Clydesdale Western have extended their lead to six points in the Women’s National League Division 1 after beating rivals Watsonians. They lead by six points, but the champions still have a game in hand. Elsewhere, Wildcats sprinted to third spot today with a pair of wins, and below GHK Inverleith and Dundee Wanderers lie in wait for another three points.
Clydesdale Western started the day with a 5-2 win over Wildcats to extend their lead at the top of the table. They led by two at the break through Anna Hoolaghan and Jennifer Eadie at a penalty corner. But things weren’t exactly plain sailing at the start of the second half as Olivia Finch and Alex Stuart leveled the scores… and disappointment was in store. Perhaps not when Clydesdale put their foot to the pedal and Lucy Williamson, along with Eadie and Hoolaghan, once again secured the three points for the leaders.
Watsonians also got off to a winning start with a 4-1 win over Dundee Wanderers. The basis for the victory came in the first half with a double from under-21 international Jess Garden and one from Emily Dark for a three-goal lead. Wanderers made a small dent in the lead when Charlotte Watson pulled one back from the penalty spot, but a fourth from Katie Stott with three minutes remaining put the game beyond the Taysiders.
And so the big one between Clydesdale and Watsonians for the first time this indoor season.
And it’s in Clydesdale’s favor on the day with a 6-3 win over rivals Watsonians… but there’s still a long way to go before the showdown.
It was a somewhat unbalanced match of two halves. The Dale stormed into a six-goal lead in the first half, it started in three minutes through Ava Graham… and then the goals just kept rolling in. Jennifer Eadie scored a hat-trick, Lucy Williamson and Frances Lonergan scored one each. Clydesdale failed to find the net at all in the second half, but Watsonians did through Emily Dark, Ailsa Small and finally Jess Garden – but not enough to even the score.
Thanks to a narrow 2-1 win over GHK, Inverleith was able to climb to the top flight. It took the Edinburgh side just two minutes to take the lead after a Steph Bain goal, and it stayed that way until just before half-time when Elerie Jones doubled their tally. GHK were only able to capitalize on Inverleith’s lead two minutes from time when Jess Halley finally found the net… but by then it was too little too late.
However, Inverleith failed to capitalize on their early success and unexpectedly went down 2-1 to Grange, who promptly moved out of the bottom rungs. It started well enough for Inverleith, with 11 minutes left Chloe Brown came on as a substitute and promptly scored. But in the meantime Grange had been leveled by Iona Syme. And so it remained until five minutes before the end with a place conversion from Hannah Coll for the crucial points.
Despite losing to Clydesdale in the opening match of the day, Wildcats recovered their composure and defeated Dundee Wanderers 5-2 to move closer to the top. They led by two at the break, Jess Freeland scoring in the opening minute and soon followed by Emma Blackstock. The Cats stayed ahead in the second half with goals from Alex Stuart and a double from Kate Holmes, although Wanderers twice regained the lead through a brace from Amy Snelle.
Wildcats gained a further three points in their final game of the day with a 4-2 win over Inverleith to move up to third spot. It was goalless at halftime, but the goals came in the second half. Becky Bruce, Corrie Hay and an Alex Stuart double were on target for the Cats, while Steph Bain and Jenn Tait replied for Inverleith… but the honors went to the Cats.
Despite losing their previous match, GHK recovered to beat Hillhead 3-1 to move up. At halftime they led by two, thanks to goals from Carly Bisset and Beth Campbell. Wendy McIntyre’s goal gave Hillhead a glimmer of hope, but another goal from Bisset settled the matter for GHK.
After losing their first two games to Watsonians and Wildcats, Dundee Wanderers bounced back to end the day with a 6-4 win over Grange. The latter led 3-1 at the break through Freya Philip, Kirsten Turnbull and Iona Syme, with Charlotte Watson coming on for Wanderers. But the second half belonged to the Dundonians and Watson, the GB Olympian scoring a hat-trick with Ishbel Smith and Jess Martin also on target, Bella Lochwood getting the only reply from Grange.
At the foot of the table, Hillhead and Grange fought out a 3-3 draw, and are therefore still level on one point. Hillhead’s Orla Millar and Grange’s Iona Syme shared first-half goals. They also shared the second half, Wendy McIntyre and Alex Burdon on target for Hillhead, while Syme again and Hannah Coll responded for Grange.
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