Kirk praises ‘fantastic’ Hibs Ladies

Hibernian Ladies manager Willie Kirk heaped praise on his side after Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Celtic, a match in which they had to fend off a late 
revival from the Glasgow side.

Hibs produced a blistering start to the match and led 3-0 after just 15 minutes thanks to goals from Susan Fairlie, Caroline Weir and Siobhan Hunter.

Yet, a red card for Hibs midfielder Joelle Murray and a Celtic goal from Heather Richards brought the game back into the balance. A Chloe Craig penalty kick further reduced arrears, but Hibs held firm to maintain their perfect start to the campaign.

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“I couldn’t have asked for more from my players because they were absolutely fantastic,” said Kirk. “The girls’ work-rate was unbelievable; we pressed Celtic high up the park and never gave them any time to pick their passes.

“We have no complaints with the red card because she lunged in with both feet off the ground and that left the referee with no option. It certainly wasn’t a backs-to-the-wall performance in the second half because we still had chances ourselves and in the end I thought we were worthy winners.”

Elsewhere, Hutchison Vale lost 5-2 against Forfar Farmington at Station Park. Hutchie boss Ian McDonald said: “It’s frustration I feel rather than disappointment because that’s the best we have played yet it’s our heaviest defeat. For an hour we were excellent.

“If we hadn’t made those errors the worst we would have done today is draw, so from that point of view it’s frustrating to come away with nothing, but all credit to Forfar, they were clinical and took advantage of our generosity.”

Meanwhile, Spartans got their league campaign off and running with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Falkirk at Ainslie Park. Katie Reilly scored a hat-trick, with Alana Marshall also on target.

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