Wednesday 14th September, 2022 at 11:00pm
After a break from playing for a couple of weeks Thistle returned to action to face arguably the stiffest possible of tests, a meeting with league champions Rangers. While the final result itself wasn’t perhaps a surprise there is sure to have been some disappointment with the overall display.
Any sense of disappointment is probably the result of an encouraging display in the opening 45 minutes, at the end of which Thistle were a shade unfortunate to be trailing by two goals to nil, albeit the nature of the goals conceded was disappointing.
It wasn’t unexpected that Rangers dominated possession and had Thistle under pressure from very early on, The Jags having to defend the game’s first corner inside the opening 60 seconds of the match, but Thistle did try and take the game to their more fancied and free scoring opponents.
Jordan McLintock was unlucky not to find Clare Docherty with a pass inside the Rangers penalty box and the aforementioned Docherty and Cara Henderson combined down the Thistle left only for Esson to collect Docherty’s cross with Henderson alert to any mistake from the Rangers goalkeeper.
The Thistle goal did have a lucky escape after 10 minutes when Cornet’s shot smashed off Khym Ramsay’s right hand post with Hay unable to find the net from the rebound.
Ramsay was certainly the busier of the two goalkeepers and she did well to keep the score at 0-0 with an excellent stop at close range to deny Danielsson a goal.
Thistle were still contributing to the game in a positive sense at this stage and there was a glimpse of a chance inside the Rangers box after 23 minutes for Linzi Taylor but the ball just wouldn’t sit up for her and any opportunity was quickly snuffed out.
Thistle though found themselves trailing after 27 minutes. McCoy collected the ball wide on the left and advanced deep into the Thistle box, and when Ramsay went to ground she was able to roll the ball into the net from close range.
A minute later it was 2-0. Again the threat came down the Rangers left. Arnot swung over a cross and Hay was able to get in front of Rosie Slater to apply the necessary finish from inside the 6 yard box.
Thistle tried to find a route back into the game before the break and twice Docherty was able to get into advanced positions and on the latter occasion saw a well struck shot blocked by a defender.
If there was to be any way back into the game for Thistle a good start to the second half was essential but Rangers almost immediately extended their lead upon the resumption. The Thistle defence was opened up allowing Cornet the opportunity to score with a composed finish.
With altogether indecent haste Rangers quickly added a fourth goal. A long ball over the top of the Thistle defence found Arnot and she clipped her shot over the advancing Ramsay.
A Cheryl McCulloch header from a Charlotte Terry corner brought a save from Esson in the Rangers goal but by this stage it was already a case of by how many Rangers would win by.
The score became 5-0 after 67 minutes when Thistle made a poor attempt at defending a corner allowing Martinez to head home from close range.
The scoring was completed with 8 minutes remaining when a cross from the Rangers left from Orschmann found the net without a touch from a player of either side.
