When Glasgow City host Hibernian for their 500th SWPL game at Petershill Park on Sunday afternoon, it will have a feeling of seasons gone by.
The two sides meet for a top two clash and with little to separate them. Leanne Ross and her charges sit atop of the league table on goal difference with both sides level on 54 points ahead of the first round of the SWPL split.
This may feel like a case of deja vu to some. Over the years, there have been battles won and lost; celebrations and commiserations. A rivalry for the SWPL ages.
Since the SWPL was formed in 2002, Glasgow City have faced Hibernian 59 times. Of those matches, 41 have resulted in wins, 10 ended in draws and there have been eight losses.
And the stakes could hardly be higher when the sides prepare to meet once more this weekend.
Ahead of our upcoming contest, we looked back at some of the standout encounters from one of Scottish women’s football’s biggest rivalries...
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2018 - Glasgow City 2-1 Hibernian
If there was any season that reflects the competition between the sides, then it would be the 2018 season.
In the penultimate match of the campaign, they would meet at Petershill Park. Twenty games had already been played. Level on points – with both teams winning 18 times and drawing twice, a title was set to be decided.
For City, a win against Hibs would put one hand on a 12th consecutive SWPL trophy. For Hibs, victory would put them in reach of a domestic treble.
The visitors may have come into the game with the upper hand after defeating City 2-1 in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, yet, it would be City who struck first with Kirsty Howat putting us 1-0 up after only six minutes. With 25 minutes left to go Siobhan Hunter levelled things up, but it did not take long to show a reaction as Leanne Crichton restored our advantage only a minute later.
Although that 2-1 win put City in pole position, we still had a job to do on the final day, even more so as our title rivals defeated Rangers 7-1 and needed us to slip up.
The 2018 campaign would end in elation and with City champions once again. A 4-2 win against Spartans ensured an impressive 12th consecutive title. Yet, it was the win against Hibs that proved to be the difference.
2013 - A Trio of Wins
There is not just one match against Hibs in 2013 which reflects City’s dominance throughout that season. There are three.
Every time the two sides met that campaign; it ended in a 4-0 victory to City.
Not only did those wins make up half of the Edinburgh side’s losses that season, but they also played a vital part in securing our biggest margin of victory to a league title, with City finishing 20 points clear of the second-placed Hibees.
The first meeting in May took place on the road, but being away from home turf did not phase the Original Trailblazers. Suzanne Lappin, Leanne Ross, Sarah Crilly and Crichton were all on the scoresheet.
In August, Ross found the back of the net against the same opponents once more with a brace from Eilish McSorley and a Ruesha Littlejohn effort securing another emphatic win.
Ross made it goals from all three encounters when we faced Hibs for the last time that campaign in late September and she did so in impressive fashion, netting a hat-trick. Two goals came from the penalty spot, while the other a free-kick.
Jo Love also scored from close range to secure a commanding 4-0 win and with it the SWPL title with three games to spare.
2007/08 - Glasgow City 2-1 Hibernian
Like they did a decade later, City and Hibs met on the penultimate weekend of the 2007/08 season when a win would declare us champions with one game to spare.
And to match the high stakes, it proved to be a thrilling and hard-fought contest.
With so much on the line for both teams, naturally, it proved to be a nervy affair. But, the match soon found its rhythm and it became a competitive contest.
It would be Jane Ross who broke the deadlock, with the forward sending a cross from the wing directly into the back of the Hibernian net. Advantage City.
Yet, the task at hand soon got much more difficult as City were reduced to ten players early in the second half as Emma Black was shown a straight red card.
Things went from bad to worse as only eight City players remained on the pitch with Leeanne Campbell and Megan Sneddon withdrawn due to injury.
But, to never give up has always been part of City’s DNA. Hibs may have netted an equaliser due to the space afforded to them from Campbell’s absence, however, we dug in deep, and it soon showed.
On the turn, Littlejohn unleashed a curling shot to make it 2-1. A just reward for a battling display.
The victory ensured that the SWPL trophy exchanged hands from Hibernian to City. This triumph was our second league success to date and the first of 14 consecutive titles.