Match report: St Johnstone WFC 4 Elgin City 2

St Johnstone Women advanced to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Gas Women's Scottish Cup on Sunday after eventually overcoming Elgin City 4-2 in front of a large crowd at Riverside Stadium.

The Moray side currently sit joint top of SWFL North and, backed by a bumper support, posed a threat for the entire match.

But it was Saints that nudged in front after just three minutes. Romilly Cruickshank floated in a corner which Niamh Irvine headed off the cross bar.

And as the ball fell just outside the six-yard box, a good old stramash ensued. Jodie Malcolm first had a swing but, as her effort was blocked and as defenders cleared it off one another, it fell to Steffi Simson who provided the finishing touch.

Action soon moved to the other end of the park where Norwegian striker Mia Lundberg was causing problems.

As they did for a lot of the match, Saints applied a fair amount of pressure on the Elgin defence, but the clinical moments were missing.

With a quarter of an hour gone, Elgin got their equaliser. Having seen the precursor, it was third time lucky for Lundberg as this time when she beat the Saints defence, rounded Bobby Cochran and slotted the ball home.

Saints upped the pressure once again to try and retake the lead. Irvine had a shot saved and Elvie McLean fired inches wide of the right-hand post from a Leah Sidey cross. Sidey then came closer still to scoring when she hit the post.

Into the second half, Elgin nearly took an immediate lead after capitalising on a Saints corner. Lundberg picked up on a loose ball intended for Malcolm and strode away running the length of the park down the left wing before crossing in with Saints managing to clear.

After six minutes of the half, Saints retook the lead. Malcolm won the ball in the middle of the park and played it out to the right where defender Irvine had supported the move forward. She struck low past McAfee to score her second goal in three games.

It was a short-lived lead, however, lasting less than a minute. Near enough straight from kick off Elgin got the ball forward and, once again, it was Lundberg that got the goal. She did well to hold off Megan Paterson and then prodded the ball past Cochran.

Only five minutes after that, Lundberg came about as close as she could to a hat-trick and giving her side the lead. It was another opportunistic move and she took the ball past Cochran but could only find the post.

Elgin captain Carly Sewell then volleyed an effort over the bar before coming within inches of getting her side in front. She rose unchallenged at a corner, only to see her goalbound header tipped wide by the fingertips of Cochran in what was an incredible save.

Saints started to turn the screw again and Simson forced a good save from McAfee after being played through into the box by Malcolm. With 20 minutes remaining, Saints went ahead once more.

Olivia Hurrell made her way down the right, crossing a low ball in behind the Elgin defence and Sidey, from the edge of the D, hit a powerful left-footed effort for her second goal in as many games. 

It would be Hurrell who effectively put the match out of sight five minutes later. This time coming down the left-hand side of the pitch, she was able to glide past the Elgin defence and place the ball past McAfee. 

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