“Delighted” was the reaction of Boroughmuir Thistle manager, Andy Enwood, after Thistle came up 3-0 victors against Stirling University LFC in the first round of the Sky Sports Cup at University of Stirling Sports Centre on Sunday.
Stirling University were keen to get back on track after suffering a 3-1 away defeat to Kilmarnock the previous Sunday, while Thistle were looking to secure their first win of the season following their 0-0 draw away to Livingston last time out.
Boroughmuir were on the front foot early on and thought they might be in for an early lead as Cara Borthwick drilled the ball low towards the Stirling goal, but the keeper got down quickly to make the save.
Five minutes later Thistle took the lead. A loose ball in the box found its way to Fiona Gibson who went for goal from a seemingly impossible angle right on the goal line and put the ball past the goalkeeper and in off the woodwork.
Following the goal, Thistle continued to pile on the pressure with Beth MacLeod, Cara Borthwick, and Maria Novoa-Torrente causing problems for the back line.
In the 44th minute Deborah McLeod latched onto a bouncing ball in the Stirling box and fired the ball past the keeper to double Thistles lead at the break.
While Borougnmuir could be forgiven for taking their foot off the gas in the second-half, that’s just not the way the girls in purple play football.
In the 56th minute Borthwick’s efforts paid off as the 16 year-old academy graduate shot from an incredibly tight angle into the side-netting to make it 3-0 and book their place in the second round of the cup.
After the game, Andy Enwood said: “We won, we’re in the next round. I’m delighted for the players, obviously it’s our first win of the season, all be it not in the league, but still delighted to win the game.
Enwood made a few changes to the starting 11 including Toni Harkness starting in goal for the injured Beth Rennie and striker Samantha Duncan starting among the substitues. When asked about the depth of squad available to him, Andy said: “We’ve got a big squad and that brings its own difficulties, but what you’ll find is that although we have a big squad, the people that are within the squad understand the situation, and what we’re doing and they know they have to be, as well as aiming to get themselves on the park, they have to act the right way just as a person in and around the group because it’s difficult when you’re not playing, nobody wants to come and be involved in football and not get on the park.
“So the players all understand that and they have bought into that so that’s the most pleasing aspect that we have got a group of players who might not be playing, or they don’t come on, or they’re not in the squad, they’re still here and that’s what the true sense of a team is, is that when you aren’t playing yourself, it’s the team that is the first and foremost.”
Boroughmuir Thistle will face Queens Park Women in the second round of the Sky Sports Cup after they beat Glasgow Women 1-0 in their first round tie.
