Hamilton Accies Women’s boss Gary Doctor admits he expects Motherwell to be thirsty for revenge in today’s Lanarkshire derby after his side spoiled their big Fir Park occasion last season.
The Women of Steel faced Accies at the home ground of the men’s senior team in April but their very-first game at the stadium ended on a sour note for ‘Well when Chloe Muir’s strike earned Accies a 1-0 win.
So Doctor knows his side will need to be wary when ‘Well come calling in SWPL1 this Sunday, where a win for Accies would see them leapfrog their opponents in the table.
Doctor said: “It is always a big one, the local derby.
“The last time we met we beat 1-0 at Fir Park in April. That was a big win we got, beating them at their only game at Fir Park, so they will be looking for a bit of revenge for that because it was a big day for them and we got the win. They also have former players of ours there so there is a bit of familiarity between the squads.
“It is quite close around about us in the table as well.
“We are targeting the win and we want to get a performance to match it.
“The club are putting an effort before the game as well, bringing in a lot of the youth teams to play before the match and build a bigger crowd for it so we are all looking forward to it.”
Accies go into the game off of a heavy 5-1 defeat to Partick Thistle at the weekend, where goalkeeper Chloe Nicholson was sent off inside the fourth minute after conceding a penalty.
Doctor was still disappointed in the overall display, despite the numerical disadvantage for the vast majority of the game, and is looking for a response.
He added: “I can’t remember the last time we had a red card, never mind one that takes one out for the entire game.
“Being our goalkeeper as well, it’s a position where you obviously have to take someone else off to get another goalkeeper on.
“It affected us more than normal, but that’s the way things go.
“I still don’t believe we should be conceding five goals so it was a tough one to take so we need to move on quickly.
“It’s one we need to learn from and Chloe needs to learn from as well, but we’ve got a big game coming around quickly that gives us the chance to respond and bounce back.
“I think the players will be disappointed with the way we played, despite the red card, and hopefully that will give us the response that we need to perform against Motherwell.”
Kick-off today is 4pm.
Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.
