Match report: St Johnstone WFC 2-3 Kilmarnock

St Johnstone Women lost 3-2 to second-place Kilmarnock at Riverside on Sunday – and were unlucky not to take anything from the game.

It was Saints' third home match in a week, with Elvie McLean and Leah Sidey coming in to start in place of Steffi Simson and Eirinn McCafferty from the team that lost to Livingston on Wednesday.

Conceding early goals has often been an issue this season and that was the case once again on Sunday.

Failing to clear their lines from a corner, Mia Scott had a shot blocked for the visitors and, after a bit of a scramble, defender Georgie McTear slid in to knock the ball home from a couple yards out. 

Saints then enjoyed a period of pressure with their best chances of the half. Elven minutes in, Rachel Howie won the ball just outside the box and saw her strike from 20 yards come back off the cross bar.

Olivia Hurrell soon chased the loose ball down and was tackled by Eilidh Martin and sent tumbling, with strong shouts for a penalty. But both assistant and referee were of the opinion the defender got her toes to the ball first.

Next, Howie whipped in a cross from the right which was headed on by before Niamh Irvine’s right-footed effort forced Ellie Currie down low, tipping a save onto the post and out for a corner. 

After that spell of pressure, the bulk of play then returned to the Saints half with Kilmarnock a constant threat - especially the pace of forward Lucie Burns.

Captain Abby Robinson, a thorn in the side of every team in the league, got the visitors’ second. A throw-in from the left was switched to the other side of the area and the skilful Robinson turned her defender and snuck her strike just inside Bobby Cochran's left-hand post with half an hour gone. 

Kilmarnock were perhaps too quick for their own good, with a number of attacks ended by the raised flag of assistant referee Murray Dewar. Twice in fact, they had the ball in the net, only to see assistant's flag held aloft.

When Kelsey Crainie raced away and rounded Cochran to score Kilmarnock's third, just a minute after their second disallowed goal, a cheeky point to the assistant after scoring saw her pick up a yellow card. 

At this point, it was vital that Saints got the next goal and that's just what happened with three minutes of the half remaining. McLean, no stranger to a goal from distance, found herself in space nearly 30 yards from goal and went for goal.

Currie got her fingertips to it, but there was just too much power and height in the strike and the ball dropped behind her into the net. 

In the second half, Saints put in a spirited performance with much of the game in the Kilmarnock half. It was a showing that really merited more than they would end up taking from the match. 

Howie saw a shot across goal saved, before Hurrell then fired over after being set up by McLean. It was a strike that, given the time she had, she would maybe feel she could have done better with in keeping it on target.

Simson also had a shot go just wide of goal and then took in a pass from Irvine, turning and shooting only to see it well held by Currie. All of these chances coming in the space of 10 minutes. 

With 20 minutes left, Saints got the goal which had been coming. Hurrell took down a McLean cross at the edge of the six-yard area, turned her defenders and struck instinctively low past Currie. 

Kilmarnock nearly regained their two-goal advantage after Robinson picked up on a clearance from Cochran, but instead of shooting first time, opted to drive towards goal and saw her effort cleared. Burns also flashed an effort over the bar for the visitors. 

Into the final 15 minutes and the game was now being played deep in the Kilmarnock half of the pitch. Sidey went close with one strike from 25 yards going just over the bar and another from just inside the penalty area coming back off the bar.

Eirinn McCafferty also saw a late shot at goal saved by Currie. Despite the constant late pressure, Kilmarnock held firm to see out the match. 

This Sunday Saints made the trip to the capital to face Boroughmuir Thistle at Meadowbank Stadium with a 1pm kick off. 

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