Joe Mclean
Glasgow 4-0 Stirling
Glasgow University Women’s Football Club’s first team had to bide their time to maintain their unbeaten run this season. The game at Garscube was delayed for thirty minutes, due to the lack of a referee. When the game eventually did kick off, Glasgow flew out of the traps.
With fewer than five minutes on the clock, they got their first chance of the game. A through ball from midfield split Stirling’s defence wide open. Katy Emslie pounced on the pass and left the defenders for dead as she burst into the box. She hit a low shot which Stirling’s keeper should have dealt with comfortably, but somehow she managed to allow it to squirm under her body as she went down to block it. Emslie wasn’t complaining though as she saw it trundle over the line and Glasgow go up 1-0.
Glasgow took confidence from this early goal. They dominated Stirling in midfield, thanks in part to an inspirational performance from Muriel Kaney. Kaney is a strong combative midfielder, yet composed on the ball and her passing is exquisite. Much of Glasgow’s play started and went through the excellent Kaney, with her picking the ball up in midfield and linking up well with the strikers and with Jackie Baird on the right-wing.
Kaney was instrumental in Glasgow’s second goal. She won the ball in her own half, before surging forward and sending a pin point cross into the back post, where it was met by Baird, who had run into the box. Baird kept a cool head, as the keeper came out to close her down and lifted the ball back across the goal and into the far corner of the net. Glasgow were now 2-0 up in just thirty minutes of play.
The only real chance Stirling had in the first half came from a free kick, but the ball was curled past the top left-hand corner of Megan Llyod’s goal. Glasgow continued to push forward and Kaney could have scored a much-deserved goal, when she played a fabulous one-two with Kirsteen Martin on the edge of the box, but she dragged her shot wide of the goal.
Martin was also involved in Glasgow’s next chance, when she played a fantastic defence splitting pass to Emslie, who found herself once again one on one with the keeper. She should have made it a third goal for Glasgow, but again hit it straight to the keeper, who was much more assured this time and saved it easily.
Glasgow played out the last five minutes of the half with only ten players, as Katherine Jaycock went off injured. Coach Niall Marshall decided to see out the half a player down, hoping Jaycock would recover. During this time Glasgow continued to push forward looking for a third goal. But they were almost caught napping when Stirling hit them on the break, playing a long ball up to their striker. But this was intercepted by a well-timed sliding tackle from Kate Hawkins, when it looked like Stirling would have been straight through on goal. The half ended Glasgow 2-0 Stirling.
The injured Jaycock was replaced by left-wing Maritza Logan for the second half. Glasgow quickly won a stone wall penalty when Emslie was pulled down in the box as she made a run on goal. Kirsteen Martin claimed the ball — after scoring in every game this season, she was looking to keep up her terrific record. She was unlucky and failed to convert the spot kick, placing the ball into the left corner of the goal, but Stirling’s keeper made a great low diving save to turn it round the post.
Glasgow freshened things up by making another substitute, with Robyn Lang coming on for Baird. Baird had a great game, her tenacious play down the right-wing avoiding Stirling’s left-back all game, with her whipping in dangerous crosses and incisive passes.
Not long after the change, Glasgow received their second penalty. This time centre half Meghan Ferriter
stepped up to take the shot. In contrast to Martin’s cushioned, placed penalty, Ferriter bulleted hers straight down the middle of the goal. The power and height left the keeper with no chance of stopping it as it thundered into the back of the net. Glasgow were now 3-0 up and cruising.
With ten minutes to go, Glasgow made their final substitution. Martin, the team’s top goal scorer, who gave a fine performance up front and was unlucky not to get on the score sheet, was replaced by Rachel Kemp. Within minutes of being on the pitch Kemp was involved in Glasgow’s next attack. She flicked a high ball to Emslie, but gain she hit her shot straight at Stirling’s keeper, with a little bit more composure, she could have had a hat-trick in this game.
Glasgow sealed their victory with a move started by player of the game Kaney — she again picked the ball up deep in her own half, with a burst forward leaving the Stirling midfield for dead. Kaney sprayed the ball into the left-hand side of the box where it was met by Logan who did well to square the ball into the middle of the box with the keeper advancing on her.
The ball broke to Kemp, who coolly slotted the ball into the empty net — she won’t score an easier goal all
season. Glasgow will feel they could have scored more in this game, but they will have been happy with this clinical performance. They kept a clean sheet, as they picked up another three points and stretched their winning streak to five games on the trot.
On the evidence of this display it looks like Glasgow are on their way to a very successful season. With four games left they are looking to overtake Robert Gordon University at the top of the league, and the Aberdonian outfit must be nervously looking over their shoulders after this impressive display. Glasgow have also reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Universities Cup which will be played against St Andrews March 10.
