Competition: SWPL 1 Match: Spartans Women v Aberdeen Women Venue: Ainslie Park Stadium Kick Off: 13:00 Ticket Information: Adults – £7, Concessions – £4, U16s – Free. Information on how to purchase tickets can be found here. TV Coverage: Match highlights will be available on RedTV from Tuesday. Social Media: Follow @AberdeenWomen on Twitter for in game updates and match reaction.
Co-Manager Emma Hunter gave an honest assessment of the win last weekend and also reminded the players of the standards that have been set and the levels of consistency that are needed each week in the top flight.
“Mixed feelings after the win against Hamilton.
“Overall three points was what we set out to do and it is really important in SWPL1 that we pick up points and now we have got two victories back to back which is fantastic.
“For me though it is a different story in terms of the message to the players because for us I thought it was a poor performance especially in the second half. We had an opportunity to really control the game and I thought we could have created more chances and scored more goals as well. So mixed feelings – great to get the win and keep another clean sheet after defending well for most of the game, but the performance needs to be that little bit better in this league.
“It was the same against Partick Thistle, when you have only got that one goal lead the pressure builds and the game becomes more frantic. They are going to throw players forward as they have nothing to lose.
“With such a young squad it is sometimes hard for them to have that composure in the moments that you need it. At times our mistakes were giving them opportunities and the game became very scrappy.
“But to see the game out and get the win was really important especially with such a depleted side. To see that players could step into positions once again was a real positive and I thought Carrie Doig did very well at the back and it was great to see Louise get her first goal.
“I am hoping on Sunday we can get some players back into the squad and strengthen it a bit.
“This weekend we need to step up our expectations and need to be better.
“We have been working hard this week in training to try and put in a better performance on Sunday.”
17 year old goalkeeper Gail Gilmour has been in outstanding standing form the past two weeks and played a massive part in helping the side to two wins and six valuable points. This week she sat and spoke to RedTV and certainly seemed to be relishing the increased work load this season. Please click here to watch the interview with Gail on RedTV.
“We pulled out a really good win against Hamilton. On the back of the Partick Thistle win the week before, it showed once again in the games that are physical we can battle and contest.
“I always enjoy a game where I am used! There is a balance, because you don’t want too much to do but at the same time you want to be involved. I always feel that when I make saves I am then more part of the win and I enjoy that feeling. I enjoy making saves to help the team. The most important thing though is that the team gets the result.
“I love keeping a clean sheets. That means everything. A target at the start of the season was to keep the goals against tally down and any clean sheets will certainly help towards that target.
“That is two clean sheets in a row. It is good after conceding four goals against Celtic. It has done a lot for my confidence and will set me up well for Spartans this weekend.
“There is a higher quality of players throughout the league, better quality strikers and more goal scoring opportunities for teams so I am getting used to that. The training this year, we have increased the intensity. Because I will be involved more I have upped my fitness and as a team we are more involved so it is more game related training and looking at what we might face in a match on a Sunday.
“With Kelly being absent the other girls in central defence have really grown into the roles. Jessica has been brilliant. I think it has helped to bring Jess on because she felt pressure with Kelly not being there. Kelly is such a big character on the pitch so Jess has more responsibility on her shoulders. Donna has also done really well. She is new to the team but has adapted really well to the style of play that we have. They both deserve a lot of credit as do Amy and Carrie who have played in there.”
“With Kelly being absent the other girls in central defence have really grown into the roles. Jessica has been brilliant. I think it has helped to bring Jess on because she felt pressure with Kelly not being there. Kelly is such a big character on the pitch so Jess has more responsibility on her shoulders. Donna has also done really well. She is new to the team but has adapted really well to the style of play that we have. They both deserve a lot of credit as do Amy and Carrie who have played in there.”
