SWPL Team of the Week – 17th & 21st April

Team of the Week from the ScottishPower Women’s Premier League games played on Wednesday 17th and Sunday 21st April.

Written by Jack Donnelly.

Goalkeeper – Beth Rennie (Boroughmuir Thistle)

In a weekend devoid of clean sheets in Scotland’s second tier, picking a goalkeeper really comes down to who conceded the fewest against the greatest amount of pressure. Step up, Beth Rennie. The Boroughmuir Thistle stopper performed heroically against a troublesome Gartcairn front line, making six saves to keep the match level and share the spoils at the final whistle.

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Defender – Caitlin Hayes (Celtic)

The last week has been momentous for Celtic, with the green side of Glasgow winning twice to leapfrog rivals Rangers and sit at the summit of the ScottishPower Women’s Premier League table. Keeping two clean sheets, and scoring an all-important goal against Hibernian, few would be shocked to see Caitlin Hayes make another Team of the Week. The defensive colossus made over 30 recoveries and won over 30 duels over the last seven days, once again standing out as one of Elena Sadiku’s most important players.

Defender – Dion McMahon (Spartans)

A big week for relative new Head Coach Jack Beesley, as his Spartans side picked up four points from a possible six to put some extra breathing room between themselves and playoff-threatened Hamilton. Spartans stalwart Dion McMahon got stuck right in across the last two fixtures, scoring a crucial equaliser late into the clash with Motherwell, winning a combined 25 duels, and making a combined 26 recoveries, in a pair of particularly prominent performances.

Defender – Amy Muir (Glasgow City)

Two big wins in the last week from champions Glasgow City has kept them in the running for the ScottishPower Women’s Premier League title, despite some recent troubles against their nearest rivals. Full back Amy Muir certainly enjoyed herself across both fixtures, seeing plenty of success with the ball at her feet. Registering a pass accuracy of 86% against Partick Thistle in midweek, the 24-year-old was key against her former side Hibernian at the weekend, with a fellow former Hibee, Lauren Davidson, converting her cross to score Sunday’s solitary goal and secure six points from six for the week.

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Midfielder – Ellie Kane (Queen’s Park)

Another week, another win, and another TOTW appearance for Queen’s Park’s leading lady. Ellie Kane was, once again, at the heart of everything in The Spiders’ 2-1 win over Glasgow Women on Sunday afternoon, setting up Megan Quigley’s equaliser early in the second half, before popping up in the box to score the winner and snatch all three points in the game’s final moments.

Midfielder – Abby Robinson (Kilmarnock)

With just four games left to go in the ScottishPower Women’s Premier League 2 season, Kilmarnock need all the points they can get if they are to consolidate their place in the promotion playoff, and they made a huge step forward with a 6-1 win over Stirling University on Sunday. Abby Robinson had a hand in half of her side’s goals, as the 25-year-old bagged herself a brace and set up a third in an excellent attacking performance. The attacking midfielder also won 13 duels and made 11 recoveries, as she dominated the middle of the park.

Midfielder – Jade McLaren (Montrose)

While Montrose fell short in both of their matches in the last week, the former ScottishPower Women’s Premier League 2 champions made more than an admirable attempt in both fixtures, running both Aberdeen and Motherwell right to the final whistle. As she has done so regularly this season, Jade McLaren was crucial for The Mo in the middle of the park, winning 22 duels and making 35 recoveries across both matches.

Midfielder – Mason Clark (Hamilton Academical)

Despite a less-than-ideal result against Spartans on Sunday, Hamilton found their shooting boots against relegation rivals Dundee United last Wednesday, sticking five past the Terrors at New Douglas Park. Mason Clark was the standout for Accies across both fixtures, with the youngster firing a brace past Megan Sidey in midweek, while showing drive and determination beyond her 17 years in both matches, making a real impression on both occasions.

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Forward – Murphy Agnew (Celtic)

As mentioned with  Hayes, the last week was no less than massive for Elena Sadiku’s Celtic, with the new league leaders strutting their stuff against Hearts on Sunday in their first visit to Celtic Park this season. It takes a lot to stand out in Celtic’s prolific front line, but Murphy Agnew has certainly made her mark in recent weeks, displaying excellent finishing as she bagged her second hat trick of the season and picked up Player of the Match from the BBC Alba team for her second match in a row.

Forward – Morgan Cross (Motherwell)

Motherwell saw success in the last week, picking up four points from six against Spartans and Montrose, with both performances being built on solid team foundations. That said, Morgan Cross was combative, decisive, and influential as she led the line, chipping in with a goal against Montrose and winning 32 duels combined across the two fixtures.

Forward & Star Player – Bayley Hutchison (Aberdeen)

A player, particularly a striker, is always searching for that purple patch of form, where they can seemingly do no wrong – Aberdeen’s Bayley Hutchison is currently in that patch, and has The Dons on course for a storming end to the season. Spearheading the attack, as always, the young star found the back of the net five times in the last week, making it seven goals in her last three and installing herself as the ScottishPower Women’s Premier League’s new top scorer – if that’s not worth of a Star Player award from us, I’m not sure what is.