SWPL Cup final: Glasgow City v Rangers
Venue: Fir Park, Motherwell
Date: Sunday, 29 March
Kick-off: 15:00 BST
Coverage: Live text commentary on website
Former colleagues Leanne Ross and Leanne Crichton will be in opposing dugouts on Sunday as Glasgow City and Rangers meet once again in the SWPL Cup final. Rangers are aiming to secure their fourth consecutive SWPL Cup title and their first under head coach Leanne Crichton. However, they face strong competition from league leaders Glasgow City, who are pursuing a historic achievement.
If Glasgow City triumph, they will equal Hibernian's record of seven SWPL Cup wins. Sunday's match marks the second consecutive meeting between these sides. In their recent league encounter, an added-time penalty by Katie Wilkinson secured a victory for Rangers, handing Glasgow City their first defeat of the season. Following that result, Crichton's Rangers sit four points behind Glasgow City and one point behind Celtic and Hearts in the league standings.
This weekend's focus is firmly on the cup final.
Rangers' Wilkinson nets 91st-minute penalty to deliver City's first defeat
Rangers' recent league win 'won't mean a thing'
In the SWPL Cup campaign so far, Rangers have recorded comprehensive wins over St Johnstone (12-0) and Partick Thistle (3-0), and triumphed over Celtic on penalties after a 3-3 draw. Goalkeeper Jenna Fife played a crucial role by saving a spot-kick during regulation time and two more in the shootout, helping Rangers secure the derby victory.
With a win on Sunday, Rangers can match the feat of Hibernian and Glasgow City by winning the trophy four years in a row.
Sunday's league victory was Rangers' first over Glasgow City this season, following a 1-0 defeat and a 1-1 draw. However, head coach Leanne Crichton believes any psychological advantage from that win is overstated.
"The sides are probably pretty evenly matched when you look at the style and the identity of both groups and you've seen that in the games, there's been real fine margins going right back to the first game at Ibrox," said Crichton.
"I don't think there'll be any advantage and [last Sunday's result] won't mean a single thing with regards to Glasgow City.
"I say the performance for us was as good as we've seen this season so we need more of that, we need that consistency, we need that same energy coming off the back of a tough run of games."
For Crichton, securing a trophy in her first season in charge would fulfill the "winning" ambition she expressed upon her appointment last summer.
Glasgow City 'hungry for silverware'
Glasgow City, like Rangers, have also progressed to the Scottish Cup semi-finals, meaning Sunday's cup final could be the first step towards a treble.
Their journey to Fir Park began with a 5-0 victory over Hamilton, followed by a 2-0 win against Aberdeen. City then ended Hibernian's cup hopes with a 2-1 win in the semi-finals.
Glasgow City are aiming to end their longest period without winning the SWPL Cup, with their last triumph dating back to 2015. Former Scotland defender Leanne Ross was part of Glasgow City's previous six final victories in the competition.
"It's not about me, it's about me giving the opportunity for the players to then go and be successful on their own merit," said Ross, who was assisted by Crichton last season.
"It's now up to them to go and write their part in the club's history and achieve that success for themselves individually and collectively now.
"We've had a great start to the season in terms of the way that we've played, the results that we've had. We're sitting at the top of the league at the moment, we've got ourselves into the League Cup final so it's the first opportunity to get their hands on silverware and the players are hungry for it.
"There's a hunger to lift every trophy that's available to us. When you've got a chance to go and lift a trophy its a wee bit extra motivation."
