St Johnstone Women picked up their first win of the season on Sunday in what turned out to be a 4-3 thriller at the Balmoral Stadium against Aberdeen.
The second game of the Sky Sports Cup league phase, Saints came into the match off the back of a narrow 3-2 defeat to Livingston while the hosts also had a narrow defeat, 2-1 away to Hamilton.
The first 18 minutes of the game saw little action of note, the sides looking fairly evenly matched, both enjoying spells with the ball in the final third without ever testing the goalkeepers.
The first test came in the 19th minute when Elvie McLean’s effort from distance forced Amber Signorini into a save, palming the ball out for a corner. From that corner the ball was cleared only to the edge of the box, and put back in by Klara Brady where Lucy Livie dinked it past a defender and struck with the face of her boot into the top corner.
Aberdeen were getting forward, with Megan Sidey making a couple of good saves with her feet.
Emily Tomb saw an effort saved for Saints but, with 32 minutes gone, Saints doubled their lead. A corner swung in by Brodie Rigby-Wilson and came off the head of Aberdeen defender Maddie Finnie into her own net.
Saints could have had a third as the half drew to a close, Livie crossing in from the left with Leni Parrish hitting the side netting at the back post.
Three minutes after the restart, Saints had a third. It was a goal similar to the first, a corner played into the box with Megan Burns scoring with the same deft touch Livie had for the opener.
In a sign of what was to come, Aberdeen started to threaten more than the first half. Holly Daniel and Iona Watt forcing good saves from Sidey.
Saints’ fourth came 10 minutes into the half, Jodie Malcolm showing real skill and composure to head a high ball down, taking a touch to bring it onto her right, and powerfully hitting a half-volley past Signorini.
Aberdeen had certainly not given up and three minutes after Malcolm’s goal, they pulled one back. Soroya Walsh was played through and, doing well to hold off Daisy Smith, tucked the ball in off the post pasy Sidey.
Walsh and Daniel continued to cause trouble for the Saints defence, Sidey denying both on multiple occasions.
The home side were making the most of the wide pitch at the Balmoral Stadium, breaking down both flanks and repeatedly getting crosses into the Saints box. It was from one such cross they halved the deficit with 10 minutes left, a low ball evading Sidey but not Malcolm deflecting off her leg into the net.
With six minutes left, Aberdeen got a third back. Holly Daniel this time managing to get her goal, despite being well marked by a number of Saints defenders, she managed to turn and curl a shot beyond Sidey who would have seen it late.
It set up for a grand stand finish as Aberdeen looked for an equaliser which would have sent the tie to penalties. However, Saints held firm to secure the win against top-flight opposition.
They will have a tougher test against a top-flight side on Wednesday when Montrose are the visitors to the Community Arena for an 8pm kick off.
Saints: Sidey, Brady, Burns, McLean (Anderson) Malcolm, Moodie, Livie, Smith (McMillan), Rigby-Wilson (MacIver), Parrish (Shanks), Tomb.
Subs not used: Gates, Telford, Clark, Taplin.
