First Team
NEW SEASON FIXTURE RELEASE DATE
10th May 2024
It was indeed a Beautiful Sunday for Dundee United's women's team as they got their 2021/22 Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup group off to a flyer with a ten goal win over SWPL1 side Forfar Farmington.
Five goals in either half blew away their higher league opponents with hat tricks from Danni McGinley and Tammy Harkin supplemented by Chloe Clemison, Robyn Smith, Rebecca McMillan and 15-year-old Alex Robson’s first senior goal.
Head Coach Graeme Hart’s first line up saw a debut handed to Rachel Todd with Lauren Perry on the bench, while Cassie Cowper and Erin Cattanach were unavailable.
United looked keen from the start with Danni McGinley forcing a save from Beth Mowatt after just two minutes.
Sixty seconds later the deadlock was broken and unsurprisingly it was McGinley who opened the scoring, receiving the ball from Neve Guthrie before slotting home.
After another effort was saved by Mowatt from the striker, she got on the scoresheet again in the tenth minute; turning her marker after Tammy Harkin’s cut back and rifling into the bottom corner.
Robyn Smith hit the underside of the crossbar two minutes later after meeting a delightful cross by Rachel Todd.
Mowatt was to be Forfar’s hero on a number of occasions and can hold her head high despite the result with excellent stops to deny Harkin twice, Guthrie, Rebecca Foote, Jade McLaren while Todd and Smith failed to find the target.
It was three just after the half hour mark as Chloe Clemison grabbed her first United goal; Harkin played the ball into the danger zone and the midfielder flicked it up before backheeling past Mowatt.
In the 33rd minute Harkin got in on the act thanks to McGinley to make it 4-0 and after further chances from the latter, Smith and Guthrie hitting the post she got her second three minutes before the break.
HALF TIME: Dundee United 5 Forfar Farmington 0
The second half was only three minutes old when Harkin completed her fifteen minute hat trick sta,bbing a loose ball home after Mowatt pushed a Smith shot into her path.
United keeper Aaliyah-Jay Meach was forced into action for the first time in the 50th minute but it was easy work as Suzanne Mulvey sent a weak shot into her arms.
Smith and Guthrie were to go close again for United and the former thought she had netted when she headed home but her goal was ruled to be offside.
She didn’t have to wait too long to score one that counted, firing past Mowatt after Guthrie’s ball found her.
Two minutes later the score was 8-0 and Harkin was involved again when her corner was lashed home by defender Rebecca McMillan.
Smith hit the woodwork for the second time on the hour mark before firing over shortly after as she looked for her second of the afternoon.
In the 68th minute another hat trick was completed and this time it was Danni McGinley’s turn after her first half double.
United sub Laurie Ross looked eager to get on the scoresheet after coming on but three times she somehow missed a header within the six yard box.
Erin Ross and Alex Robson were both denied by the impressive Mowatt as the game edged closer to full time with Ross finding the net only to be called offside.
The elusive double figures were reached three minutes from time and what a goal it was to cap it all off; Alex Robson had the ball thirty yards from goal and sent it flying into the roof of the net for her first ever senior goal.
A fantastic result to kick off the 2021/22 campaign and Graeme Hart’s side can look to next week’s away trip to Stirling University while atop Group B of the SWPL Cup.
Dundee United: Meach, McMillan (Kern 62), Foote, McLaren, Guthrie (Robson 69), Smith, McGinley, Burns, Clemison (E Ross 62), Harkin (L Ross 69), Todd (Simson 62)
Subs not used: Robb, Perry (gk)
Forfar Farmington: Mowatt, Scanlan, Bruce, Dryden, Garrigan, Finnegan, Mulvey, Neave (Clifford 46), Patterson, Taylor, Allan
Subs not used: Oliphant, Davie, Coull
