Hearts Women moved five points clear at top of the Scottish Power Women’s Premier League with a 3-0 victory over Partick Thistle at Oriam on Tuesday night.
Jenna Slattery had the Jambos ahead early on and strikes from Georgia Timms and Georgia Hunter in the second half were enough to seal what in the end, was a routine victory.
Eva Olid made two changes from the side that saw off Rangers on Friday night with the skipper Hunter returning to the backline and Slattery moving into attack, with Danique Ypema and Timms dropping out.
Throughout her time at Hearts, Olid has often mentioned how difficult an opposition Partick Thistle can be, mainly due to their durability and organisation. Against those teams, the key is an early goal, and the Jambos got it inside seven minutes.
It was the first time Hearts had really managed to string together any of the slick combination passing that we’ve seen so often this season, in the early exchanges and it sent Jess Husband marauding down the right wing. She produced a lovely nutmeg, before pulling the ball back for Carly Johns, who, with the ball slightly behind her, did well to improvise, backheeling the ball into the path of Jenna Slattery, who slammed the ball home at the back post from close-range.
To the visitors’ credit, they responded well to that early setback, without troubling Rachael Johnstone. The Jags were seeing their fair share of the ball and had come with a game plan, keen to press the Hearts defence while trying to play out from the back.
Thistle were restricting the league leaders to very little, but they were carved open by a great pass from Carly Girasoli on 24 minutes, releasing Kayla Jardine down the right wing, she chopped inside onto her left foot and fired a low shot that was well held by Jennifer Currie.
Hearts weren’t having everything their own way though and former Jambo Addie Handley made good ground down the right touchline and after a smart one-two, she curled the ball into the arms of Johnstone from distance.
The Hearts stopper was forced into a better stop with the final action of the half, keeping out Erin Rennie’s back post effort after a dangerous cross was allowed to come in from the Thistle right.
Half-time: Hearts 1-0 Partick Thistle
Olid made a change at the interval. Bringing on Georgia Timms in place of Carly Johns and it paid dividends straight away as Timms broke away down the right wing and her low cross was tapped home by Joely Andrews from a matter of yards.
The Jambos had a spring in their step after the break and the points were sealed just before the hour mark. A corner from the right was flicked on at the front post and Currie could only parry the ball as far as Hunter, who slammed the ball into the empty net for 3-0.
The chances kept coming for the women in maroon and after Sade Adamolekun’s cross had come back off the post, Jess Husband burst down the right wing with her cross just evading Timms, who was waiting to tap home in the middle.
The number nine was heavily involved, following her half-time introduction and fresh off the back of her PFA Team of the Season nomination, she forced Currie into an excellent stop from distance, a strong hand from the stopper was just enough to get the ball onto the post and away from goal.
Hearts kept the back door shut at the other end as the visitors kept working until the end to ensure the Jambos didn’t add to the scoreline in the final exchanges, but a clean sheet, three goals and three points pushes the Jambos one step closer to a first ever SWPL title.
Hearts: Johnstone, J.Husband (Forsyth, 66), E.Husband, Hunter, Wade (Richards, 66), Dolan, Jardine (Adamolekun, 56), Andrews, Girasoli, Johns (Timms, 46), Slattery (Chomczuk, 75)
Subs: Thomson, Ypema, Forsyth, Timms, Adamolekun, Richards, Burn, Chomczuk, Campbell
Partick Thistle: Currie, Slater, Handley, McCulloch, Falconer ©, Love, Rennie, Donaldson, Taylor, McGoldrick, Longcake
Subs: Macnair, King, McAllister, Syrjanen, Turner, Hollis
