Rangers 2-1 Motherwell
By Gethin Thurlow (31/8/25)
Above: Kirsty Howat scores to put Rangers 2-0 against Motherwell Photo: @RangersWFC on X
Referee Lauren Whitehead was the centre of attention as several poor decisions impacted the game, overshadowing Rangers’ victory over Motherwell, which kept them in touch with Celtic at the top of the SWPL.
While Rangers were allowed unfettered access to the Motherwell half in the first half, the away side held strong at the back. Leanne Crichton’s team certainly mixed up their forms of attack, trying long balls, crosses, and more controlled passing moves into the box. Where they looked most threatening was from set pieces, although Rebecca Cameron stepped into action whenever it was required.
The only time Rangers were able to break this Motherwell defensive deadlock was the controversial first goal. As Katie Wilkinson and Chelsie Watson challenged for the ball, Watson went down clearly clutching her head, causing the Motherwell players to stop, waiting for the referee’s whistle. That sound never came, and instead Lizzie Arnot slipped Brogan Hay in, with the Motherwell defence totally switched off. Even an initial save from Cameron wasn’t enough to keep the score level.
Motherwell were able to win the ball from the Rangers’ defence in some high areas, but their front four did not have the quality or communication to link up and turn that possession into goals. As the second half began with Paul Bronwlie’s side trailing, they started to push up more and that opened the Motherwell defence slightly.
Katie Wilkinson, usually known for her clinical finishes; played an inch perfect through-ball to Kirsty Howat who found the bottom corner to put Rangers in full control of the tie. As the game seemed to be petering out, Rangers keeper Jenna Fife was far too casual, getting caught on the ball by Kodie Hay, who squared it to Carla Boyce and suddenly that game was back to life.
Rangers were not fully able to shut down Motherwell in that subsequent time, and they got lucky again when Nicola Docherty appeared to pull Teoni Steele back with the Motherwell substitute through on goal. Had that foul been given, it would have constituted a red card for denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Shortly before the hosts doubled their lead, the referee seemed to miss an obvious handball by Motherwell in their own area, which gave the impression that Whitehead’s poor decisions were more down to incompetence rather than any agenda. This will not take away the sour feeling from Motherwell though, who will feel that the game was taken away from them through those refereeing decisions.
It does not take away from the performance, though. Only in one moment were Rangers able to fully slice through this Motherwell side, and they can take so much pride and confidence from that going forward into other games. The other professional sides will take note of how Motherwell managed to foil Rangers so well, both to try and overcome that when they face Paul Brownlie’s team and as inspiration for ways to shut down this Rangers team.
For Rangers, the first goal perhaps underlined a club-wide attitude that winning matters more than anything else. Some fans will no doubt feel that their willingness to take advantage of such a situation goes against so much of the positive spirit with which the women’s game has traditionally been played.
On the footballing side, it is once again a very underwhelming performance as things have yet to properly settle under Leanne Crichton. Whether the intention was there or not, it felt like they were comfortable with that two-goal lead and were happy to play the game out in this manner, rather than trying to push for as many as possible. It is another effort full of learnings to be taken and improvements to be made, as they look ahead to an Old Firm derby that already looks like a must-win game for Rangers given the start to the season from their old rivals.
For the SWPL, there is much to be taken from this. Player welfare is the top priority of any sport, and this is why football has pushed so hard on the head-injury rule in recent years. If a player goes down and the injury does not look serious, then play can continue. However, if the injury is to the head, the game should be stopped instantly. Watson very clearly suffered a blow to the head, and the referee should have stopped play. The league needs to consider whether they are emphasising this enough or how they can adapt the way referees are trained and monitored, to ensure that player safety has priority over keeping the flow of the game.
Teams
Rangers (4-4-2): Fife, McLeary, Austin, Docherty (c), Conelly-Jackson, Hay, Griffiths, McLoughlin, Arnot, Howat, Wilkinson
Substitutes: Hill (for Austin 63’), Shin-Ji (for Griffiths 63’), McAulay (for Hay 63’), Cruft (McLoughlin 74’), Berry (for Howat 80’)
Scorers: Hay 28’, Howat 53’
Motherwell (4-1-4-1): Cameron, Inglis (c), Browning, Watson, Burn, Ronald, Bulloch, Collins, Blyth-Clark, Rice, Boyce.
Substitutes: Cairns (for Inglis 65’), Denholm (for Rice 79’), Hay (for Bulloch 79’), Steele (for Blyth-Clark 86’)
Scorer: Boyce 80’
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