RANGERS tasted defeat to Hibernian on the final day of the ScottishPower Women’s Premier League this afternoon as they missed out on the opportunity to capture the league title.
Jo Potter’s side knew they required all three points to leapfrog today’s visitors and get their hands on the league championship for the second time in their history, but a Linzi Taylor volley late in the second half means the trophy will travel back across the M8 motorway in the hands of the Edinburgh side.
The Light Blues, who dropped to third place with defeat, will shift their attention to next weekend’s Scottish Cup final as Glasgow City stand in a way of a second successive cup double.
As anticipated with so much on the line, the match began in cagey fashion between the two sides; neither goalkeeper truly tested in the opening quarter of an hour.
Indeed, Rangers’ most likely route to goal looked through the sheer pace of Mia McAulay on the right flank, still riding the crest of a wave from her outstanding individual performance on Wednesday evening. The young winger had Caley Gibb in the referee’s notebook inside ten minutes after Hibs full-back tugged at her jersey in an attempt to halt her advances.
It took an audacious effort from Kirsty Howat to work Noa Schumacher in the visitors’ goal, before the first dangerous moment of the contest arrived from the lively McAulay.
Katie Wilkinson, more renowned for her supreme goalscoring ability, picked up a loose ball midway inside the Hibs half, lifting her head and sliding a delicious pass through to the teenager who, with only the goalkeeper to beat, contrived to shoot straight at Schumacher.
Rangers were certainly controlling the lion’s share of possession, although the away side boasted a threat going in the opposite direction as Ciara Grant stung the palms of Jenna Fife from 16 yards out after Eilidh Adams did well to pick out the midfielder.
A smart run from Kirsty Howat then caused concern among the Hibs rearguard, with the forward laying a neat pass into McAulay positioned at the edge of the penalty area who was always leaning back when she scooped her left-footed effort over the crossbar.
Few could contend that Rangers weren’t the superior side in the contest, yet the contents of Jo Potter’s half-time team talk ought to have centred on the need for greater conviction in the final third.
It was Hibs, however, who emerged for the second half and immediately went close when captain Kirsten Reilly stepped forward into midfield and unleashed a thunderous effort from 30 yards out which beat Fife all ends up. Fortunately for Rangers, her effort crashed against the crossbar.
There was certainly an added intensity to open the second period as the Light Blues began to force the issue in their attempts to break the deadlock and swing the fate of the title in their direction.
Kirsty Maclean dazzled in midfield, producing a sumptuous turn on the halfway line which brought the Gers support into applause on the far side.
Still, the Edinburgh side were content the longer the scoreboard stayed as it was. Howat looked to change that on the hour-mark with a tame effort which was gathered by Schumacher, before Wilkinson swivelled neatly but couldn’t quite make the required connection on her driven effort minutes later.
A wicked delivery across the face of goal from McAulay wreaked havoc in the Hibs penalty area shortly after, but there were no takers in Rangers colours as the away side survived to tell the tale.
And it was with a little over quarter of an hour remaining when Hibs struck the decisive blow, started and finished by Taylor as she sprung the visitors forward on the counter-attack before volleying home at the far post from Kathleen McGovern’s cross.
It left Rangers with it all to do as Wilkinson looked to spark a comeback when she rose highest in the penalty area from a delivery, but she couldn’t quite steer her header on target.
Opportunity then beckoned six minutes time when the ball dropped invitingly for McAulay from six yards out, yet the winger’s effort cannoned against Siobhan Hunter and out of play for a corner.
The seconds ticked by at Ibrox and, deep into stoppage time, any hopes of an improbable comeback were dashed when Laura Rafferty was shown a straight red card for a last player challenge as the Light Blues’ pursuit of the SWPL title was brought to an end.
RANGERS: Fife, Docherty, Rafferty, Middag, Howat (Berry, 70), Hardy (Ross, 86), McAulay (Arnot, 86), Cornet, Maclean, McLeary (Hay, 70), Wilkinson
Subs not used: Esson, Hill, Lafaix
HIBERNIAN: Schumacher, Hunter, Grant, McAlonie (Livingstone, 58), Adams (Ferguson, 80), McGovern (Tweedie, 90), Gibb (Papadopoulos, 45), Doran-Barr, Morrison (Notley, 90), Taylor, Reilly
Subs not used: Armitage, Boyle, Ramsay, Taylor