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Motherwell edged out a closely-fought encounter against Hearts 1-0 in SWPL1 on Sunday.

Jade Gallon’s penalty was enough to secure all three points in the capital, lifting Motherwell into sixth place in the table.

In the first 25 minutes, both sides struggled to get a foothold in the game. Motherwell had a penalty claim turned down early on, after Pullar had a collision with the goalkeeper.

However, on 37 minutes, Motherwell would be awarded a spot kick.

Gallon was brought down in the penalty area and the referee pointed straight to the spot.

After winning the penalty, Gallon took on the kicking duties and fired her team ahead after slotting home in the bottom-left corner.

Hearts’ best chance of the first half came after a ball was played down the line to put Jenny Smith through one on one with the keeper but she fired wide.

The hosts continued to put pressure on Motherwell in the second half with a range of chances for the Jambos. They would go on to hit the bar from a cutback and had numerous efforts off target.

Despite intense pressure, Motherwell dug deep to hold onto their slender lead and come out with all the points and a clean sheet.

The result sees ‘Well move up into sixth place in the table and go into their next game against Spartans with a huge boost of confidence.

It’s Hearts next for Motherwell in SWPL.

Kick-off at the Oriam on Sunday is at 1pm.

The game is closed to supporters and unfortunately is not available to watch online. BBC Scotland will show highlights on TV on Sunday night.

Tale of the tape

Motherwell have come out on top in both league encounters so far this season.

A 3-0 away win earlier in the campaign was followed up by a 2-1 home win last month.

Form guide

Motherwell’s battling show against league leaders Glasgow City again pointed to things going in the right direction as the league races to its conclusion.

Prior to the 4-2 defeat on Wednesday, Stewart Hall’s side narrowly lost out 1-0 to Hibernian, having defeated Forfar Farmington previously.

Hearts’ 2-1 win over Forfar on Wednesday brought them back to within two points of Motherwell at the foot of the table.

Since their 1-0 win over Hibernian in December, the Jambos had lost nine and drawn one before their midweek victory.

Paul Brownlie will be the new head coach of Motherwell’s women’s team.

The 38-year-old, who will also undertake the role of head of women and girl’s performance, will join ‘Well from the Scottish FA at the end of the current women’s season.

“I’m delighted to be given this opportunity,” said Brownlie, who will officially take over in early June. “The challenge is going to be exciting.

“First and foremost, it’s about getting Motherwell FC in the best position possible through my experience of the game, looking at how we can go and compete at the right end of the league.

“In terms of the academy, we want to get it out the best level possible, and that remit falls with me.

“We want Motherwell to be the place girls want to come to develop in Scotland. We need only to look at the success the boys have had and ask if we can mirror that success by putting in the work to make it one of the best academies in Scotland.”

Brownlie has extensive experience in the women’s game, having been a senior member of Celtic’s women’s academy for seven years.

The Scottish FA then headhunted him to be their high performance football manager, which involved the planning, coordinating, delivering and evaluating all aspects of the National Performance Centre’s performance programme, based at Heriot-Watt University, in conjunction with the Scottish FA’s national coach for girl’s & women’s football.

In addition to that, Paul was also involved in the youth and senior women’s international teams, including the Under 15s, 16s, 17s and the A squad. He also coached in the Motherwell elite men’s academy at Braidhurst between 2018 and 2020.

“We ran what I believe to be a very extensive and robust recruitment process through Sport Careers Agency, which has concluded with Paul’s appointment,” Motherwell chief executive Alan Burrows said.

“I am extremely thankful to everyone who applied and took part in that, which was both enlightening and exciting.

“In Paul, I believe I have someone who can not only lead our senior team in SWPL1 but also help us shape what we hope will be one of the best girls academies in the country.

“My aim has always been to have someone to really drive this side of the club forward. To give ownership to someone to really grow what we believe is an area of huge potential.

“We believe Paul not only has the ability and experience necessary to do that but the determination for it too. I am really looking forward to working with him.”

Motherwell put in a spirited performance but ultimately fell short as they were beaten 4-2 by league leaders and current champions Glasgow City.

Rosie Slater and Kodie Hay got on the scoresheet for the ‘Well but it was not enough to take anything from the game.

It was Glasgow City who broke the deadlock after nine minutes, Leanne Ross’ free kick getting the better of Pollard at her near post.

However, Motherwell limited Glasgow City to very few clearcut chances and it would be the women of steel who would find the next goal in the game.

Slater’s high deep cross on 31 minutes would be enough to beat Clachers in the City goal, putting Motherwell back on level terms.

Their lead however would only last a minute. Straight from kick-off, Glasgow City broke through the heart of the Motherwell team and Gallon, whilst attempting to clear the ball, fouled Colvill in the area and the referee pointed straight to the spot.

Fulton made no mistake from 12 yards and City were back in front.

The visitors thought they had put themselves on the path to three points on the stroke of half-time. After a one-two with Shine, Colvill fired into the net to make it 3-1 to City.

But Motherwell came out firing in the second half and got off to the perfect start. Inglis, after some good work down the left wing, saw her ball across palmed away by Clachers but land straight at Hay, who fired home to reduce the deficit to one goal.

Five minutes later, however, Glasgow City restored their two-goal advantage. A short corner was eventually worked to Van Wyk on the edge of the box who powered it home to make it 4-2 to the visitors.

Motherwell continued to fight and limited City to very few opportunities thereafter. The scoreline finished 4-2 with Motherwell travelling to Edinburgh on Sunday to take on bottom of the table Hearts.

Motherwell host Glasgow City in SWPL1 on Wednesday night.

Kick off at the Penny Cars Stadium is at 7.30pm.

