The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Dons striker sets nd sights on Mo goals
Bayley Hutchison has her sights set on Aberdeen Women’s next game at Pittodrie after she reached the top of the SWPL’s goalscoing charts.
The 20-year-old’s hattrick in the 5-1 win at Dundee United last weekend saw her hit 24 goals for the season.
She is the most prolific forward in the division, with Celtic’s Amy Gallacher (22), Rangers’ Rio Hardy (21) and Hibernian’s Jorian Baucom (21) – both fulltime professionals – her closest rivals.
This is the third consecutive season the Aberdeen forward has hit double figures in the topflight, with this being her best campaign to date.
Hutchison said: “I try not to look at it too much because it puts a bit more pressure on myself.
“They are all top-class players and to be up with them is unreal but I try not to look at it too much.
“If I can keep going every weekend, doing what I do for the team and keep scoring then I will do that.”
Hutchison’s next chance in front of goal will be on Tuesday when Aberdeen Women return to Pittodrie for the third time, hosting Montrose.
Against the Gable Endies the Dons will be looking to win their fifth game from six since the split, having only lost against Motherwell following the league breakaway.
Hutchison said: “At the start of the season, 15 goals was probably what I was looking for.
“To then get to 20 and now where I’m at, I will keep going and going, but the most important thing is we have to keep winning.
“The next game is at Pittodrie, so that will be a big one. We want to go out there and get a good win in front of a good crowd.
“Montrose will be a tough game and it is always close when we play them.
“We want to try and keep the momentum going. We will put a good week of training in and kick on from there.” Hutchison – who is out of contract at the end of the season and says discussions with the club have started – earned high praise from manager Clint Lancaster.
He believes the young striker is the best in the SWPL when in front of goal, as he said: “Bayley is phenomenal. I don’t think there is a better striker in front of goal in the league.
“There are good goal scorers in the league, but one-v-one with the goalkeeper Bayley is going to score and she proved that at Dundee United.
“Even when under pressure she puts the ball in the net. Bayley will say this herself, it is her teammates as well. Some of the passes that are played through to her are just brilliant. She is not someone who will run to press all the time but she has got players around her that will do that because we need Bayley in the right place at the right time.”