St Johnstone Women advanced to the second round of the Sky Sports Cup after a 5-2 victory over Stirling University on Sunday. Their opponents in the next round on October 5th are Rangers, who have won the cup three years running.
Josh Henderson used Sunday’s match as an opportunity to rotate the side and there were first starts of the season for Hannah Clark, Leni Parrish, Frankie Shepherd and Kirsten Taplin. Goalkeeper Molly Grattan made her debut for the side.
Saints started the match strongly and took the lead after just six minutes. Rachel Howie swung a ball in from the right into a crowded penalty area where, perhaps not surprisingly, Elvie McLean rose highest and looped a header into the net, despite the best efforts of Erin Davidson in the Stirling goal.
Saints exerted a fair bit of pressure on Stirling following the goal but the home side had chances too. Maura Paterson made a run through on goal, but matched all the way by Rebecca McMillan the defender did just enough to put Paterson off with her shot going wide of goal.
Twenty minutes after McLean’s goal, Saints got their second. Former Stirling player Jodie Malcolm made her way down the right and into the box where she fired low past Davidson to open her account for the season.
Saints third came a short time later when on thirty-seven minutes Kristen Taplin made the most of a defensive mix up between goalkeeper and defender. The two came together outside the of the penalty area, and pinching the ball, Taplin who had been a real livewire thus far, took the ball to the right and crossed deep to the far post where Rachel Howie timed her run well to head into the empty net.
The home side pulled a goal back minutes before half time. A drop ball out on the left, following the referee’s blocking of a forward pass, was crossed into the right handside of the penalty area where, after a bit of a scramble, Maura Paterson slotted home.
Stirling then went very close to adding a quick second goal when Olivia McHarg was able to take the ball past Grattan, who had come well out of her area to clear. However there was a mix of anguish and relief for the respective players as they both watched on as the forward’s effort trundled just wide of the empty net.
Following a cacophony of emergency alert tones shattering an otherwise peaceful afternoon in the picturesque setting for the match at the University of Stirling sports grounds, Saints again made a good start to the half with Taplin forcing Davidson into an early save.
However, it wasn’t long before the home side began to get more of a foothold in the game. Grattan had to look lively, gathering well from some efforts on goal as she had in the first half, and made a good save when one-on-one from Lila Sallis. After missing that opportunity at the end of the first half, shortly after the hour mark McHarg made no mistake this time when she was able to get in behind the Saints defence and slot the ball past Grattan.
Saints were perhaps a little unsettled following this for a short while before starting to get back into things. Parrish had a shot saved from distance while Howie, Malcolm and Steffi Simson were helping Saints get forward. It was only in the closing stages of the game when the win was ultimately secured.
With three minutes of the ninety remaining, substitute Lila Aitchison took the ball into the area where she was sent tumbling by Davidson. Simson dispatched the resulting spot kick low into the left hand corner. Just two minutes later Saints got their fifth. Good play by Brogan Anderson saw her take the ball out of midfield and playing it into Simson, her shot just inside the area was charged down but it was Jodie Malcolm who reacted quickest to fire home with her left foot for her second of the afternoon.
Saints now return to league action next Sunday when they are away again to Livingston with a 4pm kick off at the Home of the Set Fare Arena.
Saints: Grattan, McLean (Anderson), Simson, Clark (MacIver), Malcolm, Howie (Aitchison), Irvine, Shepherd (McCafferty) , McMillan, Taplin (Shanks) , Parrish.
