By Craig Edwards
Glasgow City took all three points on a wet and windy night in the Capital to reach 50 points this season in the Scottish Women’s Premier League.
A first half strike from Emily Whelan was added to in the second 45 by Jenna Clark and a penalty from Lauren Davidson.
Leanne Ross made four changes for the second SWPL meeting between Hearts and Glasgow City of the season.
In tough conditions at the Oriam, City made the breakthrough a quarter of an hour into the match. Davidson’s cutback found Whelan on the edge of the box and the striker turned and shot with the ball squirming through the gloves of Charlotte Parker-Smith and into the net.
City went close to a second shortly after but good defending from Emma Brownlie made sure Davidson’s cross couldn’t find a City player in blue.
Neither side were able to truly test Lee Gibson or Parker-Smith for the rest of the first half as both sides tried their best to play football in the driving rain.
The visitors threatened around the hour mark with a couple of chances. First up was Amy Muir’s drive from the edge of the box that was blocked before Davidson’s effort was saved by Parker-Smith.
At the other end, Gibson was called into action to tip a goalbound effort from Georgia Timms round the post before Brownlie got on the end of an Addison Handley cross but the shot was wide of the target as Hearts went in search of an equaliser.
Those missed chances would come back to haunt the home side as on the 72nd minute, City doubled the lead. A Mairead Fulton corner went through a load of players before Clark connected with the ball to divert it past the diving Parker-Smith and into the bottom corner.
Two became three shortly before full time when referee Lewis Hogarth pointed to the penalty spot after Bea Prades was brought down when chasing a loose ball. Davidson calmly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way and placed the ball into the right hand side of the Hearts net to round off the scoring for City and secure the three points.
Glasgow City are back in action again on Sunday when we welcome Aberdeen to Petershill Park in the Fifth Round of the Scottish Cup.
Match Information
Team Lines
Hearts: Parker-Smith, Brownlie, Hunter, Grant, Forsyth (G.Davies, 66), Timms, Smith, McAllister (Rennie, 56), Handley, Sampson, Michie. Subs not used: Currie, Penman, Anderson, Rood, G.Davies, Connor, Cowan, E.Davies.
Glasgow City: Gibson, Warrington (Moore, 81), Muir, Lauder, Walsh, Fulton, Whelan (Gibb, 90), Clark, Davidson, Kozak (Prades, 75), Chinchilla (Motlhalo, 81). Subs not used: Clachers, Allie, Oscarsson, Wright, Murchie.
Scorers
Glasgow City: Whelan 15’ Clark 72’ Davidson 86’
Yellow Cards
Glasgow City: Warrington
Referee: Lewis Hogarth
Stadium: Oriam