Sunday 16th April, 2023 at 10:00pm
Partick Thistle fell to a third-consecutive post-split SWPL1 defeat as they fell 5–0 to Rangers at Petershill Park.
The result means Brian Graham’s side remain bottom of the top six group, but still only a point behind Hibernian at the close of play, with the Hibees not playing till the two sides face up on Wednesday.
Just six minutes in, Rachel McLauchlan called Khym Ramsay into action with a long-range effort. And the stopper, in place for Megan Cunningham who was ineligible against her parent club, was kept busy as Kathryn Hill’s header from a corner was blocked on the line before she gathered the ball. Seconds later, she denied Sam Kerr what looked to be a sure goal with her feet.
But Scotland international Kerr would not be denied a second time in the 15th minute, beating the offside trap to get onto the end of Kirsty Howat’s pass, firing the ball into the bottom left corner. Rangers kept the pressure up five minutes later as the ball was played through into the box to Emma Watson, whose chance was blocked by the onrushing Ramsay. But their lead was doubled within a minute, as Howat’s chance from a Jodi McLeary cross went in.
And it was three soon after as Kerr got onto the end of McLauchlan’s long ball to be one-on-one with Ramsay, slotting the ball in off the post. Thistle had a Demi Falconer shot from a corner blocked before Rangers nearly scored on the counter, with Ramsay coming off her line to deny Watson.
The closest Rangers came again before the break saw Nicola Docherty put a ball across the box to find an unmarked McLauchlan, with the head of Falconer clearing her shot behind for a corner.
Rangers came out pressing in the second half as Howat blazed a shot over the bar. Ramsay then had to get down low at her near post to deny half time substitute Chelsea Cornet, with Linzi Taylor clearing Tessel Middag’s header off the line from the ensuing corner.
Their pressing was rewarded in the 56th minute as Kerr completed her hat trick, heading in from six yards out. They chased a fifth as Ramsay’s save from Cornet’s shot spilled into the path of Howat, but Rosie Slater blocked the rebound. Kerr almost grabbed her fourth of the afternoon, but her header dipped just past the post.
Thistle had the chance to grab a consolation goal with ten minutes to play, but Imogen Longcake’s shot was blocked behind. And Rangers made it five in stoppage time as substitute Kirsty MacLean’s shot from the centre of the box nearly burst the net.
The Jags will look to regroup as they travel to Edinburgh to take on Hibernian in midweek action. That game takes place this Wednesday 19th April at Meadowbank Stadium, kickoff is at 7.30pm.
