Women’s football at fever pitch

By Laura Montgomery
It’s Cup fever this weekend as a host of round 2 Unite Scottish Cup matches take place. The pick of the bunch is the only all Premier League clash, involving holders Glasgow City and Edinburgh based, Boroughmuir Thistle.

With the Scotland Under 19 squad away competing in the European Championships, City have three players missing and could have postponed the match, however, with a depth of squad fit and available, boss Peter Caulfield, was happy to play the match.

He said, ‘Every year we end up in a backlog of matches scenario, so we always want to play every game when we can. We have three very talented players missing for the match, but that is why we have a squad pool, and I am more than confident, the team that is selected on Sunday, will give their very best.’

Three times prior winners and twice runners-up, City have a pretty decent history in the Scottish Cup and whatever side takes to the field on Sunday, as current Champions, they will be strong favourites to progress to the next round.

Elsewhere a number of lower divisional sides get to test their skills against some of the top sides in the country. Hamilton Accies Reserves travel to Lennoxtown to take on Celtic to try and achieve a result their Premier League team has never managed over the Hoops – a win. Accies will most certainly be up against it on Sunday as they take on a Celtic side two leagues above them, but Hamilton’s Reserve team are top of the Second Division West Region league, so they won’t be short of confidence going into this tough fixture.

Rangers meanwhile face First Division side Raith Rovers, who up until two seasons ago, were in the Premier League. Although Rovers have lost a few players since their days in the top flight, they still have plenty of experience playing the top guns and will be expected to put up a decent fight against Rangers.

All Second Round ties going ahead this Sunday:

Hibernian 1875 v Spartans, Hibernian v Dunfermline, Glasgow City Reserves v Troon, Hutchison Vale v Inverness, Boroughmuir Thistle v Glasgow City, Raith Rovers v Rangers, Forfar Farmington v Celtic Reserves, Aberdeen City v Cowdenbeath, Forfar Farmington Reserves v Aberdeen University, Dee Vale v Motherwell, Aberdeen v Paisley Saints, Celtic v Hamilton Accies Reserves, Hibernian 1875 v Spartans, Murieston United v Hibernian 2000, Toryglen v Dundee United.

Boroughmuir v Glasgow City is at Meggetland, Edinburgh, 12.30pm Kick Off

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