Match report: Ayr 2-3 St Johnstone WFC

It was the proverbial game of two halves on Sunday as St Johnstone WFC ran out 3-2 winners against Ayr United in dreadful conditions at Townhead Park in Cumnock.

Among the spectators sheltering from the elements under the main enclosure on Sunday were St Johnstone owner Adam Webb and his father, Cary.

There were two changes to the starting 11 from the win over Rossvale a week ago, with Ellie Jones and Elvie McLean starting in place of Romilly Cruickshank and Jodie Malcolm. 

In the last two matches, it has been the opposition who have made the quick start with early goals, but on Sunday it would be the Saints who took the early lead after just three minutes.

Olivia Hurrell made her way through on goal, only to be tackled 25 five yards out with the ball breaking to Leah Sidey who, from 20 yards out, calmly slotted home past Charlotte Ferguson to score her first goal for the club.

Saints kept up the pressure, with Hurrell going close with a neat drag back finish going narrowly past the post. After 17 minutes the continued pressure told and Hurrell got her goal to take her tally to 12 for the season thus far in all competitions.  Played through by Rachel Howie, she struck from the edge of the box low past Ferguson. 

Steffi Simson went close, as did Sidey, but the third came in spectacular fashion after half an hour. Sidey did well in a tussle to win the ball on the halfway line, playing it forward to Howie.

She took the ball out to the left wing and, spotting Ferguson slightly off her line, from all of 30 yards unleashed a fantastic strike which looped over into the net. 

It hadn't been entirely one-way traffic, however. Veteran striker Claire Docherty always posed a threat and she drew a save from Bobby Cochran when one-on-one with the Saints stopper. Cochran also did well to get down to her right and tip a Chloe Duthie shot wide for a corner. 

Saints started the second half well, Hurrell forcing a corner and Simson also going close. However, the home side began to gain a foothold in the game.

Ten minutes into the second half, there was little Cochran could do but watch on when Claire Docherty found space 30 yards from goal and struck a powerful shot, nestling just inside the left-hand post.

The goal gave renewed hope to Ayr, who were enjoying their best spell of the match, with much of the game now being played in the Saints half. 

Sixty-eight minutes on the clock and they had a second. It would once again come from Docherty. This time on the left, she cut inside, turning Rebecca McMillan and curled a neat strike into the far-right corner again giving Cochran no chance.

Soon after, the home side very nearly had an equaliser. Neat play around the box saw the ball passed to Duthie who couldn't direct her effort on target from eight yards out - a real let off for the away side. 

Into the final part of the match, Saints continued to defend well against the wind in deteriorating conditions, stifling out Ayr advances. They would also get forward through Simson and substitutes Jodie Malcolm and Frankie Shepherd, but without really testing Ferguson in the goal or being able to shift the bulk of play to the Ayr half.

In the end though, Saints saw the match out, the result of which, coupled with Rossvale's match being postponed, lifted the side to sixth. 

This Sunday they face Elgin City in the Scottish Gas Women's Scottish Cup at Riverside Stadium with a 1pm kick off. the first of three home matches in a week. The others are Livingston Wednesday, February 5th at 7.45pm and Kilmarnock, February 9th at 1pm. 

Saints: Cochran, MacIver (McCafferty), McLean (Malcolm), Simson, Hurrell (Shepherd), Irvine, Smith (Clark), McMillan (Paterson), Sidey, Jones, Howie. Subs not used: Baker, Telford.