HIBERNIAN head coach Kevin Milne was full of praise for his players after they beat Glasgow City 3-0 to retain the SSE Scottish Women’s Cup at Livingston yesterday.
Scotland’s top scorer Abi Harrison got the opening goal just before half time and Siobhan Hunter and Rachael Small scored late in the second half to put the seal on a dominant performance.
The game was a mirror image of the one between the teams two weeks earlier.
On that occasion Hibs were swept aside as City won 3-0 to clinch an 11th successive league title, but the champions failed to muster even one shot on target in the 90 minutes.
“It’s a bit surreal at the moment,” Milne, who replaced Chris Roberts last month, admitted.
“We had a game plan and it worked. The girls thoroughly deserved that win. “The feeling for me is ecstatic. I’m drained, especially after that second half. It’s great to get the cup back at Easter Road.
“We’ve defended really well. I can’t remember City hitting a shot on target.
“It’s good to win it in 90 minutes. Last year it was on penalties after extra time. We’ve won emphatically and put three goals past City – they’d not lost one since May until today. Last season it may have felt a bit lucky, but not this time.”
City dominated the opening stages, as they had in the league decider two weeks earlier, but did little to trouble Hibs goalie Jenna Fife. The longer the first half went on, the more dangerous Hibs became, and they had already come close to scoring three times before Harrison’s injury time goal.
City defender Savannah McCarthy got a vital touch to prevent Rachel McLauchlan taking advantage of a Robertson high ball just after the half hour.
Then there was a double chance as Emma Brownlie’s corner had to be palmed out at the near post by Lee Alexander, who then saved Robertson’s shot.
Set pieces were causing City problems and Harrison came very close to flicking home a free kick from Brownie before Hibs finally got their goal.
Almost inevitably it was from a Brownlie corner – Alexander failing to hold Hunter’s header and Harrison gleefully hooking the ball into the net with just seconds remaining.
Having finished the first half by far the more dangerous side, Hibs had chances at the start of the second to make City’s task even more difficult.
The best fell to Katey Turner, who was put through one-on-one with Alexander, but she drifted wide and her shot went into the side netting.
The clincher, when it arrived eight minutes from time, was stunning. Hunter’s attempt on goal from a free-kick 35 yards out looked ambitious, but the ball flew into the top far corner giving Alexander no chance.
The last five minutes saw Hibs spurn several good chances before City’s luck finally ran out with Small heading a Harrison cross into the net from close quarters.
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