The game is closed to supporters but is available to watch live online for £5.

Tale of the tape

City are a notoriously tricky opponent for everyone in Scotland, and that has also been the case for the women of steel.

With five encounters since ‘Well’s promotion to the top flight in 2019, City have won five, scoring 38 and conceding zero.

Form guide

Despite the advances of Celtic and Rangers this campaign, City still lead the way at the top of SWPL1.

Eight wins and a draw since the return to play in April has them four points clear of nearest challengers Rangers, with five games left to play.

Motherwell’s narrow 1-0 home loss to Hibernian on Sunday came off the back of a positive result at Forfar prior, with a 1-0 victory and three points taken from the trip to Station Park.

A hard-fought battle saw Motherwell narrowly lose out at home to Hibernian in SWPL1.

An Eilidh Adams goal 10 minutes into the second half was the difference in a keenly-contested affair.

The first half was fairly uneventful with both teams being limited to chances by each other.

Hibernian shared the majority of possession but ‘Well’s shape and organisation stopped Hibs from creating anything that troubled Lauren McGregor in goal.

However, it was the same at the other end with Emily Mutch having nothing that troubled her.

The second half saw the game become much more open with both teams going for three points.

It was 10 minutes into the second half that Hibs found the net.

Two missed attempts from Motherwell to clear the ball saw advantage given to the visitors, with Rachel Boyle delivering a ball into the box that saw Adams find the top of the net.

Motherwell made several personnel changes soon after, with many feeling the effects of the Wednesday night victory over Forfar.

From then on Motherwell dominated the game, forcing Hibs to defend their own box for large spells.

Nicole Pullar thought she had equalised when she caught a volley sweetly, if not for an outstanding save from Mutch in the Hibs goal.

Jordan McLintock also had an opportunity, which again saw a great save from Mutch.

Unfortunately, despite the relentless pressure from Motherwell, the equaliser never came and it was Hibs that took all three points home,

Motherwell host Hibernian in SWPL1 on Sunday.

Kick off at the Penny Cars Stadium is at 2pm.

The game is closed to supporters but is available to watch live online for £5.

Tale of the tape

Hibernian were narrow winners last time out, with a 3-2 victory in Edinburgh for the hosts.

Motherwell are yet to pick up a win in the eight encounters against Sunday’s opponents to date.

Form guide

‘Well picked up their second victory in five matches with a 1-0 win at Forfar in midweek.

Hibernian are unbeaten in three. Wins over Forfar and Hearts were followed with a 1-1 draw against Spartans on Wednesday.

Motherwell gained a brilliant three points on the road in a 1-0 win over Forfar Farmington.

Jade Gallon’s first-half goal closed the gap between the two teams to two points, as the season races to its climax.

An-end-to-end game saw chances for either team in both halves.

Forfar started the quicker of the two teams, which saw them with several set pieces and corners into the Motherwell box to put pressure on the away team.

However, it was a set-piece for Motherwell the saw the only goal of the game.

A perfectly delivered ball from Chelsie Watson was met by on-loan midfielder Gallon, who expertly looped a header back across the goal past the helpless Forfar goalkeeper with 20 minutes played.

The remainder for the half saw Motherwell have the better of the chances, with shots from Lori Gardner, Abby Callaghan and Gill Inglis either blocked or just going by the post.

Watson then almost had a goal of her own before the interval, only for her free-kick to slam off the bar.

Both teams cancelled each other out for large spells of the second half.

Motherwell had the better of the play – and the majority of the ball – but without creating anything clear cut.

Towards the end, and with the game becoming frantic, Forfar began to create half chances.

Goalkeeper Lauren McGregor pulled off a couple of fine saves to ensure the game would not end differently, and see the women of steel pick up another valuable three points.

Motherwell travel to Forfar Farmington on Wednesday night in SWPL1.

Kick off at Station Park is at 7pm.

The game is closed to supporters but is available to watch live online for £4 direct from our opponents.

Tale of the tape

Forfar have had the upper hand in the two matches between the sides in the 2020/21 season.

A 4-2 home win on the opening day of the season for our opponents was followed by a narrow 3-2 win last month.

Form guide

One place – and five points – separates the two teams in SWPL1 table.

Sixth-placed Forfar have drawn one – against Hearts – and lost four in their last five league outings.

The women of steel have also lost four, but defeated Hearts 2-1 at home to keep them two points ahead of the bottom club.

Motherwell were left to rue missed opportunities as they went down 3-0 at the hands of Celtic in SWPL1.

A first-half double for Rachel Donaldson and a goal from Sarah Teegarden was enough for the hosts to take all three points.

It would be Motherwell who had the best chance in the first 15 minutes, with Abby Skelton just missing Lori Gardner’s cutback for a tap in to break the deadlock.

The hosts, on the other hand, took their opportunity in the 17th minute. Some nice footwork from Ewens on the right wing saw her get to the byline and cross into the box for Donaldson to nod home.

Motherwell continued to try and get back in the game and missed a huge chance to level the game.

More good work from Gardner so the ball find its way to McDonald-Nguah, who laid the ball off for Gallon who fired over the bar from 18 yards.

Celtic then doubled their advantage in the 35th minute. After ‘Well failed to clear the initial cross, Donaldson pounced and finished into the bottom corner.

Five minutes later, Celtic secured the three points.

Celtic’s high pressing forcing Motherwell to lose possession. A cross from the right-hand side from Filbey was then met by Teegarden, who headed in.

Motherwell came out in the second half and put in a spirited performance and limited Celtic from adding to their advantage.

Celtic continued to control most of the possession and the game, however could not find the back of the net again.