Aberdeen Women interim coach Gavin Levey felt his side was unfortunate in their 1-0 defeat to Hearts at Balmoral Stadium.
Hearts took the lead through a Emma Brownlie free kick with 15 minutes left to play, which was enough to secure all three SWPL 1 points – despite a decent display from the Dons.
The loss ended Aberdeen’s four-game unbeaten run and means the Dons drop back into the relegation zone.
But they are only one point off Hamilton Accies in 10th and two behind Dundee United in ninth.
Aberdeen return to action next weekend in their first away game of the year against basement side Glasgow Women, who are yet to pick up a point this season.
For Levey, the defeat to Hearts was disappointing after he felt the Dons matched up well with an impressive Hearts side, who sit fourth in the table.
He said: “We put everything into it. You look at how fast Hearts came out the traps today and it took us a wee bit to get to grips with that.
“We contained things well and they’ve not scored from open play – but they have scored and it’s disappointing it comes from free kick later on in the game.
“It’s a tough one, but I thought the effort and application was really good. We wanted to to get the three points and still be undefeated so far this year, so it’s a sore one.”
Hearts start well but Dons find their way into SWPL 1 clash
There were a couple early scares for Aberdeen as Hearts started well and went close with two set-pieces – a free kick and a corner – with Georgia Timms hitting the post from the former, before forcing Annalisa McCann into a good stop with the latter chance.
The Dons grew into the game, with Hearts keeper Charlotte Parker-Smith called into action after Bayley Hutchison was played through on goal by Eilidh Shore, with the striker then registering another shot after linking up with Hannah Stewart.
The closing 10 minutes of the first half were started to look a bit like the opening stages as the Jambos took control again and their skipper Georgia Hunter had a great chance to give her side the the lead from a corner – but it was 0-0 at the break.
In the second half, Aberdeen survived a scare as Timms hit a volley which caught McCann off guard but she clawed it away – however, the Hearts players were certain it had crossed the line and were screaming for a goal.
There were two good chances for Brownlie – which McCann saved – and second half substitute Jenny Smith, who missed the target from close range.
Nadine Hanssen conceded a free kick right on the edge of the box with 15 minutes left on the clock, and Brownlie lifted the ball over the wall of red players and straight into the back of the net to give Hearts a 1-0 lead.
Positives to take despite defeat
Despite the defeat, Levey reckons there are positives to take from the game, such as 16-year-old defender Maddie Finnie impressing in the place of absent skipper Loren Campbell.
Finnie was part of a defensive four that included two other teenagers – Jess Broadrick and Millie Urquhart – with other teens in the starting XI including Hutchison, McCann, Mya Christie and Bailley Collins.
Levey added: “We set up trying to contain Hearts in attack, which I though we did – they didn’t score any in open play and we frustrated them at times.
“You can see how much it means to Hearts when they scored, so they know it was a tough game today. There are positives to take from the defeat.
“We’re still not at full strength and had to make changes with the team today. The young ones who have stepped up have been magnificent.
“Our average squad age today was just under 20. Our recruitment does rely on young local players coming in, so let’s look at that – a team from Aberdeen who are competing against a professional side like Hearts.”
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