Semi-final spot up for grabs at McDiarmid

St Johnstone Women have the opportunity to advance into the semi-final of the Scottish Cup this weekend.

The Perth ladies welcome in-form Scottish Women’s Premier League 2 champions Motherwell to McDiarmid Park on Sunday afternoon.

Assistant manager John Fettes insists home players will be determined to defy the odds and book a last four place.

Motherwell narrowly got the better of Saints in the league earlier in the season.

But Fettes said:“If you look at the last game we played against Motherwell, we did very well.

“It took a wonder strike from Megan Burns to break the teams up and we narrowly lost 2-1. The difference this time is that it’s a one off game.

“There are no points at stake and you’re not trying to get up the table in the league.

“We’ll absolutely give Motherwell the respect they are due and congratulate them on winning the league.

“But, without any shadow of doubt, we will be wanting to beat them.”

Saints head into the game off the back of a disappointing 2-0 league defeat against Hearts last weekend.

Fettes knows the players will be relishing the chance to bounce back in style.

“We need a reaction, that is the be all and end all,”he said.“With the group of players we’ve got, I fully expect there will be one. They will demand it off each other.

“Any other time we’ve needed a reaction they’ve come up with one, playing and training the way we’d expect and know they can.

“For three consecutive years we have made the quarter final so there isn’t a better incentive than to get into a national semi-final.

“That would be a fantastic achievement when you consider the teams that have been in the competition.

“Getting to this stage and beyond is something we want to be aspiring to year after year.”

Kick-off at McDiarmid on Sunday afternoon is 4pm and the club is hoping for a large turnout to cheer the team into the next round.