Cumbernauld were back in league action as they travelled East to face Hearts 23’s. They were hoping to bounce back from their 1st Round shock Scottish Cup defeat at Renfrew Ladies the week before.
The visitors had shrugged of their cup loss and had the game won inside the opening 45 minutes, converting six chances from many more they had created in a first half that could have seen them end it in double figures had they been more clinical.
The opening goal of the match came directly from a Rebecca Young corner that keeper Hannah Maben lost in the early afternoon sun after twelve minutes. Rebecca got hers and the Colts second four minutes later with a cool finish from great team play.
The visitors current top goal scorer Frances Fern was not to be outdone, she bagged a first half brace also. Her first as she lobbed Maben from 18 yards just after the half hour and her second chipping the Hearts keeper from slightly further out two minutes later.
The visitors were in a very comfortable position and it looked like they’d score whenever they wished as they continued to push forward. But for a few loose finishes and the woodwork twice saving the Jambos the Colts would have been in the double figures their attacking play deserved.
There were to be another two goals late into the first half. Melissa Porter nodded home from a pin point Nicole Hutchison centre and Kim Guthrie converting from one of her many bursts through the home sides defensive back line.
With the game won Cumbernauld took their foot slightly off the gas in the second half. Despite this they were to get a further two goals. Fern completing her hat-trick just after the hour mark and Nicole Hutchison nodding home a Lesley Blair corner.
The only blight on the Colts performance was to let Hearts get a goal, denying them the clean sheet. Lauren Macintosh getting the goal for the home side after Fern’s third.
But for two unbelievable saves from Angela McGann in the Colts goal, clawing the ball away from her top right hand corner, Hearts could have had a few more goals in the match for their second half efforts.
The convincing win maintained the Colts undefeated 2016 league run which pleased manager Julie McSherry. After the final whistle she praised her players but reminded them they’d at times let Hearts back into the match with a lack of concentration.
She said “previously we’ve sometimes struggled against teams lower in the league. However, we’ve scored 19 in the last two league matches and conceded a solitary goal in either match. Ideally we’d have loved that to have been two clean sheets. But we’ll work diligently this week in training to prepare for the visit of Rangers to Broadwood on the 22nd of May”.
Teams
Hearts – Cunningham, Fowler, Gilroy, Maben, Macintosh, McDonald, Moore, North, Summers, Scott, Haines
Substitutes – Borthwick, McDermid, Marshall, Wilson
Colts – McGann, Lynsay Guthrie, Blair (c), Ruth Young, Hutchison, Porter, Downie, Martin, Rebecca Young, Kim Guthrie, Fern
Substitutes – McSherry, McIntyre, Shaw, Wardlaw
Player of the Match – Frances Fern
Reported by Stephen Bole
Picture: Cumbernauld Colts
