Wednesday 1st March, 2023 at 11:00pm
With the season split just three games away and Thistle pressing hard for a top six place, The Jags made the short trip to Cumbernauld to face title chasing Rangers. The final score may not have been an entirely unexpected one but it disguised a Thistle performance, in the face of early injury adversary, full of bravery, phenomenal work rate and no lack of talent. For the first 45 minutes of this match Thistle’s full-time professional opponents had a decidedly uncomfortable evening.
The first of two injury blows came Thistle’s way with the game still very much in its infancy. With Thistle trying to make an early attacking impression defensive rock Cheryl McCulloch went to ground inside the Rangers half in obvious pain. After a lengthy delay Cheryl left the pitch on a stretcher and was replaced by Jordan McLintock with Linzi Taylor moving to the defensive position vacated by McCulloch.
Once play restarted there were loud appeals for a Thistle penalty when Rachel Donaldson’s header from an Amy Bulloch corner looked to strike a Rangers hand. Even when play continued the ball nearly spun into the path of Abbie Ferguson in front of the Rangers goal.
Having come close themselves, Thistle nearly fell behind as Rangers broke clear. Watson was left with just Lauren Grant to beat but the keeper, recalled from her loan spell with Queen’s Park, made a fine stop to keep the score at 0-0.
Rangers did, however, take an 18th minute lead and Watson was the scorer. She worked a one-two with Danielsson before knocking the ball beyond Grant to score a goal that highlighted the quality of this Rangers team.
Thistle were anything but overawed by that talent and they continued to take the game to their more illustrious opponents but there was another injury blow for Thistle when Rebecca McGowan was replaced by Claire Adams who was making her own return from injury.
There was just one goal separating the teams at half-time but the game was taken beyond the reaches of Thistle with a goal blast from Rangers at the start of the second half.
The crucial second goal arrived just five minutes after the restart. The ball was touched to McLeary in front of goal and her low shot found the corner of the Thistle net.
Rangers added a third goal just 6 minutes later. This time McLeary provided the assist and Danielsson the finish.
Danielsson smashed home her second goal of the night after 62 minutes despite Clare Docherty’s best attempts to clear off the line and a fifth goal arrived just 3 minutes later when McCoy headed home a McLaughlin cross.
At no point did Thistle give up and they deserved some reward before the finish but the closest, aside from a near own goal, to a strike of their own was a free kick from Leah Robinson that cleared the Rangers crossbar.
This result, coupled with Spartans’ win over bottom side Glasgow Women, saw Thistle drop out of the top six but with the way the fixtures pan out two Thistle wins from their final two pre-split fixtures should be enough to secure a top six place. The first of those two fixtures comes against Aberdeen at Petershill Park this coming Sunday. Your support would be greatly appreciated.
