Hibernian Ladies reached the SSE Scottish Women’s Cup Final after beating rivals Glasgow City 2-1 at Forthbank on Sunday afternoon.
Kirsten Reilly opened the scoring in the 12th minute then with four minutes remaining captain Joelle Murray gave Hibs a two-goal advantage before an unfortunate own goal from Murray in the dying minutes made it 2-1.
Hibs will face Motherwell in the final at Firhill Stadium on Sunday 4 November.
After the game Jenna Fife (pictured) told Hibernian Media:“I thought we defended really well, especially in the second half when they had a lot of spells on the ball, and we had to defend quite a lot, but we managed that, and limited them to very few chances.
“We knew we had to come out and play the way we know we can play, passing the ball around them – maybe that didn’t come off in the second half. We did it well in the first half – second half, we played a bit deeper, and they kept on attacking, but it was fine because we defended so well. They got one lucky goal, but it’s fine in the end.
“I thought I had a decent game. As I said, we limited their chances, so I didn’t have loads of saves to make, but I felt I did the simple things well, and the defenders in front of me were solid, so that helped massively.
“Going into next week in the league decider against Glasgow City again, today has given us so much momentum. They’re obviously going to be down from today, and playing in the Champions League this week, so they’re legs might be a bit slow, but we just have to do what we did today – maybe come out a bit more than we did in the second half, but I think we can win again, and go for the treble.
“(On another cup final) It feels amazing. It’s so good – they’re the games you want to be playing in – in finals and winning cups. With the squad we’ve got, and the team we’ve got, I think that’s our aim every year – to go for the treble.”
Head Coach, Grant Scott said: “It was a tough game, obviously. It was a good cup tie – we got our noses in front, and we managed to fight to keep a hold of it. City had a good few chances, and Jenna kept us in it a few times. The defenders dug deep as well. In the second half, City came out and played a lot better, and we just had to manage the game at that point. We tried to hit them on the counter from then, and I felt like we did that quite well without actually getting a second goal from it. But aye, tough game, great cup tie, and we’re just delighted to be through.
“The game lived up to my expectations. There wasn’t much in it, and the football wasn’t as classy as we like to play, but I’ve seen City play better as well. I think in fairness to both teams, there’s a lot at stake, with today and next week, with the teams facing each other in close succession, but maybe that’s the thing – games like today are a battle, and there’s maybe not a lot of great football, but two brilliant teams like that going head to head – you just can’t fault it.
“Games like today against City can go either way – our players know that – their players know that. It’s just nice to beat them on this occasion. I don’t think there’s much difference coming up against them in the cup, compared to the league. You saw that today – it could have gone either way. It will however be a milestone if we beat them in the league, so that’s what we’re aiming for next Sunday.”
Hibernian starting line-up: Fife, Brownlie, Murray, Hunter, Michie, Robertson, Reilly, Cornet, McLauchlan, Gallacher, Harrison. Substitutes: Williamson, Napier, Tweedie, McGregor, Davidson, Notley, McKay
Glasgow City starting line-up: Alexander, Foley, Ross, Docherty, Love, Kerr, Lauder, Kuliš, Grant, Ivanuša, Howat. Substitutes: Clachers, Crichton, Girasoli, McLintock, Cunningham, Stewart
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
