“
Hutchison Vale had deserved.
However, their three-two lead lasted a matter of
minutes as Linlithgow responded in style through
McIntosh again. Skipping past two opposition players,
McIntosh drove towards goal and rifled her shot past
the keeper, claiming her hat-trick. There was barely time
for the large crowd at Ainslie Park to catch their breath
before McIntosh scored yet again. Set up by a ball from
Lucy McEwan, she unleashed a shot from range that flew
into the corner of the net. Linlithgow Rose now had the
lead after being a goal down minutes beforehand.
Hutchison Vale were not out of the match however
and after coming back from behind twice already, they
were inspired to repeat this again and remarkably on fiftytwo minutes they did so through Eve MacFadden. After
playing the first half in goals, MacFadden had gone on to
score her second of two vital goals for her team, keeping
their cup hopes alive with around ten minutes remaining.
As the possibility of extra-time loomed for the players, it
was still almost certai n after such
a second half display that there
would be at least one more goal
to come from the game. Kirsty
Barnes of Linlithgow had delivered
some great crosses from corner
kicks throughout the game, it was
perhaps only fair that she was rewarded
for her efforts. With a couple of minutes
remaining, Barnes delivered a ball from the corner that
swung sharply left and bounced off a Hutchison Vale
defender into the net, much to the delight of the Rose
bench and the supporters in the stand how now surely
believed that the win was sealed for their team..
There was still time left however for McIntosh to grab
her fifth of the game as she calmly placed the ball past the
keeper, capping off a day to remember for the number
nine, who’s eye for goal and composure was second to
none. Some committed defending from Fiona Tuckett in
the final stages of the match prevented Vale the chance to
stage yet another come back and ultimately the two goal
lead of Linlithgow was enough to see out the game
It is Linlithgow Rose then who lift the Hayley Lauder
Cup after a match where, for its entirety, the result was
never certain. The win will mean even more to Rose
after the heartbreak of losing last year’s final to the
same Hutchison Vale side. Both teams showed great
sportsmanship and played with a fast-flowing passing
style that made the game fascinating to watch and a prime
example of what cup finals are all about.
There was barely
time for the crowd
to catch their
breath...
in the game, Hutchison Vale showed great strength of
character and determination by going on to create a host
of chances to score soon after. Their pressure paid off
when on the forty-minute mark, Tina O’Hara grabbed her
second goal of the game after hitting a speculative shot
from distance. Leaving the Rose keeper with little to do to
prevent the goal, O’Hara’s shot hit the inside of the right
post and rolled into the net.
Having equalised, Vale began to play with more
confidence and pressed slightly higher in search of
another goal. They got their reward when a brilliant
passing move from the back found its way to Hannah
Baillie. Baillie set up Eve MacFadden, who with no
hesitation slotted the ball into the net completing a
remarkable turnaround in the game but no more than
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