Hampden showpiece an added incentive in Scottish Cup quarter-finals

Whereas precedent within the competitors has been for each semi-finals to be performed on the similar floor on the identical day – final season it was Falkirk Stadium – my understanding is that this, too, might be totally different subsequent month. The primary semi is prone to be performed on April 22, with the second the next day. The ultimate is on Might 28.

All of that is beneath the auspices of the Scottish FA, who’ve changed the longstanding SWF because the competitors organisers. Enjoying membership video games on the nationwide stadium completes the circle for the governing physique, who infamously banned girls and ladies from kicking footballs at their members’ grounds for some 50 years.

Whereas none of immediately’s video games are being televised stay – there’ll once more be a highlights bundle – there are ongoing discussions with broadcasters for the semis. The one apparent space for concern is what number of spectators might be in such a cavernous floor for these showpiece video games.

At this time’s quarter finals will see two of the golf equipment with the most important helps eradicated from the competitors. Holders Celtic journey to Oriam to play Hearts, whereas Rangers host Hibernian at Broadwood in a repeat of December’s Sky Sports activities Cup closing at Tynecastle.

Whereas each Edinburgh golf equipment will harbour hopes of progressing, Hearts, with house benefit, have maybe the higher likelihood. They compelled Celtic to further time in final yr’s semi-finals earlier than going out to a Charlie Wellings double, and have been pushing arduous for an equaliser when Celtic gained 2-1 at Oriam in January’s league recreation.

For all 4 golf equipment it’s the begin of a really robust run of video games because the post-split fixtures begin subsequent weekend. Virtually every part appears to be flowing in Glasgow Metropolis’s favour for the time being, they usually have what ought to be a a lot simpler recreation immediately towards the one SWPL 2 facet left within the Scottish Cup, Kilmarnock.

The latter’s supervisor, Jim Chapman, has joked that beating Metropolis can be a much bigger achievement than one virtually precisely ten years in the past when he was accountable for males’s Third Division facet Annan Athletic. In his eighth recreation as supervisor, and nonetheless in search of a primary win, he took his facet to Ibrox, the place they beat Ally McCoist’s Rangers 2-1.

Kilmarnock gained the Scottish Cup in 2001 and 2002, each occasions when Chapman was in his first stint on the membership. They beat Metropolis 5-0 within the second of those finals, with a teenage Jo Love amongst these selecting up a winners’ medal.

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ONE of the groups concerned in immediately’s different quarter closing set an undesirable file final Sunday. Glasgow Girls have now misplaced all their opening 22 SWPL video games, bookended by a 14-0 loss to Rangers in August and the latest 11-0 defeat to Glasgow Metropolis.

The earlier longest dropping streak in a Scottish high division was held by Third Lanark. They misplaced their closing 21 video games in 1964-65 and have been duly relegated, having gained simply three and drawn certainly one of their 34 in complete.

Again in girls’s soccer, Kilmarnock completed backside of the 2011 SWPL desk having misplaced all 20 video games in an eleven group league. They did truly win one match, beating second backside Falkirk 2-0, however the end result was reversed to a 3-0 defeat as a result of certainly one of their gamers was 14 and ineligible due to her age.

Glasgow Girls play Motherwell immediately, and have been overwhelmed 2-0 when the perimeters met final month. Paul Brownlie’s group narrowly missed out on a high six place final Sunday regardless of beating Aberdeen 3-1, so for each quarter finalists the Scottish Cup might be a welcome change.

What has been spectacular about Glasgow Girls is that regardless of the unrelenting unfavorable league outcomes, their software and group spirit seem to have remained intact. Supervisor Andy Gardner confirms that is the case.

“Credit score to each one of many ladies,” Gardner mentioned. “They flip up for coaching of their numbers, they usually simply wish to proper just a few wrongs within the video games following the break up.

“There’s nonetheless a preventing likelihood we might keep away from relegation. We might clearly wish to have factors on the board, however what offers us hearth within the stomach is that we have been actually shut towards all the perimeters within the backside six.

“With the ache we have had this season, what a chance the Motherwell recreation is to go and play on the nationwide stadium.”