LEANNE CRICHTON was pleased to see her side progress into the semi-finals of the Sky Sports Cup after a disrupted week.
The Gers were light in numbers due to injury and had to call upon three academy players to the matchday squad, two of whom were handed their debuts for the club.
Speaking to RangersTV after the team booked their place in the last four, she commented: “I am really pleased to put it bluntly, it has been another tough week I am not going to lie.
“I think the squad has been stretched beyond a point that we would ever have wanted at this stage of the season, but it is what it is in terms of that.
“We have had to reshuffle the pack and had to really look after people. Training wise it has been difficult, but I thought they were first class today.
“I though their attitude, the way they went about their business we came off the back of last weekend really frustrated and disappointed with our own first half performance. More so that 30 minute spell that we went in behind, but everything in terms of the preparation, the attitude and application.
“We brought in a number of young players as well into the group this week, Wednesday and Saturday.
“Not an awful lot of training time but I think the way they were received into the group, the way the senior players got round them and looked after them was really important, because we needed them today and that was the reality.
“I thought the squad right from one player the whole way through were really exceptional and I am super pleased that we were I’m the next round.
The Head Coach spoke of the first taste of senior football for pairing Saoirse Coyle Marrow and Erin O’Brien, with fellow youngster Phoebe O’Donnell on the bench. As well as defender Laura Rafferty making her long awaited return to the pitch after injury.
She continued: “I am really pleased for Raff; she has been outstanding in terms of the player and person that she is.
“She has worked so hard to get back and it has been such a frustrating time for her. She had obviously picked up the injury before I had come into the group, so I have only known her on the outside but you would never think she is a player that is not on the pitch.
“She contributes every single day in everything that we are trying to achieve in the group, the standard that she sets but the way she is communicates and supports and rallies.
“Supports the technical group as well in myself but ultimately you want to see her on the pitch, so it was fantastic to get on there today.
“I am really pleased; I told them yesterday we knew that they would be in the squad and they were very much part of it.
“They settled into the group, Erin came in on Wednesday, Saoirse and Phoebe came in yesterday so a quick turnaround for them to be pulled from their academy game this weekend and straight in with the first-team, but they were told to be ready, that we would need them at points in the game and I thought that both players that came into the game did really well.
“Settled in, you would never have thought that it was just that quick turnaround for them.
“It shows the quality that they have got, the excellent work that is going on at academy and grassroots level at the club which is really pleasing. We are a club that are built on that type of foundation and we want to have young Scottish talent in the first-team.
“The pathway is there, the opportunities will be there and we have relied on them today and we will certainly rely on them in the future no doubt.”
Attention now turns to the Gers’ Old Firm clash at Ibrox on Friday evening, with the former Scotland international encouraging as many supporters as possible to turn up try help the team to a second derby win of the season.
She added: “That is the focus, we just needed to make sure that we came through today, unscathed.
“Make sure that we have got everybody fit and available for Friday night. We will see what the damage is tomorrow in terms of the group and the ones that we brought off in the game.
“The ones that we are looking to try and manage. A fantastic fixture though, Friday night under the lights at Ibrox.
“Early on in the weekend as well you don't often get that opportunity in the season. It is an Old Firm fixture which we know how much we love that, as a club as well the players will thrive.
“I just hope the fans can now come out and really get behind us because we need it.
“It is a perfect opportunity, we have scheduled that around the men's international break, so there is no excuses, so we would like to see as many people get in behind the group because we need that extra player.”
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