Aberdeen Women co-boss Emma Hunter reckons her side are in pole position to solidify a mid-table finish in their first season back in SWPL 1.
The Dons bounced back from defeats against two of the league’s professional sides with a vital 2-1 win against Partick Thistle on Sunday.
Hunter’s side had to fight back from 1-0 down to win the game ten minutes from time, with Bayley Hutchison’s winning goal finding the net in the 81st minute.
Although the win against the Jags didn’t see Aberdeen move up any position in the table, it did see them extend the gap to five points between them and seventh-placed Motherwell.
It also leaves them breathing down the neck of Spartans in fifth who are just one point ahead but have played two games more.
And co-boss Hunter knows it was an important three points in their bid to finish mid-table in the Scottish top-flight.
Next few games will determine their position in the table
“You could see how disappointed Partick Thistle were, it was going to be a massive result for either side,” Hunter explained.
“The three points gives us that bit of breathing space now between the middle and the bottom of the table.
“The next few games are just going to solidify where about in the table we can actually finish.”
It was a physical and scrappy affair at Petershill Park, and Hunter was pleased with her side’s response from going behind in the eighth minute.
She reckons their attitude looked more like the determined Aberdeen side that she expects to see on the pitch.
Hunter said: “I said that to them after the match, it shows what a team they are – the resilience to stay in the game.
“Once you go ahead and it is about making sure you don’t concede – they were throwing their bodies on the line.
“It was good to see that we dealt with everything Partick threw at us and to come away with all three points was really important.”
‘Pushing the boundaries’
With a fifth-place finish more than possible, it would be an impressive outcome for Aberdeen upon their SWPL 1 return, but one that co-boss Hunter would not be surprised about.
She added: “Even from day one when I stepped into the post at Aberdeen Women – I knew we could do this.
“I knew it was achievable, that there was talent to be developed and that we could reach this level.
#ParksSWPL | Here's the updated @parksmotorgroup SWPL 1 table ⬇
No movement as the top six, except @CelticFCWomen, pick up 3⃣ points each ✅
#ParksSWPL1 pic.twitter.com/Js0SMBReaE— Park’s Motor Group SWPL (@SWPL) March 13, 2022
“And part of the success is down to us all believing it – we’ve got the confidence and belief that we’re a team that can compete for it.
“We’re now even believing that we can go beyond that as well.
“At the start of the season we said let’s aim for 5th and now we’re even saying let’s aim for fourth and get above Hibs.
“We just keep pushing the boundaries.”