Hibs Ladies hope this is their Scottish Cup year

Chris Roberts hopes to guide Hibs Ladies to the Scottish Cup. Pic: SNS

Hibs Ladies head coach Chris Roberts hopes his club's long stretch without a trophy will come to an end in the SWPL Cup final tonight. His side take on Glasgow City at Ainslie Park in a re-run of last year's showpiece.

On that occasion the Edinburgh side dominated the opening 45 minutes but were beaten in extra time. Since then City have increased their stranglehold on the domestic trophies to 14 – the last one they didn’t win was this competition in 2011.

Hibs beat Spartans in the final that year, having disposed of Scotland’s dominant club in the previous round. They now boast some of the best young  players in Scotland, having added more in the winter, but as yet haven’t found a  formula to overcome the battle-hardened experience of the Glasgow club.

“I believe 100 per cent we can win the final,” Roberts said. “Since I took over this will be our third cup final. There are no excuses now for the occasion getting the better of the players. With the potential we’ve got in the squad, and the potential we’ve got going forward, there’s no reason why we can’t win. It’s just a case of executing it, which means players turning up and  performing on the night.”

The holders will be without striker Clare Shine, who scored all three goals in last season’s Scottish Cup final between the sides. City are unhappy at having to travel to Edinburgh on a school night for such a showpiece event – the time and venue making it impossible for their academy players and supporters with children to attend.