Glasgow City 0 Hibs Women 1
Hibernian would leapfrog league leaders Glasgow City in the most dramatic of fashions in our first post-split fixture of the season.
Kirsty Morrison was called upon after just six minutes, when Kathleen McGovern was substituted through injury, but would prove to be Hibernian’s hero on the day with her crucial last-minute winner.
Ahead of the match, the two most successful teams in Scottish Women’s football history both celebrated their 500th match in the SWPL and came into the clash with equal point totals across this season.
Deadlocked at the top of the SWPL, Glasgow City started the afternoon in pole position with a much superior goal difference.
Grant Scott opted to make two alterations to the side that crossed the M8 to Petershill Park.
Noa Schumacher replaced Erin Clachers between the sticks - as the latter was ineligible to play against her parent club - while McGovern started in place of Rosie Livingstone up top.
Given the context of the season, and the added pressure of the milestone match, both sides had early swipes to take the lead. Emily Whelan’s rising shot was well held by Schumacher, before Tegan Bowie’s driven effort was easily scooped up by Lee Gibson at the opposite end.
The curtain fell quickly for the reintroduced McGovern. Picking up an off-the-ball injury, Grant Scott was forced into a change. Winger Morrison came on with 84 minutes still to play.
Handed two separate chances, Lisa Evans tore through the Hibs backline; with Noa Schumacher remaining steady handed to clutch the resulting crosses fired in by the city winger.
The home support thought Brenna Lovera put them ahead with a well worked set-piece routine shortly before the 30-minute mark. The Argentine striker looked to have toe-poked City into the lead, although celebrations were dimmed by her effort hitting off the post and the linesman eventually flagging for offside.
Reaching the end of the first half, City continued to press. A bulldozing tackle from Linzi Taylor denied Lovera a further attempt at goal, bringing the half to a halt.
With each side looking to outstep the other given the importance of the match, there was a dearth of heart-stopping goalmouth action following the interval.
Ciara Grant, who notched a hat-trick of assists in the previous meeting of the two at Meadowbank, looked towards scoring - coming close with a deflected effort that struck the back of Chloe Warrington.
Hibs nearly struck gold thanks to the pacey inflections of Lauren Doran-Barr. Careering down the right flank, her whipped ball towards Adams was perfect. The only missing piece was the strikers finishing touch, as she atypically hesitated to shoot - which saw the best chance of the game dissipate as quickly as it arrived.
With both sets of fans in full voice, City continued to look the better challengers going forward. They retained the ball well into the Hibs half, but the Hibees backline continued to hold firm into the final stages.
Just when the match looked to be heading towards a bit of an anticlimax, Hibs were gifted one final opportunity. Step forward Kirsty Morrison.
A Ciara Grant corner was swiftly and cleverly cut to Stacey Papadopolous on the edge of the area. Taking the goalkeeper off guard with her lofted effort, the ball bounced on the line and waited patiently to be smashed home or cleared to safety.
Morrison, the first half substitute, swiftly bundled the ball over on the line to lift the Hibees to first-place in the league standings. Picking up a head knock for her troubles, the Hibees celebrated with caution as the forward received treatment.
Ensuing celebrations come full-time from fans and players displayed the Club’s high spirits heading into next week’s Sky Sports Cup Final.