Clinical Rangers punish unfortunate Hibs

Grant Scott named four changes to the side that lost to Rangers last Sunday. Kirsty Morrison captained the side on her 100th appearance for the club, while Siobhan Hunter, Ellis Notley, Teagan Bowie also returned to the starting XI.

Jorian Baucom takes the ball down with her chest

Just three minutes in Bowie almost justified her return to the side instantly. She dispossessed a defender inside the Rangers half and drove with the ball at goal. For lack of a better passing option she hit the ball with power and her shot ricocheted off of the crossbar.

Three minutes later Hibs had another golden opportunity. Jorian Baucom intercepted a hospital pass from Mia Mcaulay and was left in a foot race with Kathy Hill. Baucom tried to skip past the defender but the ball deflected off of Hill’s leg and back to Victoria Esson.

In the 11th minute Hibs were punished for failing to make the most of their chances. McLoughlin dribbled the ball past a few Hibs players before laying the ball off to Mcaulay at the edge of the box. Mcaulay hit the ball first time and it deflected slowly into the bottom corner of Nina Wilson’s goal.

Hibs continued their early pressing and responded instantly. Poppy Lawson headed in Naomi Powell’s corner in the 16th minute to get Hibernian back on level terms.

The game was a fairly back and forth affair until the half-hour mark. The press from the forward line continued to force errors from the opposition backline but were unable to capitalise on the opportunities. 

The defence were dealing well with the away side’s attacking efforts. Ellis Notley perfectly timed a slide tackle and cleared the danger as Cornet was dribbling dangerously in the box.

32 minutes in and Hibernian were trailing once more. Rangers mounted a counter-attack and quickly passed the ball from the left hand side byline to the back post with the ball eventually reaching an unmarked Lizzie Arnot who scuffed the ball past Wilson at the near post.

Yet again Hibs didn’t let their heads drop. Notley and Morrison played a one-two 20 yards from goal, Morrison then slipped Shannon McGregor through at the far post and she rifled her effort into the top corner of goal with 38 minutes on the clock.

Hibernian were playing with real confidence against a Rangers team that has conceded just ten goals in the league this season, and the two sides went into the break 2-2 with it all to play for in the second-half.

Rangers made one change at half-time, with Reo Hardy replacing Lizzie Arnot.

Following the restart Hibs had the first chance of the half. A well-worked corner routine saw the ball come to Baucom at the back post but she could only head her effort wide.

Hibs came close again in the 57th minute. Esson half-heartedly came to collect a cross whipped in from

At the other end Nicola Docherty played a long ball that wasn’t dealt with by the defence, Hardy collected the ball and was through on goal but Hunter tracked the run well and blocked the shot out for a corner.

On the hour-mark Bowie pulled up as she was running and was replaced by Mya Christie

Esson slipped and Baucom intercepted her pass, the ball bobbled to Morrison who tried to lob the keeper but Esson did well to slap it away. Rangers scrambled the ball away, and Docherty punted the ball up the park from inside her box. The ball went all the way over the Hibs backline to Sarah Ewens who took the ball down, dribbled quickly at the Hibs goal and slotted the ball under Wilson in the 66th minute.

The goal was a tough one to concede after how close Hibs had come to taking the lead seconds earlier. Following the goal Hibs struggled to create the amount of chances they were creating previously and spent a lot of time in their own half.

In the 77th minute Hunter’s pass at the edge of the box was partially blocked and it fell to Rachel Rowe. Rowe got herself into a good position and forced a good save from. The resulting corner was intercepted after Rangers attempted a short pass.

Grant Scott’s second change of the match came a minute later as Hunter was replaced by Lia Tweedie.

Rangers continued to dominate possession and with three minutes to go Tweedie slid into the back of a Rangers attacker and gave away a penalty. Reo Hardy stepped up and placed her shot well into the bottom right corner past Wilson who had guessed correctly to make it 4-2 Rangers.

Rangers got a fifth shortly after. Wilson parried a cross and Jane Ross was first to react as she stabbed it into the net.

In the sixth minute of injury time Rangers got their sixth of the afternoon. The opposition won a free-kick at the byline and whipped the ball into the box. It landed right onto the head of Hardy who headed it powerfully past Wilson.

The match finished 6-2 to Rangers, with a result that reflects very harshly on Hibernian’s performance.