Eva Olid has helped steer Hearts into fourth position in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, but the Spanish-born boss is aiming higher and winning the two-leg Capital Cup, is part of her plan to lift the team to a position where they are competing with the heavyweights at the top end of the ten-strong table.
The Capital Cup clash on Sunday (16.10) at city rivals Hibs is part of a community engagement project supported by Edinburgh-based fund manager, Baillie Gifford, and the return is at Tynecastle on Sunday, February 26. Both games are free to attend.
Both clubs hope that the initiative will inspire more young women to get involved in one of the fastest growing participation sports in Scotland and over 10,000 fans are predicted to be at Easter Road for the first-leg of the cup clash (kick-off 16.10).
The match also doubles as a league game and thee points would lift fourth-placed Hearts seven points clear of their Capital rivals.
The pair have not met so far this term but Hearts are in good form having won three of their last five games, losing two. Overall, Hearts have won six of their ten league fixtures, losing four, and have accumulated 18 points.
Hibs, who are sixth in the table, have won two of their last five league fixtures, drawing two and losing one. Overall, they have won four and drawn two and lost four for 14 points.
The Tynecastle team have netted on 14 occasions and lost only ten goals while Hibs have scored 20 goals and shipped 21.
Olid, Hearts first team manager, is well aware of the statistics and said: “Moving seven points clear of a direct opponent (Hibs) is really important for us.”
Hearts lost 3-0 at Celtic on Sunday and Olid said the women worked hard in a bid to get a result, but earning points against one of the big teams in the division has been difficult so far.
The 36-year-old, who has coached in America and who took over her role at Tynecastle in August 2021, declared: “We have to change that. The objective is to get points from the big teams. It is difficult to make the players believe that they can beat Celtic and Rangers but, against Rangers, we played a very good game, our best performance. We keep going and one day it will happen.”
Being part of the Hearts organisation is, she said, a massive help to the women’s team and Olid added: “We have good facilities, we have a men’s team that is doing very well and that helps a lot, we have a club which is supporting us which helps a lot and things that are happening is helping us grow to where we are now.”
Hearts last home game before the World Cup break produced a crowd of over 18,000 and Olid said: “We would love to see some of them at Easter Road on Sunday and I hope that.”
PICTURE: Eva Olid in the middle with the ball with Katie Rood (left) and Cailin Michie on the pitch at Tynecastle after the media call
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