Livingston 2 Queen’s Park 3
Queen's finished off their ScottishPower PL2 season with a 3-2 win over Livingston at Beechwood Park, Stoneyburn on Sunday. The win means the Spiders finished 23 points clear at the top of the league.
Craig Joyce made three changes to the starting lineup from last week’s match against Boroughmuir. Lucy Inman replaced Lauren McGregor in goal, while Taylor Davis and Abby Callaghan stepped in for Ciara Bonner and Megan Quigley, respectively. Today’s lineup also celebrated Nicole Cairney’s 70th appearance for the club.
The game started brightly for Queen’s Park as they maintained possession and worked their way up the park. They created several promising attacks and displayed some neat passages of play, but Livingston’s defence held strong, preventing any shots on goal.
In the 18th minute, against the run of play, Livingston took the lead. The Lions were awarded a penalty after it was deemed that Ashley Fish was tripped just inside the box. Natasha Frew took the spot kick, and although Inman initially saved it, Frew quickly pounced on the rebound to score.
Queen’s Park nearly responded immediately when Ellie Kane picked up the ball near the halfway line. She passed it inside to Emma Craig, who then opened up and played it into the channel for Hannah Cunningham to chase. Cunningham drove towards the goal and unleashed a shot powerful that Reeve tipped over the crossbar.
The Spiders continued their search for an equaliser, persistently pressing forward and trying to break through. Their best chance came from a series of corners. One of these fell to Nicole Cairney just inside the box, but her shot was blocked before it could reach the goal.
Despite the Spiders’ efforts, it was Livingston who scored next in the 26th minute. Molly Reeve launched a long goal kick that, after a few bounces, found Anna Dickov in the middle. Dickov played it out wide to Sharon Hughes, who crossed the ball into the box. Ashley Fish met the cross and steered it into the back of the net, doubling Livingston’s lead.
Just four minutes later, Queen’s Park finally broke through. The Spiders built up from the back with some neat interplay between Rachael O’Neill, Monica Harty, and Ellie Kane. Kane then slipped the ball down the line for Harty, who took a brilliant touch inside before finding Abby Callaghan at the edge of the box. Callaghan set herself up perfectly and expertly knocked the ball off the inside of the post and into the back of the net.
The Spiders seemed to be right back in the game when they thought they had equalised just five minutes later. Hannah Cunningham picked up the ball at the back and played a brilliant diagonal ball to Abby Callaghan, who was advancing forward. Callaghan took a fantastic touch to bring the ball down and half-volleyed it perfectly into the top corner. However, the linesman ruled Callaghan offside, and the goal wasn’t awarded.
Livingston had a chance to extend their lead in the 39th minute when Sharon Hughes intercepted a pass in the middle of the park and launched a quick counterattack. Hughes played a one-two with Lauren Evans before firing a shot from just outside the box. Her effort seemed destined to dip under the crossbar, but Lucy Inman made a great save, tipping it onto the crossbar and out for a corner.
Queen’s Park finally got the equaliser they deserved just six minutes later, right on the stroke of halftime. Lucy Inman bravely punched the ball away from a Livingston corner, sparking a quick counterattack. Monica Harty did exceptionally well to turn her marker and drive up the park before releasing Ellie Kane on the right. Kane played it back inside to Harty, who found Ami Robertson making a run through the middle. Robertson calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, levelling the score going into the break.
Half-Time: Livingston 2-2 Queen’s Park
The Spiders came out for the second half raring to go, applying heavy pressure on the Livingston defence in the opening ten minutes. This early pressure caused some chaos in the Livingston box, but despite multiple shots, Queen’s Park couldn’t capitalise on the opportunity. Later, shots from Callaghan and Robertson also tested Reeve, but she did well to keep the score level.
Queen’s Park maintained their relentless pressure, keeping Livingston quiet for much of the second half. In the 60th minute, The Spiders had another good chance when Emma Craig countered after a Lions free kick floated into the box. Craig drilled the ball down the line for Ami Robertson to chase. Robertson drove towards goal and cleverly knocked the ball inside for Monica Harty to finish. Unfortunately, a defender reached the ball before Harty, but after a bit of commotion, Harty managed to get a shot away, which was well blocked by a Livingston defender.
The game continued in a similar vein, though clear-cut chances for The Spiders were fewer. Queen’s Park maintained good possession and pushed forward at every opportunity. The best chance came in the 76th minute when Nicole Cairney took a shot from the edge of the box, but her effort sailed just wide of the post.
There was time for one more goal, and once again, Megan Quigley delivered a late winner in the 87th minute. It was a great team buildup that started with Lucy Inman rolling the ball out to Ellie Kane in midfield. Kane passed to Monica Harty on the left, who cut inside and found Rachael McConnachie in the box. McConnachie laid it off to Ami Robertson, who played it across the face of goal for Quigley to stab home, securing all three points for the final time this season.
Full-Time: Livingston 3-2 Queen’s Park
Livingston: Molly Reeve, Sharon Hughes (Olivia Murphy, 90’), Natasha Frew, Hannah Davie, Lauren Evans (Shola Henderson, 88’), Bryony Ross, Ashley Fish, Emma McFadyen, Anna Dickov (Raewyn Murphy, 59’), Jessica Murphy, Shannon Mulligan.
Subs not used: Schenai Gamrot, Kodie Bell.
Queen’s Park: Lucy Inman, Hannah Cunningham, Taylor Davis, Rachael O’Neill (Elise Macara, 69’), Emma Craig, Monica Harty, Abby Callaghan, Nicole Cairney (Rachael McConnachie, 79’), Ami Robertson, Ellie Kane.
Subs not used: Lauren McGregor, Rachel Ross, Ciara Bonner, Robin Gallagher, Olivia King.
Starting Eleven
Post-Match Interviews
Queen's Goals - Behind the Goal with GoPro
End of Season - and what a season - SWPL2 Champions
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