It has looked likely for a while, but it’s now confirmed Aberdeen Women will play out the rest of their season against the bottom half in SWPL 1.
And I think it’s a good thing the Dons will be playing against Glasgow Women, Hamilton Accies, Dundee United, Spartans and Motherwell.
There is no doubt Aberdeen’s season has been filled with ups and downs, but now is the time for them to make the most of their current position and end the campaign on a positive note.
The Dons are in the midst of a relegation battle, but with 10 games still to be played there is every possibility they end up well clear of the drop zone come the end of the season.
The post-split fixtures Aberdeen will be presented with means that’s not an outlandish possibility, as all the remaining games are winnable.
TABLES | Here's the updated SWPL table ⬇@ThistleWFC clinch their top-six spot with victory away to @dundeeunitedWFC 👏
Victories for the teams in the top four ✔@MotherwellWomen are victorious away to @AberdeenWomen but fall 1⃣ point short. pic.twitter.com/ROKJUFr2jn
— Scottish Women's Premier League (@SWPL) March 12, 2023
Out of the five teams the Dons will come up against, they have beaten all of them at least once over the last two seasons, and have picked up at least a point against four of them this term.
Bottom six position in SWPL 1
For context, out of the current top six, Aberdeen have only picked up two points this season, which were draws against Partick Thistle and Hibernian.
I don’t disagree playing SWPL 1’s top-three, who are the full-time professional sides, has many benefits as the young Dons players are exposed to the highest levels of Scottish football.
But there are disadvantages too. The players’ confidence will have taken a dent this season, so playing against teams where they are always going to be underdogs and can result in heavy defeats isn’t going to do them any favours.
Aberdeen have a very young team – most players are still in the early stages of their career.
In the 7-0 defeat to Glasgow City in February, the Dons’ starting XI had an average age of just 19, with only one player in the line-up over the age of 21 – which was Nadine Hanssen who joined the club in September 2022.
I know for the young players it’s an exciting opportunity to come up against players they look up to as role models, but how does it impact them and their mentality when those games often result in heavy defeats?
The split is a chance for Aberdeen’s squad to go into games as equals with their opponents – and sometimes even as favourites – which should have a positive effect.
Building for next season
What Aberdeen need to do for the rest of this season is create a good foundation to start the next campaign, which will hopefully still be in the top flight.
There will be a new manager in place next season as a permanent coach will be appointed to take the reins from interim manager Gavin Levey.
Levey has done a good job in the circumstances, and it must not be easy trying to balance coaching the women’s team while doing his day job as academy director at Aberdeen.
I believe his juggling act might help the women’s team in the long run. The Dons shouldn’t always settle for being in the bottom half, but changes needed to be made if they’re to aim higher.
Levey has seen exactly what’s needed for the team to thrive in the top flight, and I would suggest he knows it requires more than what has been provided in the past.
A manager is obviously a priority, but recruitment also needs to be looked at.
The Dons boast a successful youth pathway, but I worry their reliance on the youngsters is going to have a detrimental impact on all parties, so a few more experienced players in the mix, which would probably have to involve some sort of payment to attract them up north, would be a good start.
The gulf in SWPL 1 is more than apparent and, realistically, the Dons would be years off closing the gap with Celtic, Rangers and Glasgow City – but progress has to start somewhere.
The next 10 games are a good opportunity for Aberdeen to turn their season around and hopefully, with off the pitch changes, the Dons can aim for a top six finish next season.
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