Latest news with #KirstyHowat
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
'We won't stop till we win the league,' says Rangers boss Jo Potter after Hampden triumph seals cup double
Rangers manager Jo Potter has insisted it will be third time lucky as she set her sights on claiming the SWPL trophy. Potter led Rangers to a League Cup and Scottish Cup double for the second season in succession but the elusive league title is what she wants to get her hands on most of all. Rangers were emphatic winners in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden today, winning 3-0 against a Glasgow City side who never looked capable of asking them any questions. Two goals from Kirsty Howat and one from Mia McAulay were enough to ease the disappointment of losing out to Hibernian in the race for this year's SWPL crown — a prize Potter immediately set her sights on capturing next term. 'You don't win a trophy, it doesn't feel nice,' said Potter. 'We always feel the extra pressure at Rangers. We take away two trophies a season and everybody expects us to get three. We've been really close to that for two seasons now. 'It doesn't feel great, but we can't forget winning trophies is what it's about. 'We took a cup double again. I've won four trophies here in the last two seasons, which is a big, big achievement. Yes, it's not the one that we wanted, but we've got to celebrate these moments. 'We've got to celebrate cup victories, especially when we're turning up in two finals like that and beating two very good teams, the two teams that finished above us, in the finals with dominant performances in both. 'I'm really, really pleased for the girls that we could turn up after the disappointment of last week and get another trophy. It really means a lot.' Pressed on what it would take to go one better next season, having only lost out to Hibs on the final day, Potter insisted it was all about fine margins — but conceded the increasing competitive edge in the women's top flight would make it an even tougher job going forward. 'It's (the title) just got away from us,' she added. 'There's been no team that's been as close as we have to winning that amount of trophies. You do look at it and you think of the two different sides that's let us down in two different years. 'You're looking at the third year and going, hopefully we learn from both years and bring it all together. But that's not as easy as it's said. Look how hard it's been this year to make those finals and win these trophies and be in the top of the split and compete every single week. 'When you've got teams that are coming in and trying to push for titles now, it's getting more and more difficult. This year was so much more difficult than last year, so it's going to get even more difficult next year. 'You'd like to think there's probably another couple of teams that are going to turn the screw again and push and want to maybe go a little bit more full-time. We welcome that. We want that to happen, but it's going to get even harder. We won't stop until we're trying to get that league title again.' Glasgow City manager Leanne Ross was irked not just that her players ended up with losers' medals but that they failed to give any kind of account of themselves. 'I was actually lost for words in terms of what we actually produced,' she said. 'We never passed the ball. But again, that goes back to playing a team in Rangers that are able to go and press you high up the pitch. I don't feel like we won any duels at all today either. 'We were outfought all over the pitch. That's the biggest disappointment for me because I didn't see it coming in terms of the way that we've been playing recently. 'We've only got ourselves to blame in terms of how we approached that game. Unfortunately, we didn't show up.'
