Hearts Women returned to winning ways in the Scottish Power Women’s Premier League with a commanding 4-0 victory over Partick Thistle at Oriam on Sunday afternoon.
Fresh from their eye-catching 19-0 demolition of Stirling University in the Scottish Cup, Eva Olid made two changes to her starting XI. Kayla Jardine came in for Monica Forsyth out wide, while captain Georgia Hunter was preferred to Carly Girasoli at the heart of the defence.
Hearts started brightly and almost struck inside the opening 10 minutes. Danique Ypema switched play superbly to Jardine, who slipped Georgia Timms into the box. The winger cut inside and unleashed a right-footed effort, but her shot flew just over the bar.
Thistle showed they were willing to threaten on the counter, with Erin Rennie testing Carolina Vilao from distance, though the Hearts keeper gathered comfortably.
At the other end, the Jambos continued to probe. Carly Johns was denied from close range by a sharp save from Jeni Currie, before Jardine came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock on 38 minutes, as her long-range strike crashed off the crossbar.
Despite Hearts’ pressure, the sides went in level at the break.
Half-time: Hearts 0-0 Partick Thistle
The hosts emerged for the second half with renewed intensity and were ahead within two minutes. Timms surged down the right flank and picked out Johns with a precise cut-back, and the striker made no mistake, drilling the ball past Currie into the bottom corner.
Sade Adamolekun almost doubled the advantage soon after, arriving on the end of another Timms delivery, but she blazed over from close range.
The midfielder would quickly atone for that miss in spectacular fashion. On 67 minutes, Lauren Wade found Adamolekun on the edge of the area, and she cut onto her right foot before curling a sublime effort into the far corner to make it 2-0.
Timms capped an influential afternoon with a goal of her own in the 81st minute, collecting the ball just outside the box and smashing a right-footed strike off the post and into the net.
Hearts rounded off a dominant display in stoppage time. Ellen Dolan was initially denied by Currie, but substitute Monica Forsyth reacted quickest to slam home the rebound from close range and seal the 4-0 victory.
It was a thoroughly deserved win for Eva Olid’s side, who now turn their attention back to league action with a trip north to face Montrose on Wednesday evening.
Hearts: Vilao, Ypema, Husband, Hunter © (J.Husband, 72’), Timms, Adamolekun, Wade (Halliday, 83’), Jardine (Forsyth, 83’), Hutchison (Shore, 46’), Johns, Slattery (Dolan, 83’)
Subs: Johnstone, Husband, Forsyth, Shore, Dolan, Halliday, Girasoli, Chomczuk, Campbell
Partick Thistle: Currie, Slater, Falconer ©, King, Rennie, Donaldson, Ferguson, Taylor, Tweedie, Hollis
Subs: Macnair, McCulloch, Love, Mcallister, English, Syrjanen
