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Donna Paterson admits Aberdeen Women were ‘miles off it’ in Spartans defeat – but urges them to bounce back against Dundee United

The Dons were 3-0 down after 24 minutes at Ainslie Park as the Edinburgh side went on to win 6-2.

Aberdeen's Donna Paterson comes up against Spartans' Becky Galbraith. Image: Shutterstock.
Aberdeen's Donna Paterson comes up against Spartans' Becky Galbraith. Image: Shutterstock.

Aberdeen Women defender Donna Paterson has urged her side to bounce back from a 6-2 defeat to ruthless Spartans when the Dons host Dundee United on Wednesday.

At Ainslie Park on Sunday, the Reds found themselves 3-0 down after 24 minutes via a Becky Galbraith brace and Julianne Ross tap-in.

Ross gave Aberdeen a lifeline after she scored an own goal in the 27th minute, but Mya Bates got her name on the scoresheet soon after to make it 4-1.

Galbraith, who had had a sensational opening 45 minutes and was involved in each of the goals, then got her hat-trick with a long-range effort in the closing stages of the half, before Eilidh Shore got another goal back for the Dons to make it 5-2.

The second half was a less frantic affair in front of goal, but Spartans did score a sixth through Hannah Jordan after 66 minutes.

It was a day to forget in Edinburgh for Aberdeen, and Paterson bemoaned the first-half display which left the Dons with a near-impossible task if they were to return north with points.

She said: “We’re not coming back from the start we made. It was a really slow-start, we were miles off it, and before we know it we’re 3-0 down.

“Heads go down and it’s difficult to come back from that.

“In the second half, we came out a bit better, but it was still a mountain to climb.

“I don’t know whether we came down thinking it was going to be a nice comfy game, but we should know against Spartans it’s never that way – it’s always going to be a battle.

“We should have been better equipped at the start of the game.

“It’s a defeat, but we’ll go work hard and come back stronger.”

Aberdeen in need of breathing space at bottom end of SWPL 1

Despite defeat to Spartans, Aberdeen remain in ninth in SWPL 1, but wins for Dundee United and Hamilton elsewhere reduced the Reds’ advantage over the other relegation contenders.

Their seven-point lead over 11th-placed Accies has been slashed to four points, while 10th-placed United are now only two points behind ahead of the crunch encounter at Balmoral Stadium on Wednesday.

That clash with the Terrors is followed up with a trip to New Douglas Park on Sunday as Aberdeen play Hamilton in their penultimate game of the season.

Aberdeen beat Dundee United 4-3 when they last met in April. Image: Stephen Dobson/Shutterstock

Paterson believes the Dons must now put the Spartans game behind them and focus on picking up a vital three points against United.

Aberdeen last played Dundee United in April, winning 4-3 – having led 2-0 – in an entertaining contest at Gussie Park.

Paterson said: “It’s a local derby, so it’s a game we’ll look forward to.

“Hopefully, we’ll get the three points and get the breathing space that we need.

“If we had put in a performance against Spartans and even got a point, then it would have given us some space, but it didn’t go that way.

“We just have to make sure we go out and do the job on Wednesday.”

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