Aberdeen Women co-boss Emma Hunter says her side will be looking to apply what they’ve learned this season when they travel to play Glasgow City tonight.
In the reverse fixture, which was played at Glebe Park in Brechin due to Balmoral being unavailable, the reigning league champions stormed into a 5-0 lead in the first half.
However, the second 45 minutes were much improved and the Reds managed to keep Glasgow City at bay – with that half being a better example of what the Dons are capable of.
In the immediate games after that fixture, there were glimpses of that second half form, with Aberdeen even leading Celtic up until the 80th minute, but it has been the last five games where they have really proven their quality.
The Dons come into the game on the back of a five-game winning run, including a 5-1 thrashing of Motherwell at the weekend.
There have been clear signs of improvement with their game management, as earlier in the season going behind could see them concede a flurry of goals or struggle to get back into the game.
However, in those five wins, Aberdeen have gone at least a goal behind in three of them, but have responded well to secure victory.
Co-boss Hunter reckons her side will draw on the positives and negatives from the season so far to go into the clash better equipped to take points back to Aberdeen.
She said: “We know when we played them last time that we were a bit naïve in the first half. The second half we were much better, but we’ve grown so much since we played them.
“There’s been loads of moments throughout the season we’ve improved, and I think the Celtic game in particular when we competed for that long, but then unfortunately just lost out.
“Every single game we’ve been taken learnings from it and it’s been really important that we’ve reflected on each of our performances to tweak things and try and make it better.
“It’s about looking at the positives to try and make sure we’re building on them, but then cutting out a lot of the negatives.
“But we’ve still got a lot of learning to do. We’re still making mistakes on the pitch, but that’s going to happen.
“We’re still growing as a team, but as long as we keep developing and getting better that’s the main thing.”
‘Capable of beating anyone’
Glasgow City have won 14 SWPL 1 titles in a row, but look to be chasing current league leaders Rangers in their bid for their 15th consecutive championship.
And with the Dons improving on the pitch and fighting for fifth place in their first season back in SWPL 1, Hunter says her side are capable of beating any team on their day, including the reigning champions.
“I think more and more clubs don’t want to play Aberdeen because they know we’re a good side and capable of beating anyone in the league,” Hunter explained.
“Any of the top four teams, we can upset them on the day if we play the way that we’re capable of.
“The whole league has flipped a little bit this year, but this is a great league and that competitiveness is what you want.
“I think Glasgow City have found it quite tough with their transitional period of a new manager coming in where things will have changed.
“It’s maybe an opportunity for us to look at and see it as a little carrot to go out there and try and upset them, and maybe just not let them play the football that they like to play.”
#ParksSWPL | Here's the updated @parksmotorgroup SWPL 1 table ⬇
Important wins for @RangersWFC and @GlasgowCityFC at the top of the table 🔝🏆@AberdeenWomen and @spartansfcwomen climb the table after victories today ⬆
#ParksSWPL1 pic.twitter.com/Ji6Lu7T5yg— Park’s Motor Group SWPL (@SWPL) February 27, 2022
However, Hunter knows Glasgow City are still a massive threat that will need to be dealt with on the pitch.
She added: “Glasgow City are one of the best teams in Scotland, and have been for so long.
“If we go out there and are aggressive on the front foot and go at them, we can cause some problems.”
“But they’re a quality side full of international and Scotland national team players, so we’re not naïve to think they’re not capable of beating us as well.
“We will give it our all. Anytime we step out on the pitch, that’s what we do as a team and as a group of coaches.”