Hayley Lauds City side and says they can take title race to the wire
Veteran Glasgow City midfielder Hayley Lauder has insisted the reigning SWPL champions can still take the title race to the wire again.
Leanne Ross’ side face Rangers in the SWPL game of the day this afternoon with Jo Potter’s side currently four points better off than City going into the final run-in.
A win for Rangers would leave City trailing by seven and, should Celtic beat Partick Thistle this afternoon, would also leave them six adrift of Elena Sadiku’s side.
“We have experience, we have youth and we have that resilience,” said Scotland internationalist Lauder. “On our part, we are very focused about the task ahead and we know what we have to do.
“We saw how points and positions changed last season. These are the games we want to be involved and we have the depth and talent and we certainly believe we are in this title race. For me, that is what we take into Sunday.”
Ross has been frustrated at the volume of games amid concerns of overloading players and, for many, this will be a threegame week as they head into domestic games on the back of international football.
City had to wait on players coming back from various places around the world which restricted preparations, with Ross also involved as part of Pedro Martinez
Losa’s backroom staff. She is well aware that stifling the threat of Rangers this afternoon will be a formidable challenge.
“Rangers are at the top of the league for a reason,” said the City manager. “Jo has got them are really organised in and out of possession. We have done our homework but they are a threat all over the pitch. We know that.
“It will be exciting for the neutrals but it will be difficult.
“When you get to this stage of the season there is so little margin for error. We have a team who are fully focused and players thrive on that.”
Potter is ready for the business end of the season as Rangers look to claim a domestic treble.
They have already banked the Sky Sports Cup and have set the tone on the SWPL across the duration of the campaign.
“The position that we’re in says a lot,” said the Rangers manager. “We’ve earned this, to be in this position. It is not just by chance, you don’t just fluke yourself to this point, having a trophy in the cabinet already.
“It’s nowhere near done and it’s the toughest part of the season now but it’s something that we have to relish and enjoy.
“Everybody wants to play in these games so that’s the moment where we need to puff out our chests and take on the challenge.”
Celtic have hit a bit of form ahead of the final straight. They face a Partick Thistle side who have Brian Graham banned from the dug-out as he kicks off a three-game suspension wile goalkeeper Ava Easdon has been recalled to parent club Glasgow City.
And Sadiku has maintained there is a quiet belief that they can win their first ever league title.
“Even though our focus is on Partick Thistle, we know what is coming up,” said the Swede. “For me, where we are working towards, it is no secret that we want to write history.
“We want to make sure that we win all the games that we have. That is our ambition.
“We are working towards writing history, and everybody knows that. Celtic hasn’t won the league yet, and that is something that we go in for training every day, and I can sit here and say confidently, that the girls have been doing amazing.”
Meanwhile, Hearts, who played the game with 10 players for the bulk of the contest after the dismissal of first goalscorer Kathleen Mcgovern, claimed the spoils in Friday night’s Edinburgh derby with a 2-0 win over Hibs at the Oriam. It puts Eva Olid’s side six points clear of their Edinburgh rivals.
“I was so proud of my players,” said Olid. ”It was not a red card. That happens 100 times in a match and we did not expect that red card but the team reacted amazingly and everyone worked so hard.”
At the bottom end of the table, Spartans take on Montrose, Aberdeen play Hamilton and Motherwell play Dundee United.
Accies and United are level on points at the foot of the table as the business end of the season looms ever closer.