Hibernian 1-1 Glasgow City
By Gethin Thurlow at Meadowbank for Impetus 2/10/25
Above: Glasgow City and Hibernian fight for the ball Photo: @HibernianWomen on x
Glasgow City stayed unbeaten with a draw at Meadowbank as Hibernian kept their title rivals in check on Wednesday night.
The Teams
After naming an almost unrecognisable starting eleven on Sunday, Grant Scott opted for a more established team, with Bowie and Livingstone coming back in on the wings. Grant, Linzi Taylor and Schumacher also made returns to the eleven.
The luxury of being able to rest top players with an eye on tonight was not something available to Leanne Ross on Sunday, as they headed to Ibrox. She did make a number of changes though, with Whelan coming in on the wing, Lauder and Lockwood into midfield and Warrington starting at right back.
The Action
Hibs controlled what was a cagey game early on, but it was Glasgow City with the greater threat. In a quick attacking move they had a two on two, with Harrison looking to find the wide open Kozlova in the box. Caley Gibb stayed in position however and intercepted the cross, knocking it out for a corner.
The hosts didn’t have to wait long for their chance though. Rachel Boyle intercepted an errant City pass, and beautifully played Livingstone in on goal. The winger couldn’t direct her first time shot on target, but it was a warning to Leanne Ross’s team at the very least.
Hibernian took confidence from this though, and continued to pepper the Glasgow City defence. Caley Gibb quickly took a throw-in in the attacking third and Rosie Livingstone was free on the by-line at the edge of the box, with time to play with, she delivered a cross right to Eilidh Adams, who merely had to deflect the ball into the side netting, giving Hibs a crucial lead.
After a concerning period which saw Notley and Boyle go down for the home side, some brilliant skill by Warrington down the right earned City a corner. As has been a theme throughout the season, Schumacher misjudged the corner, only able to drop the ball in front of her while leaving the goal unguarded. Katie Lockwood took advantage of this to smash the ball home and level the contest.
City kept looking dangerous from set pieces while Gibb and Livingstone were solely responsible for Hibs’ attacking threat. Neither team could find a breakthrough though and the first half ended feeling exactly like an unplanned Wednesday night game – that no one really wanted to be here.
Stacey Papadopoulos came on for Boyle to start the second 45 and instantly got involved as Hibs came out a revamped team with a new intensity and aggression. This pressure got them a couple of half chances, requiring defensive intervention from City’s backline. They held strong initially though with Warrington and Smit both working to deny Bowie and McGovern.
The new look Hibs left-hand side created more chances, with Papadopoulos and Bowie both finding space and putting good balls into the box, but Gibson and Glasgow City’s dominated any aerial balls into the box.
It was just Kozlova, who had moved into the middle at half time left to carry City’s attacking momentum; while Hibs plugged away with the majority of the ball, failing to create clear chances. Burchill had some flashes on the wing, but for the second game in a row they could not get star striker Kathleen McGovern involved enough.
Hunter played a magical ball in front of Adams, who got to it first and bore down on Gibson, but she was wiped from behind by an erratic Golob challenge, who left no choice for the referee but to send her off and hand Hibs a huge advantage for the final ten minutes.
McGovern could only roll the impending free kick into the grateful arms of Lee Gibson, but Hannah Jordan was brought on as Hibs sought to use the player advantage and gain a crucial win.
Despite one more well-placed corner from Notley, Lee Gibson once again stood tall and ensured a point to keep her team as the only unbeaten side in the SWPL.
Player of the Match Chloe Warrington
Often a very underrated member of the Glasgow City squad, Warrington has by no means been the main right back this year, but she shined with her opportunity today. Adding perhaps a layer of defensive ability above Lisa Evans, Warrington was tasked with the role of stopping an in-form Tegan Bowie, while Rachael Boyle would also attack on her side.
Hibs’ left side had pretty much no success in the first half and part of this was Warrington’s tight marking of Bowie. She also showed off skills and pace going forward as an attacking threat, creating some chances and winning some corners. When she was brought off in the second half, Hibernian’s output in that area increased significantly, evidencing her impact further.
Where this leaves the teams
Hibs will take a draw overall. It keeps that gap to first place at five points, which is much more closeable than the eight which would’ve been the reality had Glasgow City come out on top.
It also proved how much this year’s side could compete with the top sides in the league. A draw with Celtic and dismal loss at Tynecastle had left this uncertain. In this game though, particularly in the second half Hibs looked like the better team and confirmed their credentials as genuine title challengers.
After a weekend of cup action, Hibs look forward to hosting Rangers at Meadowbank on Sunday 12th of October as the title picture really starts to take shape.
It is another point and Glasgow City stay unbeaten. Leanne Ross will be extremely pleased with that aspect of these two games, but it’s another game where they looked the worse team on the pitch. Results matter much more than performances, but she will be surely demanding more from her side in future big matchups this season.
For Glasgow, their next league game will be hosting the battle of Petershill Park, as Partick Thistle head to the ground as an away side for the only team all year.
Teams: HIBERNIAN (4-2-3-1): Schumacher, Gibb, L Taylor, Hunter, Boyle (c), Grant, Notley, Livingstone, Adams, Bowie, McGovern Substitutes: Papadopoulos (for Boyle 46’) Burchill (for Livingstone 68’) Jordan (for Adams 89’)
Scorer: Adams 20’
GLASGOW CITY (4-3-3): Gibson, Warrington, Smit, Golob, Muir (c), Lauder, Anderson, Lockwood, Whelan, Harrison, Kozlova Substitutes: Maatta (for Harrison 46’) Forrest (for Kozlova 78’), Evans (for Warrington 78’), Mclaughlin (for Lauder 89’), Brownlie (for Lockwood 90’)
Scorer: Lockwood 32’
Referee: Lauren Whitehead
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