Aberdeen continued their impressive start to the SWFL1 North season with a resounding 7-0 victory over East Fife at Aberdeen Sports Village. Dons’ left-midfielder Chloe Gover netted four times in the victory adding to a double from Eilidh Shore and a goal for Bayley Hutchsion.
Image / Report: Aberdeen FC
The home-side made two changes from last week’s cup win over Kelty Hearts with Anna Blanchard returning in goal and Bayley Hutchison replacing Lauren Gordon in the starting line- up. It only took 4 minutes for the Dons to get the breakthrough and it was Hutchison who supplied it.
Loren Campbell won the ball high up the field before playing in Hutchison on the right-side of the penalty box. Hutchison ran onto the through ball and from a narrow angle managed to find the back post to give her team the lead.
Despite the wind and rain in the early part of the game the Dons continued their bright start and were rewarded with a second after ten minutes. Johan Fraser gathered the ball on the right before playing a defence-splitting pass through the heart of the East Fife defence. Chloe Gover timed her run well from the left before collecting Fraser’s through-ball and firing in for 2-0.
East Fife started to find a footing in the game and they were prevented from getting on the score sheet in the 15th minute as Anna Blanchard dived to her right to turn a long-range free-kick past the post.
The sides then exchanged chances at the mid-way point of the half. Deirdre O’Riordan’s great defensive header found Gover on the left and her forward pass played in Hutchison in the box but the East Fife keeper raced off her line to block the striker.
It was then the visitors turn to threaten as Blanchard again dived to her right to save well from a shot from the edge of the area. The Dons then put the game beyond the Fifers just after the half-hour mark.
Some strong running from Fraser got her into the visitor’s penalty area and she pulled the ball back to Shore on the edge of the area. Shore then clipped the ball towards the back post where Gover arrived to knock in her second and put Aberdeen 3-0 in front.
It was 4-0 to the reds just two-minutes later and it was Fraser, Shore and Gover who were again involved. Gover’s deep free-kick from the right was met at the back post by Fraser, the ball then broke to SHORE who was in the right place to knock in her side’s fourth.
HT: Aberdeen 4 East Fife 0
Aberdeen were in total control of the game as the sun came out for the second half and they nearly got a fifth on 54 minutes. Skipper Kelly Forrest’s speculative effort from all of 35-yards was misjudged by the East Fife keeper and the ball struck the inside of the post and rolled across the goal-line and away to safety.
The Dons didn’t have to wait long for another goal though as they got their fifth in the 67th minute. Lauren Gordon had only been on the field seven minutes after coming on as a substitute and she had already made an impact by winning two corners.
This time Gordon was played in behind the East Fife defence on the right and she brought out a great save from the visitor’s keeper as she shot across goal. Chloe Gover followed in on the shot and had the easiest of tasks to net the rebound for 5-0 and to complete her hat-trick.
It was six for the Dons on 76-minutes as Gover grabbed herself a fourth goal of the game.
Hutchison had won her team a corner after some good work on the right-wing. Gover then sent her left-footed, in-swinging corner over the heads of everyone and into the net via the back post.
The scoring wasn’t finished there as the home-side rounded off a great victory with a seventh goal, eight minutes from time. Gordon won the ball well in midfield before releasing fellow substitute Sophie Jamieson on the right. Jamieson then squared across goal to Shore who made no mistake in-front of goal to round off a 7-0 win.
FT: Aberdeen 7 East Fife 0
REACTION
Scorers of six of the seven Dons goals Chloe Gover and Eilidh Shore spoke after the game, Eilidh Shore – “It was a really good performance from the girls, right from the beginning we showed that we are good team. I’m happy to get a few goals and keep working hard for the team. It was a bit windy at times but we kept the ball down and showed that we can play football and it was good to get a clean sheet too”.
Chloe Gover – “I’m very happy with the win, we had lots of chances and it was good to get seven goals in the end. I’ve eleven in five games now so I’m happy with that. The goal from the corner isn’t one I’ve scored before, I don’t practise that so it was a new one. We played really well and kept the ball and created lots of chances against a very physical team.”
ABERDEEN TEAM: Anna BLANCHARD, Deirdre O’RIORDAN (Sophie BROWN 73mins), Loren CAMPBELL, Kelly FORREST (C), Carrie DOIG, Natasha BRUCE, Eilidh SHORE, Chloe GOVER, Bayley HUTCHISON, Johan FRASER (Lauren GORDON 46mins), Amy PHILLIPS (Sophie JAMIESON 73mins)
SUB not used : Melia MARQUEZ
