PLAIN CAILIN AS HIBEES LIFT CUP
Roberts hails Michie for bouncing back from blunder to be final hero
CHRIS ROBERTS praised Cailin Michie for the way she shrugged off a horror mistake to help Hibs to a second successive SWPL Cup win.
Roberts’s side defeated Celtic 4-1 at Broadwood in the first cup final of the season last weekend with Kirsty Smith, Lucy Graham, Rachel McLauchlan and Rachael Small all netting.
But it was the midfielder’s error that led to Ruesha Littlejohn’s equaliser early in the game when she failed to control a long diagonal ball into the box.
Yet Michie, 19, refused to crumble, bouncing back to win player of the match and Roberts reckons that shows the strength of character she has.
He said: “Mistakes happen. You are looking for responses and I thought to get player of the match in the end shows the type of response she had.
“It was a difficult ball coming in. She was probably caught in two minds whether to put it for a corner or try to play it.
“Cailin’s very strong mentally. She didn’t play for us as much last year but has been exceptional this year for us. She’s so good.”
That win could be the first of a historic treble for Roberts’s side and tomorrow they host Stirling University as they return to league action trailing leaders Glasgow City by just a point.
City are the only side still unbeaten in the league ahead of their trip to Spartans who were controversially awarded a 3-0 win over Aberdeen 10 days ago after the Dons were unable to field a midweek side.
The Granite City side, who say the average age of their squad is just 17, were refused a request to move the game to the weekend. They argued it was unreasonable to take players out of school but the SWPL insisted it should have been played as it was an original fixture date.
The Dons, bottom of the table on just two points, head to Rangers tomorrow while fellow strugglers Hamilton are away to Celtic.