Head coach Kate Cooper paid tribute to her Buddies for battling to the bitter end of their cup tie defeat.
With the scoreline already up to 4-0 at half-time in St Mirren Women’s SWF Championship and League One cup tie with FC Edinburgh, the Paisley side were staring down the barrel of an embarrassing rout.
The Saints rallied though, holding the SWF League One title hopefuls to a scoreless second half as they put in a much-improved display at Meadowbank Stadium after the break.
Cooper believes the resilience her players showed late on in Sunday’s defeat proves they’ve improved since last season, when scorelines had a tendency to spiral in moments of adversity.
Speaking to Express Sport, Cooper said: “They’re at the top end of the league for a reason. They’re a very good side and I’m sure they’ll be pushing for promotion come the end of the season.
“Despite the defeat, this was still a big step forward for us. The players could easily have given up, some would have thrown in the towel at half-time.
“They’ve got players who are good enough for the Championship and last year they beat us 14-1.
“The fact we kept it scoreless in the second half shows that we have that character and resilience we didn’t have before.
“I’m so happy with the commitment and the attitude the players showed throughout. We know we’re still learning, but crucially we’re improving as well.
“The squad took on board what needed to change in the second half and that is vital for us going forward.
“It’s so important to challenge the teams above you though because that’s when you learn the most. You either win matches or you learn from them.”
The Buddies are back in League One action this weekend with a trip to face Giffnock SC Women fast approaching.
Cooper hopes her side can take the harsh lesson in clinical finishing they faced against FC Edinburgh and put it to good use at Eastwood Park. She added: “We only made small mistakes against Edinburgh but we were punished for them.
“They showed a level of clinical finishing that we need to aspire to.
“It’s all about taking your chances and being productive, especially against teams who are going to have more possession than you.
“We’re still learning about how to manage the game, when to press and how to do that as a team.
“We are showing a real desire at the moment to get better and hopefully the players will have taken a lot from the cup
experience.”
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