It was a particularly special feeling for Emily Shanks when the ball hit the back of the net on Sunday afternoon.
The St Johnstone WFC forward netted the equaliser against top-of-the-table Boroughmuir Thistle at Meadowbank Stadium to secure a well-earned point on the road.
Emily has been working her way back from a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an ankle injury and now she hopes her goal-scoring exploits at the weekend can spark a special season.
She smiled: “It felt like the ball was in slow motion when it went in. I remember being right beside our subs warming-up, so I ran straight to them to celebrate.
“It was such a good feeling and I think everyone could see how much it meant to me. It has been quite hard with being out injured for almost a year. I’ve not played too many minutes since I’ve come back, so getting that goal will really help to build my confidence.
“It was just a really nice feeling to be back out on the pitch.”
On the 1-1 draw with Boroughmuir, Emily added: “We had worked hard all week. After our defeat against Hamilton last Sunday, I think we had an extra bit of fire inside us.
“We battled really well in the game until we unfortunately conceded the penalty. But we showed character to hit back straight away and taking a point against top of the league is a positive.”
Saints will now be back on the training ground in preparation for this Sunday’s home game against Queen’s Park. Kick-off at the Community Arena at McDiarmid Park will be 4pm.
Emily said: “We need to try and replicate our performance from the weekend. When you work hard and work together, we’ve shown that we can compete against the teams at the top of the table.”
