Kick off – 1pm | HT 1-0
MATCH REPORT by Mark Gordon
Aberdeen eased concerns about falling into the relegation play-off place as they beat Hamilton 2-1 in front of more than 400 fans at the Balmoral Stadium. The Dons moved five points clear of their opponents as Bayley Hutchison and Eva Thomson goals either side of half time gave them the three points. There was a nervy ending as Hannah Coakley’s header pulled one back for the visitors but Aberdeen held on for a vital win.
There were three changes to Gavin Levey’s Aberdeen side that lost out to Spartans two weeks ago. Mya Christie and Hannah Stewart moved to the bench whilst Donna Paterson missed out altogether. Chloe Gover, Bailley Collins and Francesca Ogilvie came back into the starting line-up.
Aberdeen came out on the front foot as they pressed for a goal right from the off. A solid Millie Urquhart tackle on the left set Bailley Collins away and her cross just eluded Ogilvie at the back post. Gover was then fouled on the left and when Hutchison’s free kick broke to edge of the box it was Gover again who fired a shot just wide.
The attempts kept coming as the Dons continued to assert their dominance in the early stages. Collins had a shot saved before Nadine Hanssen head a Gover corner just over the bar. Gover herself then tested Chloe Nicolson in the Hamilton goal who did well to hold on to the effort.
It was all Aberdeen as the half went on with Hanssen and Shore at the heart of much of the Dons good play from the middle of the park. Ogilvie was the next to try and break the deadlock but her low shot was straight at Nicolson after being set up by Hutchison.
Another good move down the left involving Broadrick, Urquhart and Gover ended with Bailley Collins turning the ball wide from the centre of the penalty area. It felt as though a goal wasn’t too far away and the hosts eventually got rewarded for the dominance after 39 minutes.
Loren Campbell and Bailley Collins combined to release Francesca Ogilvie down the Aberdeen right. Ogilvie’s cross found HUTCHISON in the centre of the box and her powerful header crept over the line despite the best efforts of Nicolson. It was a rare headed goal for the striker as she grabbed her ninth of the season.
The Dons almost doubled their lead before the interval when goal scorer Hutchison set up Ogilvie but her powerful shot was spectacularly tipped over by Nicolson and the hosts had to settle for a one goal lead at the break
HT: ABERDEEN 1-0 HAMILTON ACCIES
The second half started in the same manner as the first before a double change for Aberdeen led to them doubling their lead. Mya Christie and Eva Thomson came off the bench early in the half as Collins and Ogilvie made way. It was Hamilton who nearly equalised just before the hour when an in-swinging corner from the right wasn’t dealt with by Annalisa McCann and Christie cleared off the line.
The substitute’s clearance was chased down by Hutchison who spotted THOMSON breaking to her left and she laid the ball into the path of the substitute who calmly prodded the ball into the net beyond the advancing Nicolson with her first touch for her first goal of the season.
A two-goal lead was far from flattering for the hosts although they weren’t creating as many chances as they had in the first half. Shore almost found Hutchison with a brilliant through ball which Nicolson raced from her line to collect at the feet of the Dons striker.
The Dons were comfortable in defence with the young centre back pairing of Broadrick and Finnie mopping up any rare foray forward by the visitors. Another youngster was introduced to the backline as Aimee Black replaced Chloe Gover to make her Aberdeen debut.
As the game entered its final fifteen minutes there was a shock for the hosts as Hamiton suddenly pulled themselves back into the game. A corner from the Hamilton right again caused problems and Hannah COAKLEY rose to power an unstoppable header into the top corner.
The goal came as a surprise to Aberdeen who had been in complete control but the away side were clearly lifted as they went in search of an unlikely equaliser. They were then almost caught on the counter with ten minutes to go. Thomson had looked lively since coming on and she was again involved as she released Christie through the middle but her powerful shot was well saved by Nicolson as she diverted the ball onto the crossbar.
It looked like Hutchison had made it three for her side a minute later when her curling shot from the edge of the box saw the net ripple. The big home support celebrated but the ball had hit the side netting despite looking like it had found the back of net.
Hamilton pushed for an equaliser near the end as they won a couple of late corners but the home side held their nerve to pick up an important three points.
FT: ABERDEEN 2-1 HAMILTON ACCIES
TEAMS
AFC Women | McCann, Campbell, Urquhart, Broadrick, Finnie, Shore, Hanssen, Gover (Black 75′), Hutchison, Collins (Thomson 57′) & Ogilvie (Christie 57′)
Substitutes | Marwaha, Stewart, Karkkainen
Hamilton Accies Women | Nicolson, Quinn (c), Coakley, Martin, Muir, McGonigle, Potter, Molley, Sinclair, Austin, Aitchison
Substitutes | Currie, Ross, Swan, Gardiner, McLounan, Mitchell.
REACTION | Watch reaction from Gavin Levey, Bayley Hutchison & Loren Campbell on RedTV – click here to view.
