Hearts Women got back to winning ways on Sunday as they defeated Aberdeen 2-0 at Balmoral.
Eva Olid made five changes from last weekend’s Edinburgh Derby as Charlotte Parker-Smith, Emma Brownlie, Jess Husband, Georgia Timms and Jackie Richards all came in from the start.
The women in maroon travelled north looking for a response following last weekend’s disappointment in the derby and they should’ve opened the scoring inside two minutes. Georgia Timms dropped into a nice pocket of space, before turning and sliding in Bayley Hutchison down the right wing, the striker crossed low for Richards, but she fired wide from close range.
The Jambos were again in down the right channel on 8 minutes, Timms again providing the low cross, this time for Joely Andrews, but her shot was saved by Megan Sidey, before Jess Husband’s rebound was well blocked by a red shirt.
It was one-way traffic in the early stages and Hearts got the lead they deserved on 16 minutes. The windy conditions played a part as the Dons failed to deal with a cross into their box and when the ball dropped to Richards, she volleyed through the legs of Sidey to open the scoring.
The Jambos almost doubled their lead just a minute later, as Lizzie Waldie rose highest at the back post to meet Andrews’ corner but couldn’t keep her header down.
The next back post header did find the net however, as Timms marked her return to the side with a goal. Clever play from Lisa Robertson on the left to dig out the perfect cross and the number nine couldn’t miss, guiding her header into the corner past Sidey.
A third goal would’ve made sure of the points, and it almost arrived eight minutes before the break. Timms was causing the hosts all sorts of problems with her pace down the right wing and when she picked out Robertson, the midfielders effort came back off the underside of the bar. Hutchison was on hand to fire home on the rebound, the but the whistle had blown for a foul on Sidey.
Half-time: Aberdeen 0-2 Hearts
Hearts continued to push for the third goal after the interval and they were denied by the crossbar for the second time on 57 minutes. It was tenacious play down the right wing from Jess Husband, she got to the byline, before picking out Eilidh Shore but against her former club, her curling effort came back off the bar.
The second half wasn’t a classic in truth, as both sides made changes, but the damage was done in the first half by the Jambos and although substitute Sade Adamolekun missed a late chance to add a third, the women in maroon had to settle for a 2-0 victory.
Aberdeen: Sidey, Noble, Bruce, Jameison, Gover, Stewart ©, McEvoy, Innes, Thomson, Kraft, Black
Subs: McCann, Murray, Miller, MacPherson, Fraser, Ogilvie, Maclean, Elder
Hearts: Parker-Smith, Brownlie ©, Robertson, Shore, Timms (Forsyth, 81), Waldie, Andrews (Jardine, 59), Hutchison (Beattie. 66), E. Husband, J. Husband (Wade, 66), Richards (Adamolekun, 66)
Subs: Johnstone, Ilijoski, Forsyth, Beattie, Wade, Jardine, Greenwood, Adamolekun, Broadrick
