Livingston Women’s skipper Natasha Frew says she’s ‘filled with pride’ after leading the Lionesses to the SWF Championship title.
Fittingly given it’s been a season of decisive late goals and gritty performances, the Tony Macaroni Arena outfit bagged an injury-time leveller to pick up a 3-3 draw against Renfrew to get the party started.
It was the third time Paul Jaconelli’s side had recovered from a goal down in the clash, which had been a slow-burner before Sinead MacLeod opened the scoring on 25 minutes after converting her own rebound.
But Livi’s never-say-die attitude shone through as it has so often this term with Lucy Brown’s inch-perfect delivery being slammed home at the back post by Beth McKay moments later. The away side would get their noses back in front before half-time, though, as MacLeod’s effort was parried into the path of Megan Castle to tap home.
The game turned again on the hour mark as substitute Gemma Mason - not for the first time - proved decisive off the bench. She curled a wonderful 25-yard free-kick beyond Samantha McQuillan.
Parity lasted all of four minutes before Castle bagged a stunning second with a long-range hooked effort to give second-placed Renfrew the lead for a third time.
As the clock continued to tick, the more frantic Livi’s play became and the more visible the signs of nerves as they tried to drag themselves over the line with two games to spare.
And, just when it seemed to be over, there was time for one last decisive, dramatic moment in a season full of them.
In the second minute of injury-time, Mason’s corner led to a classic goalmouth stramash inside a packed penalty box with Ashley Elizabeth’s effort being ruled to have crossed the line despite McQuillan’s best efforts - who was sent-off for her protestations.
All that remained was to cling on for the remaining few minutes before the final whistle sparked scenes of joy as the Lionesses clinched their place in next season’s SWPL2.
Speaking to the West Lothian Courier, a thrilled Frew commented: “I’m kind of lost for words to describe this team to be honest.
“The girls, the coaching staff, I can’t praise them enough. They’ve smashed it every single week. It’s an amazing team. I’m absolutely buzzing and just filled with pride because it’s an honour to be captain of this squad.”
She added: “We’ve scored a fair few late goals this season which isn’t good for the nerves sometimes.
“We had plenty of chances in the game and full credit to Renfrew as well because they were brilliant and they’re a good team.
“It takes the pressure off us for the last couple of games which is good because it’s been a really tough season and it maybe gives the chance to change things up a bit.
“We get to enjoy the rest of the season with no pressure and I think we’ve earned that over the season.”
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