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Glasgow City 0-3 Rangers: Jo Potter's side seal cup double to take the edge off title heartache
Glasgow City 0-3 Rangers: Jo Potter's side seal cup double to take the edge off title heartache Redemption of sorts, then, for Rangers. Jo Potter's side, still smarting from the way the league was lost to Hibs, used their frustrations to swat away an insipid Glasgow City at Hampden and put their name on the Scottish Cup. Mia McAulay got the ball rolling with an opener midway through the first half before Kirsty Howat scored either side of the interval. To add insult to injury, City finished the game with ten players on the pitch with defender Samantha van Diemen dismissed after VAR intervened to upgrade a yellow card to red with ten minutes of the game remaining. Rangers put in a dominant, measured and clinical performance as they claimed the Scottish Gas Women's Scottish Cup, making it a League Cup and Scottish Cup double for Potter's side. It will not offset the hangover left by failing to claim the SWPL title but it will take the edge off. The optics of the campaign, too, are altered by what the trophy cabinet holds now. The frustration for Potter will be that, had her side produced this kind of performance against Hibs at Ibrox last weekend, there is every chance they would have been toasting a treble. Rangers' Kirsty Howat scores their second goal in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park Mia McAulay celebrates netting the opener for Rangers in a 3-0 victory against Glasgow City Rangers' players celebrate with the trophy after their convincing victory sealed a cup double That will be something for her to ruminate over across the summer but certainly the break looks far more appealing now than it would have done had this been a different outcome for Rangers. For Glasgow City, so long the dominant force in the women's game, this is now two successive seasons where they have ended up with nothing to show for their efforts. Their runners-up place in the SWPL will afford them access to the non-champions path of the Champions League but their failure to lay a glove on Rangers at Hampden will rankle. They lacked conviction and belief as they struggled to impose themselves at any point across the game. Both teams had headed to the national stadium with a point to prove. There was a suspicion that Potter had the tougher of the jobs in terms of picking up her players after the manner in which the title slipped away from them. By the time McAulay had put Rangers in front, Potter's side had twice hit the woodwork. It was a portent that City had failed to heed, with McAulay sclaffing an effort off the outside of the post in the opening stages before Kathy Hill had whacked a header off the bar. The opener came as Van Diemen brought the ball out of defence but her pass was cut out. McAulay eluded the challenge from Claire Walsh before spearing a right-footed diagonal effort low into the bottom corner. Gers skipper Nicola Docherty was forced off shortly after the opener. Injured in the opening minutes after a collision with Amy Muir as both players slid in, Docherty appeared to take a knee to the face and the full-back was forced off, clearly upset at the manner in which her afternoon was prematurely ended. It did little to put Rangers off their stride, though. City hit the crossbar through Natalia Wrobel before Rangers added a second. Katie Wilkinson was the architect, whipping a ball into the feet of Howat. She brought it down, sent Van Diemen the wrong way with a slight feint before turning and driving a low effort beyond Lee Gibson. It could have been game over for the Petershill side. Gibson was forced into a save after McAulay was allowed to break through one-on-one with the stopper spreading herself to deny the teenager. City tried to force their way into the game before the break but their pressure came to nothing as Rangers headed into the interval in firm command. The second period was still in its infancy as Rangers put it to bed. Chelsea Cornet broke through City's backline and squared the ball across the six-yard box with Howat sliding in to beat Gibson. City appealed for offside but television images showed that Cornet was well on as she ghosted in behind. City's lack of composure when they did get into decent areas undermined any hope they had of hauling themselves back into the game. Nicole Kozlova ought to have burst the net when she was picked out inside the box but, with the goal gaping, she inexplicably hit her effort wide of the target. From there on, Rangers headed to the other side of the park and flirted with a fourth, with Gibson having to deny McAulay as the Ibrox side kept at it. For all that Rangers were well on top, Potter remained on edge as she patrolled her technical area constantly barking instructions. Van Diemen's dismissal caused confusion inside the stadium; VAR is not widely in use across the women's game, and there was a long delay to check Van Diemen's foul. Rangers could have had more. Jane Ross, on for her final appearance before she now heads into retirement, unselfishly squared for Rio Hardy who blazed wildly wide when she should have buried it. Rangers did not need it. This week's post-match huddle on the turf was all smiles as they claimed the final piece of silverware of the season. There will remain a lingering sense of what might have been this season but for the moment there was contentment.
