SWPL Team of the Week – 13th October

Team of the Week from ScottishPower Women’s Premier League games played on Sunday 13th October.

Written by Jack Donnelly

Goalkeeper – Rowena Armitage (Montrose)

After having her recent emergency loan spell from Hibernian extended for the remainder of 2024, Rowena Armitage was straight into action for Montrose as Partick Thistle visited Links Park. The young goalkeeper was impressive in between the sticks, making six saves to keep the Gable Endies in the game, and ultimately secure a point from a 1-1 draw against the Glasgow side. With that being 14 saves across just two appearances, Armitage is well on her way to filling the gloves of the injured Lauren Perry.

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Defender – Nicola Jamieson (Aberdeen)

After a seven-game winless run, Aberdeen were able to lift themselves out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 victory over Queen’s Park on Sunday afternoon. With the SWPL 2 champions matching the Dons every step of the way, it took a big shift from Aberdeen’s defence to preserve their clean sheet, with Nicola Jamieson being the standout on this occasion. The 23-year old won nine duels and made 14 recoveries of possession, and was also impactful at the top end of the pitch, assisting Hannah Stewart for the opening goal of the game.

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Defender – Erin Husband (Heart of Midlothian)

It was a historic day at the Oriam on Sunday, as for the first time in their history, Hearts defeated Celtic, with a 1-0 win earning the Jambos all three points and moving them two points behind league leaders Rangers. With Eva Olid’s side winning more duels across the park than their opponents, the fight and determination was evident, with Erin Husband excelling under the pressure from the Celtic front line. The teenage talent won nine duels, made six interceptions and a whopping 18 recoveries, all while impressing with the ball at her feet, completing 84% of her passes.

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Defender – Madilyn Wilson (Gartcairn)

Gartcairn made it two wins on the bounce, as an away trip to St. Johnstone saw Graeme Hart’s side fight hard to run out 2-1 winners. The Lanarkshire side battled well to secure the three points at the Riverside Stadium, with young defender Madilyn Wilson excelling at left back. The 19-year-old won 12 duels and made 17 interceptions on her way to securing Gartcairn’s fourth win of the season, and keeping her side just four points behind Kilmarnock in second.

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Midfielder – Emily Whelan (Glasgow City)

SWPL football featured at Ibrox for the first time this season, as Govan played host to a top-of-the-table clash between Rangers and Glasgow City, with the spoils being shared after 90 minutes of action. Both sides had a number of chances, with City’s Emily Whelan taking hers in the first half to open the scoring. Following on from an excellent run into the box by Brenna Lovera, Whelan found herself in the right place at the right time to fire the ball past Jenna Fife, and put City in control of the match.

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Midfielder – Lucy Sinclair (Partick Thistle)

As previously mentioned, Partick Thistle made the trip north to face off against Montrose on Sunday, and walked away with a point after Carla Boyce levelled the match in the second half. Thistle were made to fight for every ball by the Gable Endies, with Lucy Sinclair constantly battling in midfield. The 21-year-old got stuck in from the first minute, and ended up winning 13 duels and making eight interceptions, while making more recoveries of possession than anyone else in the top flight this weekend, with 25.

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Midfielder – Rachel Walkingshaw (Livingston)

A five-goal thriller played out in SWPL 2 on Sunday afternoon, with Boroughmuir Thistle welcoming Livingston to Meadowbank. The away side snatched all three points at the death, with Emma McFadyen coming off the bench to fire in the winner, but it was midfielder Rachel Walkingshaw who made the biggest impact in the capital. The 30-year-old opened the scoring, firing a free kick past Toni Harkness in the Thistle goal, and assisted Livi’s second, sending in a corner for Hannah Davie to convert from close range.

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Midfielder – Abby Robinson (Kilmarnock)

Kilmarnock extended their undefeated streak in SWPL 2 to seven matches with their third win on the bounce on Sunday, running out 4-1 winners against Rossvale at Rugby Park. Abby Robinson took most of the plaudits from Killie’s win against the Bishopbriggs side, with the 26-year-old bagging herself a brace from the middle of the park. Away from her goals, Robinson got stuck into the midfield battle, winning a massive 24 duels and making 11 recoveries, nine of which came in the opposition half, showcasing a successful press from the home side.

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Forward – Laura Berry (Motherwell)

Fresh off the back of winning the SWPL Player of the Month award, Motherwell’s Laura Berry showed exactly why her fellow players voted for her to receive the accolade, as she popped up with two goals in Motherwell’s 4-1 win over Dundee United at K-Park. The Rangers loanee certainly impressed up front, making sure she was involved in the play by dropping deep and drifting out wide, finishing the match with a passing accuracy of 94%. The 17-year-old also completed eight dribbles and won 10 duels in a very positive performance.

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Forward – Josi Giard (Hamilton Academical)

Hamilton continued their march through the second division on Sunday afternoon, as they welcomed Ayr United to New Douglas Park and handed the Ayrshire side a 3-0 defeat. Robert Watson’s side recorded their fourth league clean sheet in a row on Sunday, but coming back to haunt Ayr was striker Josi Giard. The German forward, who scored a hat trick when the sides first met earlier this season, added another two goals to her season tally in this encounter, taking her to eight for the season. Giard also completed an impressive 11 dribbles and won 17 duels, which further shows how much trouble she caused her opposing defenders.

Forward & Star Player – Eilidh Adams (Hibernian)

To cap off this week’s team, we have our Star Player and, for the second time this season, Eilidh Adams receives the award off the back of a hat trick for Hibernian. The 20-year-old was in blistering form in Hibs’ 4-1 win over Edinburgh rivals Spartans on Sunday afternoon at Ainslie Park, scoring twice from the penalty spot and firing in a close range finish in between her spot kicks. This makes it 12 goals in just 10 league appearances for Adams, moving her second in the goalscoring charts, with only Rangers’ Katie Wilkinson having found the back of the net more.