By Stephen Bark
Glasgow City said an emotional farewell to fan favourite and club legend Clare Shine this week as she called time on her playing career. In two spells at the club, the Ireland international scored 70 goals in 106 appearances as she helped City to four SWPL titles, two Scottish Cups and one SWPL Cup. Everyone will remember Cup Final Clare, but that wasn’t her only time to Shine. Here we take a look at some of those other highlights from her City career.
11/9/16- Glasgow City v Celtic
City were well on their way to 10-in-a-row when Celtic came to the Excelsior Stadium with six matches left in the 2016 season. Going into the game, the home side knew that a win against third-placed Celtic would seal at worst a top two finish and a place in the following season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League. They started brightly and, after just eight minutes, Fiona Brown drove for the byline and cut the ball back for Shine to slot home from six yards out. Shine was influential as the game went on, setting up a chance for Brown and having a shot of her own cleared off the line but it was a hat-trick for Haley Rosen which did the most damage. Erin Cuthbert also scored as City ran out 5-0 winners.
10/3/19- Glasgow City v Stirling University
Buoyed by the news that Shine had returned from a spell in her homeland, City fans were looking forward to seeing her back in action at Petershill. They didn’t have to wait too long as a first-half injury to Sam Kerr meant Shine came on for her second City debut a little earlier than perhaps planned. Stirling Uni had started the game well and took the lead shortly before half time when Gemma Mason headed home from a corner. However, City broke up the other end from the kick-off and Shine set up Lauder to equalise without a Stirling Uni player touching the ball. Another Shine assist allowed Kirsty Howat to break the away side’s resistance in the second half before an own goal extended their advantage. Howat scored again while Shine hit the post and was denied by a super stop by Chloe Logan before she got the goal her performance deserved to round off a 5-1 win.
18/4/19- Celtic v Glasgow City
A potential banana skin presented itself a few weeks later as City travelled to Lennoxtown to face Celtic. Kathleen McGovern gave the home side the lead but she quickly went from hero to zero after she was sent off for a rash challenge on Leanne Crichton in the second half. Jordan McLintock’s effort was deflected in off Emma Black as City equalised but time was against them. Shine had had a couple of chances to find the net but it didn’t look like it was going to be her night. That was until she combined with Howat on the edge of the box and, with the help of the post, she managed to find the net from an acute angle as City turned a night to forget into one to remember.
26/9/19- Glasgow City v Chertanovo Moscow
Back from a successful trip to the Russian capital, City faced a relegation-threatened Chertanovo at Petershill with a slender 1-0 lead from the first leg. However, just three minutes in, the aggregate lead was wiped out when Kristina Komissarova slotted home. City rallied and Shine was again at the heart of it. First she set up Hayley Lauder to equalise on the night and restore City’s aggregate lead before a corner fell perfectly for her to smash home and give City the lead on the night as well. You wouldn’t have guessed it, but Shine had never scored a Champions League goal before. Rachel McLaughlin extended City’s lead before Shine picked up another assist for Lauder’s second as City passed the first hurdle on their road to the quarter-finals.