The Herald Scotland
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Rangers Women ensure Scottish Cup sunshine after a storm
This was a win at a canter. Rangers' tears from last weekend were used as the catalyst to get their hands on the final trophy of the season. It enables Jo Potter to claim both cups on offer – and she was keen to underline that she has won four trophies out of six across her two years – but there will still be a lingering sense that the title remains elusive. Mia McAulay got Rangers up and running in the opening half before Kirsty Howat scored either side of the interval. To rub salt in the wound, City finished the game with ten players on the pitch with defender Samantha Van Diemen dismissed after VAR intervened to upgrade a yellow card to a red with ten minutes of the game remaining. Leanne Ross watched her side claim second spot last weekend and with it take the second Champions League place. Again, though, the league failure was always going to linger. That failure is compounded now with yesterday's defeat which confines City to back-to-back seasons without a trophy. For a club who have dominated the landscape of Scottish football for so long, there is no question that it will sting across the next few months. As will the manner of this performance. They were conspicuous by their absence against Rangers with no stage of the game offering a suggestion that they were capable of gaining any kind of momentum. By the time that McAulay had put Rangers in front, Potter's side had twice hit the woodwork. Read more: Steven Gerrard spotted at Anfield amid Rangers speculation Rangers Women 3-0 Glasgow City: Howat on target twice in Scottish Cup final win It was a warning that City had failed to heed with McAulay sclaffing an effort off the outside of the post in the opening stages before Kathy Hill had whacked a header off the bar. McAulay's opener came as Van Diemen – arguably her poorest game of the season- came brought the ball out of defence but her pass was cut out. McAulay eluded the challenge from Claire Walsh before spearing a right-footed diagonal effort low into the bottom corner. Gers skipper Nicola Docherty was forced off shortly after the opener. Injured in the opening minutes after a collision with Amy Muir as both players slid in and Docherty appeared to take a knee to the face, the full-back was forced off, clearly upset at the manner in which her afternoon was prematurely ended. It no impact on Rangers' dominance. City hit the crossbar through Natalia Wrobel before Rangers added a second. Katie Wilksinson was the architect, whipping a ball into the feet of Kirsty Howat. She brought it down, sent van Diemen the wrong way with a slight feint before turned and driving a low effort beyond Gibson. It could have been game over for the Petershill side. Gibson was forced into a stop after McAulay was allowed to break through one-on-one with the stopper spreading herself to deny the teenager. City tried to force their way into the game before the break but their pressure came to nothing as Rangers headed into the interval in firm command of the game. The second period was still in its infancy as Rangers put it to bed. Chelsea Cornet broke through City's backline and squared the ball across the six-yard box with Howat sliding in to beat Gibson. City appealed for offside but television images showed that Cornet was well on as she ghosted in behind. City's lack of composure when they did get into decent areas undermined any hope they had of hauling themselves back into the game. Nicole Kozlova ought to have burst the net when she was picked out inside the box and, with the goal gaping, she inexplicably hit her effort wide of the target. From there on, Rangers headed to the other side of the park and flirted with a fourth; Gibson had to deny McAulay as the Ibrox side kept at it. For all that Rangers were well on top, Potter remained on edge as she patrolled her technical area constantly barking instructions. Van Diemen's dismissal caused confusion inside the stadium; VAR is not in use across the women's game with the long delay to check van Diemen's foul. Rangers could have had more. Jane Ross, on for her final appearance as she now heads into retirement, unselfishly squared for Rio Hardy who blazed wildly wide when she should have buried it. Rangers could afford to be slack by then. There remain question to be asked over the summer but one suspects their break will offer more relaxation than City's.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Rangers defend Scottish Cup title against Glasgow City
Kirsty Howat scored twice as Rangers defended their Scottish Cup title and earned successive cup doubles as they overwhelmed Glasgow City to end their season on a fans, Glasgow City fans, and everyone else, we want to hear from you after that final. Where did it go wrong for City? Just how dominant were Rangers?Give us your views on the cup final here.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Scorers McAulay and Howat react to cup triumph
Rangers scorer Mia McAulay tells BBC Scotland: "We know what we want to do in these games. We had to start good and we got the first goal. I think that kicked us off."I think we dominated the whole game, I think we could have won about seven or eight nil."We probably need to be more clinical, but we've won it at the end of the day."Two-goal Rangers striker Kirsty Howat tells BBC Scotland: We knew we had to come here and put on a performance that we can be proud of that one today"We felt in control, which is what we came here to do. We've not done that enough this season, but when we're on it, we're on it. Today, we were all brilliant across the pitch."
