The women of steel maintained their momentum in chasing down closest-rivals Montrose, as Motherwell secured a dominant 5-1 victory over Montrose in a composed display at the Ross Commercial Finance Stadium at K-Park.
Vice-Captain Chelsie Watson channelled her finest free-kick ability, breaking the deadlock with a curling right-footed striker from distance, with her second ricocheting kindly off the post before falling to the feet of Carla Boyce, who netted her fourth goal in two games.
Midfielder, Mason Clark returned to the scoresheet with a close-range strike in the early stages of the second-half, with recent addition Milly Boughton netting her first and second Motherwell goal to complete an exceptional afternoon in South Lanarkshire.
Even before the first kick of the ball, Motherwell’s tactical preparations were thrown into doubt. The women of steel were forced into an early reshuffle prior to kick-off, with Mia McArthur withdrawing through an injury sustained in the matchday warm-up, as Lucy Ronald was swiftly drafted into the starting line-up.
Despite the disruption, the hosts started firmly on the front foot, dictating possession and applying early pressure in the Montrose half.
The women of steel continued to assert their dominance, with a sustained spell of possession, and the breakthrough finally materialised on the 22nd minute.
Standing over a free-kick 25-yards from goal, Watson stepped up and curled a magnificent right-footed finish into the bottom-left corner to give Motherwell a deserved lead.
Montrose responded well and levelled shortly after the half-hour mark, with former Motherwell striker and 2021/22 Top-Goalscorer McDonald-Nguah drilling home a close-range finish.
Motherwell’s reaction was immediate. Watson again from a set-piece, curled another dangerous strike off the near-post, with the ball ricocheting fortuitously into the path of Boyce, who restored the advantage with a precise finish from the rebound.
The hosts carried their momentum into the second-half and extended their advantage shortly before the hour mark. A well-worked attacking move left Mason Clark staring down the Montrose goal, and the midfielder calmly rounded the goalkeeper before finding the net, giving the hosts a commanding 3-1 lead.
Montrose looked to respond and were presented with an opportunity on the hour mark, but Thomson was once again equal to the effort.
The women of steel continued to press and were rewarded shortly after. Hibernian loanee, Milly Boughton netted her first goal in claret and amber, converting Sophie Townsley’s powerfully whipped delivery across the face of goal.
Despite numerous mistimed challenges, Montrose somehow continued to evade the referees book, with the already yellow-carded Jade McLaren escaping her marching orders following a series of late challenges before being subbed off minutes later.
Academy graduate, Hannah Cairns was introduced midway through the second-half, replacing Keri Halliday, who received a painful injury after landing awkwardly following an outstretched challenge to prod home Townsley’s delivery on the Montrose goal line.
Motherwell’s dominance continued, with Boughton scoring her second of the afternoon, after escaping her maker undetected before placing her strike beyond the Montrose stopper.
Iain Robinson’s side professionally managed the remainder of the game, maintaining control of possession and limiting Montrose to few clear-cut opportunities as they saw out a convincing victory in South Lanarkshire.
