Report: Rangers 10-0 Aberdeen

A RAMPANT Rangers showing continued their fantastic start to the calendar year this afternoon as a Katie Wilkinson hat-trick helped power the side to an emphatic 10-0 victory over Aberdeen in the ScottishPower Women’s Premier League.

Wilkinson delivered another treble on the scoring sheet, while there were also braces from both Rio Hardy and Liv McLoughlin alongside strikes from Kirsty Howat, Laura Berry and a Megan Sidey own goal.

The Light Blues will make the short trip to Petershill Park in seven days’ time to face Partick Thistle in their final league outing before the international hiatus.

Jo Potter was delighted to welcome Kirsty Maclean back into the squad for the first time this year, while Berry was available following her recall from Motherwell after she was cup tied for the Scottish Cup victory over Montrose last time out.

And Rangers wasted precious little time in establishing their superiority as the opening goal arrived just eight minutes into the contest.

It was the result of slick combination from the three forwards on the pitch for the home side; Howat latching onto a neat lay-off from Rio Hardy before putting the ball on a plate for Wilkinson to rifle home first-time beyond Megan Sidey in the Aberdeen goal.

Hardy herself was denied by the offside flag six minutes later after a Wilkinson header was tipped onto the crossbar, yet the hosts didn’t have to wait too long to double their advantage.

Indeed, the movement from the attacking trident was proving too much for Aberdeen to handle after Wilkinson knocked Kathy Hill’s incisive pass around the visiting defence for Howat to set her sights and slot a clever finish under Sidey at her near post.

A searing burst of pace from Mia McAulay on the left-hand side left Alix Mendez in her wake on 20 minutes, although Sidey was equal to Hardy’s resulting effort.

It was to matter little, though, as the Gers had their third goal of the afternoon before the 25th minute mark when a dangerous floated delivery from Brogan Hay was met confidently by Wilkinson who glanced the ball into the top corner to leave Sidey with little chance.

The away side were in damage limitation mode as Sidey was equal to a thunderous Hardy effort on 29 minutes, but their misery was soon to be compounded by the same source eight minutes later.

McAulay, again, put on the afterburners on the left-hand side, lifting her lead and lifting a gorgeous delivery into Wilkinson whose initial first-time volley was saved but only as far as Hardy to bundled home the rebound from point-blank range.

There ought to be a palpable sense of relief in the Aberdeen ranks when the referee blew his half-time whistle, although the away side’s mood certainly wouldn’t have improved at the sight of Maclean’s introduction at the interval.

It took less than two minutes for the midfielder to sting the palms of Sidey with a long-range effort, before the icing was added to the cake on Wilkinson’s individual performance moments later.

Jodi McLeary was on her toes to regain possession in advanced area, weaving her way into the penalty area and feeding a lovely pass into Wilkinson who, in one fell swoop, dragged the ball onto her right foot and buried a curling finish into the far corner to seal her hat-trick.

Rangers were firmly in cruise control in Cumbernauld and five soon became six after a moment to forget for Sidey in the Aberdeen goal.

The lively McLeary was the architect once again when her delivery from the right-hand side appeared to be sailing comfortably into the arms of the Dons goalkeeper, yet the ball escaped her clutches before ricocheting off her leg and into an unguarded net.

The opportunity for a fourth of the contest arrived at the feet of Wilkinson when she was teed up by Hay, but, on her unfavoured left side, it was a surprise when she dragged her finish wide of the target.

Rangers weren’t prepared to relent and a seventh of the afternoon was engineered when Hay latched onto a pinpoint pass over the top of the Aberdeen defence by Tessel Middag, laying the ball across goal invitingly for Hardy to slide her finish under Sidey from close-range.

The wave of Gers pressure continued into the dying embers as McLoughlin added her side’s eighth goal of the contest off the substitutes bench when she rounded off a fluid attacking move with a stabbed finish from inside the penalty area.

McLoughlin was among the goals once again moments later when she got on the end of a terrific Lizzie Arnot cross to volley home from close-range, before there was time for Berry to mark her return in fine fashion before full-time when she stroked a finish into the bottom corner after more positive play from substitute Arnot.

RANGERS: Esson, Eddie, Hill (Maclean, 45), Rafferty, Middag, Hay, Howat (McLoughlin, 57), Hardy (Berry, 65), McAulay (Arnot, 57), McLeary, Wilkinson (Ross, 65)

Subs not used: Fife, Lafaix

ABERDEEN: Sidey, Mendez (Elder, 71), Noble, Murray (McEvoy, 57), Gover, Stewart (Finnie, 66), Ogilvie, Ilijoski, Thomson, Jamieson, Kraft

Subs not used: McCann, Maclean, Holden, Miller


  

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