Hibs Women got back to winning ways yesterday with a convincing victory against newly-promoted Queen’s Park at Meadowbank.
In the first ever league meeting between the two sides, Eilidh Adams secured her first hat-trick of the season as Abbie Ferguson, Kathleen McGovern and Poppy Lawson also added to the totals.
Despite the dominance on the park and with the result never looking in doubt Head Coach Grant Scott grew frustrated by the lack of cohesive play and the number of opportunities his side passed up at times.
“First and foremost, I am delighted to win. But we are turning up these types of game hoping to win,” he told Hibs TV following the game.
“There were flashes of play I was certainly happy with, but it was not a complete performance by any means. You have got to respect your opponent. We’ve scored six goals and taken the three points. It’s a fine performance.”
Hibs number nine Adams was the star performer. The 20-year-old hit the back of the net three times to hit a special Hibs milestone in style.
She is really turning into a top striker,” Scott said after the forward hit a half-century of goals for the Club.
“We have got lots of confidence in her. It’s why we wanted to extend her contract last season, and we did nice and early. Eilidh is going to be a top striker at this club, for as long as I’m around and for as long as she wants to be here.
“I’ve got to credit her with her return to injury. It’s serious when you break bones in your feet, she has worked really hard. She was relentless today in her work. I’m chuffed for her.
“We have a good enough squad to rotate. There are multiple reasons we may need to rotate, maybe it’s injuries or personal reasons – there is always something going on.
“We are picking our teams now based on the opponent we are facing. We felt two strikers from the beginning would put a little more pressure on Queen’s Park early in the game. There was a rationale behind it and it paid off.”
Next up, the Hibees take on Glasgow City at Petershill Park twice over the next fortnight – once in the league and once in the SWPL Cup.
“It’s always a titanic struggle between the two sides,” Scott said of his former side.
“We were both at the top for so long. I’ve still got a lot of friends from my time there. It’s always a game I look forward to. It’s always a massive challenge – a physical and tactical battle.”
Poppy Lawson added: “It was good. It was all about getting minutes into my legs. Last week I got a good 45 minutes into them and it was more this week.
“Three points and up the road. It wasn’t our best performance if we are completely honest with ourselves. But it’s three points and we are happy with that.
“As a back three, you naturally seem to find yourself going a little more forward.
“We are always looking for balance in the team. If Shiv and Ellis are there, it’s my license to go forward. I just found myself in the box and finished it.”
Lawson admits a frustration lingers in regard to the overall team performance, but she cannot deny that she is glad to pick up three points to send the Hibs faithful home happy.
“Last week hurt, there is no doubt about that. This week was about a reaction. We maybe didn’t get a reaction in the performance, but we certainly got one in the result.
“Three points was exactly what we were looking for and we go to City with more confidence.”
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.
