AFC Women continued their fine league form this afternoon with an 11-0 victory over Montrose Ladies at Links Park.
Report: Mark Gordon / Image: Aberdeen FC
Aberdeen produced a storming second half performance as they got back to winning ways with an impressive 11-0 victory over Montrose at Links Park.
Eva Thomson, Jessica Broadrick, Carrie Doig and Anna Blanchard all returned to the starting line-up as the Dons commenced with league business following last week’s narrow Scottish Cup defeat to Rangers.
The visitors didn’t start the match as quickly as they usually do but they still got themselves in front as early as the 13th-minute of the match. Lauren Gordon turned her marker with a clever drag-back and delivered a left foot cross to Bayley HUTCHISON who finished high into the net for the game’s opening goal.
Hutchison again tested Williamson in the Montrose goal after 18-minutes but the keeper comfortably held the long-range effort. Francesca Ogilvie then came close as she cut in from the left and fired straight at the keeper.
The Dons doubled their lead in the 29th-minute as HUTCHISON scored her second of the match. Gordon again assisted as she flicked the ball into the path of the youngster who fired a shot across Williamson for 2-0.
Despite being comfortable in the match Aberdeen never quite fully hit their stride in the first half but they did put some good moves together. Gordon combined well with Loren Campbell to set up Eilidh Shore with a chance which she sent wide of the target.
Montrose defended doggedly throughout the first period, their only chance of the half coming from a speculative Lydia Broadley shot from distance which failed to trouble Blanchard in the visitor’s goal.
The half finished with the team in red looking more likely to score with Hutchison again testing the Montrose keeper but they had to settle with a two-goal lead as the teams went in at the interval.
HT: MONTROSE 0 ABERDEEN 2
Aberdeen made a change at the break with Sophie Jamieson replacing Johan Fraser. The visitors may not have hit top gear in the first half but they certainly made up for that with a far more fluid start to the second with Jamieson making some good early runs on the right.
HUTCHISON burst clear of the Montrose back-line just three minutes after the re-start before sliding the ball home to complete her hat-trick. The Dons were moving the ball far better now as they added some pace to their first half dominance of possession.
It was 4-0 after 54-minutes as Shore robbed Aimee Culley in midfield before playing in OGILVIE who cut in from the left-wing to fire a low shot in at the near post, giving Williamson no chance. Before the hosts could take a breath, Aberdeen made it five almost straight from kick-off.
Broadrick played an excellent angled pass through the Montrose defence to find THOMSON who shot low into the net for a 5-0 lead.
The league-leaders were really flying now as they relentlessly went in search of more goals. Gordon grabbed another assist on 59-minutes as she set up OGILVIE who grabbed her second of the match with a composed finish.
The same two players combined a minute later but this time Williamson was equal to Ogilvie’s shot. Sophie Brown then replaced captain Kelly Forrest as the Dons went in search of more goals. Ogilvie came within a whisker of her hat-trick as she saw her 64th-minute shot come back off the post.
Just a minute later the Dons made it 7-0 as substitute Jamieson got herself on the score sheet. Ogilvie’s cross into the box was cut out as it headed for Gordon and JAMIESON pounced on the rebound to fire home.
Aberdeen refused to take their foot off the gas as the hosts struggled to stop the constant stream of attacks. Ogilvie was denied a hat-trick by Williamson but the Montrose goalie was beaten again after 73-minutes.
Ogilvie’s in-swinging corner from the left was met by a brave Jamieson header, the ball fell into the path of HUTCHISON who made no mistake from close range to get her fourth and her team’s eighth goal of the game.
The fitness levels of the Aberdeen players told in the closing stages as they kept up the pace as their opponents tired. THOMSON grabbed her second of the match in the 86th-minute as she squeezed the ball in from a tight angle.
It was 10-0 just two minutes later as Ogilvie finally completed her hat-trick. Hutchison played the ball through the Montrose defence and OGILVIE again cut in from the left to gather and fire beyond the luckless Williamson.
There was still time to add an eleventh goal with just seconds of the ninety remaining. SHORE’s composed side-footed finish found the corner of the net to complete the scoring and end an impressive second-half performance, putting the seal on an 11-0 victory.
FT: MONTROSE 0 ABERDEEN 11
STATS
ABERDEEN: Anna BLANCHARD, Jessica BROADRICK, Loren CAMPBELL, Kelly FORREST (Sophie BROWN 62mins), Carrie DOIG, Eva THOMSON, Eilidh SHORE, Bayley HUTCHISON, Lauren GORDON, Johan FRASER (Sophie JAMIESON 46mins), Francesca OGILVIE
BOOKED: OGILVIE (91mins)
MONTROSE: Kate WILLIAMSON, Debbie CRAWFORD (Skye CALDER 69mins), Lucy SMITH, Michelle SMITH, Holly TURNBULL, Kristy FERRIES, Lauren BOYLAN, Aimee CULLEY, Eilidh REID, Charlotte GAMMIE, Lydia BROADLEY
Subs Not Used: Lisa ANDERSON, Laura SUTHERLAND, Stephanie MCNELLIS
BOOKED: BOYLAN (71mins)
REACTION:
Eva THOMSON: “I think we started off quite slow and we found it hard to get the ball moving quickly and get the runs in behind. In the second it was much better, we managed to move the ball much quicker and were really composed in front of goal. We dominated the game and kept the ball really well in both halves, it just wasn’t quite working in the final third in the first-half. Goal difference can come into to it in the league so we need to keep getting as much goals as we can. My second goal was actually a cross but it just crept into the top corner, I didn’t expect it go in but I was glad to get a few goals”.
Jessica BROADRICK: “I don’t think we got as much out of the first half as we wanted to, we came off at half time two nil up but we were a but disappointed with the way that we played. We did well to score the two goals but we had chances that we didn’t take but we came out in the second half and it was much better. I was playing at left back and then moved into centre back today and it is different as you maybe don’t have as much to do in a game like that but you just have to stay switched on right to the end otherwise you might concede and it was good to get a clean sheet. It doesn’t matter what team we are playing, we’ll try and play to the way we have been told, our philosophy, we did create a lot of chances and there was a short spell where we scored four goals and that just shows what kind of team we are and how good we can be”.
