Kirsten Reilly's Reaction After Women's Champions League Draw

Kirsten Reilly insists Hibernian Women are “confident in their own ability” after being drawn against Danish champions Fortuna Hjørring in the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifiers. 

The title-winning midfielder spoke to the press following the Second Qualifying Round draw, which saw the Hibees pitted against the 2003 UEFA Women’s Cup finalists in the Semi-Final stage of the round. Cypriot outfit Apollon Ladies and Swiss side BSC Young Boys were also drawn in the Hibs' mini-tournament bracket. 

“We're all really excited by the draw,” Reilly told the media. “Obviously, it was going to be tough opposition no matter who we got. They're a very strong team in their own league, but we're really looking forward to it and excited for the challenge.

“We've already surprised [people] by winning the league, so why not do it again? We are confident in our own ability, so we just need to take the same game we played last season into the Champions League and hopefully it'll work there as well. 

"I'm really looking forward to it. It's a great competition to be in. It's good to have more games and play with people from outwith the league, so it'll be really exciting. It'll be a big challenge, but it's really exciting for us all.”

Stern opposition will greet the Hibees, with Fortuna Hjørring having reached the Champions League last 16 within the past decade – before losing to Manchester City – while potential next stage opponents Apollon and Young Boys have both experienced great success in their own respective domestic competitions. 

Reilly, who was a key component of the Hibs Women squad that secured the Club’s first SWPL title in 18 years in May, is insistent that the team will be successful in continental competition if they maintain their competitive edge and continue to lean into the strengths that resulted in success last season. 

“These teams all have different styles of play that we've probably not come up against before, different opposition that we've never seen either. It will be a big challenge, but we need to see if we can play to our strengths.

“You could see the togetherness in the team [last season]. We literally fought for absolutely everything last year, so if we're able to bring that next season, in the Champions League, that will be massive because we obviously don't know what we're up against. We've never seen them before, so to have that fighting spirit in the team could be a big point for us.”

That togetherness will remain largely intact this season, with Grant Scott retaining 17 First Team players under contract from last season’s historic campaign – including Reilly, who consistently impressed in the middle of the park and remained ever present in the Hibees’ starting XI. 

This continuity will be a great key to success according to Reilly, as will experienced heads in the squad guiding younger stars through matches on the European stage against stern opposition and detailed analysis of team who will provide Hibs with a different challenge than most domestic opposition.

“We've obviously kept a massive core of the squad for next season and all the staff are still here, so we all know each other well. It'll be really good to go into the Champions League as almost the same squad as last year because we know what we're like, we know how we play.

“We've got quite a few girls in the squad that have got European experience, so we can help the ones that haven't. We just need to approach each game as we did this year. We'll analyse the opposition before we go as best we can, but we need to play our game and hopefully that can be enough to win these games.”