Aberdeen Women co-manager Emma Hunter believes that three points against Partick Thistle would be a massive confidence boost for her side.
The Dons host Partick Thistle at Balmoral Stadium on Sunday, who are one of the other two sides in the league with no points after the opening two games.
Aberdeen have lost their first two games of the SWPL 1 season, including an 8-0 defeat to reigning league champions Rangers at Balmoral Stadium last weekend.
And while their defeat to the Glasgow side can’t be used as a real indicator for the Reds, Hunter knows her side need to pick up points sooner rather than later.
She believes a first win against Thistle this weekend would give them a foundation to build on as the games progress.
Hunter said: “When you’ve not got any points on the board, these games start to become more and more important – the longer it goes on, it can affect players mentally.
“We’ve always been a team that looks more at performances, but if we’re being realistic, three points on Sunday against Partick is really important.
“It’ll be a big test for us as a young team – a team who are just in their second season in SWPL 1 – it’s really challenging, and we can’t hide the fact we need the points.
“We’ll set up to win the game and hopefully put in a good performance, but the points are the most vital thing. It would be a massive confidence boost.
“We can’t underestimate how important they are and not just for this game, but for the season ahead. If we get points on the board, it takes a weight off the players.”
Hunter calls for an improved performance against the Jags
Although Hunter admits she can’t be too harsh after her players’ display against a full-time professional side, she says there were things they can do better.
The Aberdeen co-boss is hoping her side can be stronger at the back and maintain that over the game, while also making better use of the ball in possession.
She said: “We were disappointed on Sunday that so many fans turned out to support us and we lost heavily, and didn’t really show them how good Aberdeen can be
“After the Rangers game, there’s such a gulf that we know we can’t be too critical. But this week, we want to be that bit stronger in defence – and for the full 90 minutes.
“We know we’re going to see more of the ball than last week, but when we do lose it, the message has been to make sure that we win it back and do something that counts.
“We need to make sure we’re better at taking our chances, the couple we did have against Rangers, I think we should’ve done better.
“Hopefully the fans will turn up in their numbers again and we can repay them with three points and a good performance.”
Top-flight encounters between the two sides last season proved to be physical and scrappy affairs, but Hunter says her side are equipped to deal with such a game.
She added: “We’ve talked about the different ways that we can navigate the physicality of the game, and how we can try take the physicality out of it.
“The fact we’re at home helps. Balmoral Stadium is a bigger pitch than Petershill Park, so down there it’s a tighter space which lends itself to those physical battles.
“We need to be strong and match Thistle, but equally, we need to find a way to stop the game becoming too physical. We want to control the game and show our style of play.”