City’s Clare retires aged 27 after her troubled past
Today’s game against Hearts will be the last for Glasgow City striker, Clare Shine, after the 27-year-old announced yesterday that she is retiring from football.
Shine, who has scored 70 goals in 105 games for the club, revealed her problems with mental health and addiction issues last year, which led to two suicide attempts.
She said: “Throughout the last few years, I have struggled both physically and mentally to reach the demands as a professional footballer.
“I have decided it’s time for me to put myself first and step away from football.”
She will continue in her other role as Glasgow City Foundation project coordinator.
Meanwhile, Hearts’ assistant manager, Sean Burt, believes it’s too early to judge his side’s strong start to the SWPL season.
The Edinburgh club sit fourth after five games, behind Rangers, Celtic and Glasgow City, and travel to Petershill Park today to play City, who are a place above them.
“We’ll have a better indication after we’ve played a full round of fixtures, but it’s a decent start,” said Burt, who is No. 2 to Eva Olid.
“With the players we’ve brought in and results going well, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be in the top six.
“That’s the goal that has been set internally.”
Until this season, the Jambos have always been the third team in
Edinburgh behind Hibs and Spartans.
They were in SWPL 2 when owner, Ann Budge, announced at the club’s AGM in December, 2018 that a six-figure sum would be invested, year on year, in the team.
Promotion followed the next season, but the best Hearts have finished since then is eighth.
They let six players go in the summer, and brought in 10 new faces.
They include Georgia Timms, who has scored six of Hearts’ nine goals to date, and is fourth top scorer in the SWPL.
“We wanted Georgia from the off. She just ticked so many boxes,” Burt said of the 24-yearold. “We watched games and did our homework and spoke with coaches in England.
“We identified a lot of strength, in terms of her physicality but also her work-rate. She’s extremely quick, and prolific in front of goal.”
Hearts gave Rangers their toughest test in the league so far this season, hitting the woodwork twice and not conceding for an hour in a 2-0 away loss last month.
The Light Blues host Motherwell at Broadwood Stadium while secondplaced Celtic travel north to play an Aberdeen side which has taken just one point from the opening 15.
Spartans, who are sixth, play seventh-placed Hibs, who have also made a poor start. Dundee United are at home to Hamilton, and Glasgow Women host Partick Thistle.