GLASGOW City will wrap up a Scottish record 11th successive top flight title if they beat an understrength Hibernian side at Ainslie Park tomorrow. The holders are two points clear of their opponents at the top of SBS SWPL1 with just two games remaining.
Hibs will be without captain Joelle Murray and influential midfielders Lisa Robertson and Lucy Graham for a game they must win if they are to lift their first title since 2007. Murray and Robertson are suspended after both receiving double yellow cards in last week’s win over Rangers, while Graham has suffered a family bereavement.
Long-term injury casualty Lizzie Arnot brings the list of unavailable players up to four. By contrast, City head coach Scott Booth has a full squad to choose from, with the exception of Scotland under-19 midfielder Sam Kerr, who is also injured.
Hibs head coach Kevin Milne, like his players, feels the unavailability through suspension of Murray is an injustice. The defender, who turned 31 on Tuesday, looked to have been treated extremely harshly by referee Euan Birch at New Tinto Park.
“I’ve looked at the incidents very closely and it’s hard to take – but at the same time there’s nothing we can do about it,” Milne said.
“There’s no point in having the mentality of feeling sorry for ourselves. We have to play with the cards we’re dealt with and think about going on to win the league. The players we have are good enough.”
Hibs lost their two previous league games against City, both by a single goal. They did, however, beat their closest rivals in the semi-final of the League Cup.
City have shown a remarkable consistency and haven’t conceded a league goal since May 17 against Hamilton Accies. They have only lost four in 19 SWPL1 games all season.
“The goalkeeper and the defence have got to take a lot of pride from that,” Booth pointed out. “I told them during the week we haven’t conceded since May and I want to keep it that way.”
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