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ne W o t s n Joh
ock Ladies n r a m l i FC K s v C F
Official Matchday Programme SBS SWPL 2 Season 2018 15 April 2018 Kick-off 4pm Issue 3 | Cover price £2 Admission £3
MAIN SPONSORS
MANAGER’S NOTES A
warm welcome to Stewart Hall, his staff, players and everyone connected with FC Kilmarnock Ladies to McDiarmid Park for today’s match. After a week off we’re eager to get back into the league campaign and put in a good performance today. Last weekend’s friendly outing against top-level opposition has really helped give us a sense of perspective and the players can be proud of the effort they put in over the 90 minutes.
Main shirt sponsor 2018 & 2019
I won’t dwell on the Glasgow Girls result. Suffice to say it wasn’t a good day at the office for any of us really. You’re always going to have off days, and now that one is behind us, so we learn and move on . FC Kilmarnock are a new team to our division, but they are already proving they deserve their place in it. They sit at the top of the league but that bring its own pressures
positivemortgages TM
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Jason McCrindle Manager sometimes. The focus on not losing can be overbearing. So it’s up to us to put as much pressure on them today and make sure we capitalise on any mistakes. We need to take advantage but it won’t be easy as they are a good side. Nevertheless if we continue in the same manner as we have done before then it’s going to be close. Hope you enjoy the game.
St. Johnstone Women FC vs FC Kilmarnock Ladies
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SJWFC 3-1 HoMWFC
SAINTS TAKE HEART
A composed display from Saints saw off the threat from Hearts Women.
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St. Johnstone Women FC vs FC Kilmarnock Ladies
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BUT DEVELOPMENT
LEFT HEART-BROKEN
Two weeks after Saints Women had celebrated a fine 3-1 win against Heart of Midlothian Women in the SWPL2 it was the turn of the two clubs’ development teams to play in SWFL2 East.
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enior women’s football returned to Bute Drive in Perth for the first time since 2016 on 25 March, when Jeanfield Swifts Development met Hearts Development in a Division 2 clash. The Edinburgh side would eventually take the result, but Jeanfield’s performance once again encouraged coaches Martin Revie and Bobby Cochran. Swifts headed into the break with the game in the balance at 0-0, with the best chance having gone to young midfielder Beth Dakers whose fine shot rattled the cross-
bar. The match remained tight in the second half, but Hearts secured the victory with a scrappy goal that was nevertheless enough to earn them the three points. With no game on Easter Sunday, the Jeanfield Development team travelled to Hutchison Vale Development last weekend hoping to register their first points of the season. However once again a 0-0
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half-time scoreline ended up in a narrow 1-0 defeat for the women in black and white. Despite suffering three losses in the opening weeks of the season, severely disrupted by the weather, the coaches and players know that the performances are improving week on week and that first result is just around the corner. This afternoon they face GOC Women’s Academy from Edinburgh at Bute Drive and will be looking for further improvement and reward for the hard work going on in training.
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St. Johnstone Women FC vs FC Kilmarnock Ladies
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PLAYER SHIRT SPONSORS
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St. Johnstone Women FC vs FC Kilmarnock Ladies
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BOOT & TRAVEL SPONSORS
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GGFC 4-0 SJWFC
TODAY’S VISITORS
Easter Sunday brought a disappointing result for Saints Women as Glasgow Girls rose to claim the victory.
Today’s opposition are newcomers to the Premier League, having won promotion from SWFL1 South last season.
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FC Kilmarnock Ladies enjoyed an excellent season in 2017, and have made a good start to their SWPL campaign, currently topping the table!
ound 4 of the SWPL2 campaign was scheduled for 18 March, but the Mini Beast from the East ensured that no football would be played with many grounds covered in snow. Saints’ fixture away to Glasgow Girls was rearranged for Easter Sunday – the only match in the
league to go ahead on that date – and a small squad headed down to Glasgow for the game. Unfortunately the game slipped away from the Saints Women as Glasgow took control and emerged 4-0 winners.
SWPL2 TABLE Pos
Team
P
W
D
L
GD
Pts
1
F.C. Kilmarnock
3
3
0
0
5
9
2
Motherwell FC
3
2
0
1
7
6
3
St Johnstone
4
2
0
2
-2
6
4
Hearts FC
3
1
1
1
0
4
5
Edinburgh University Hutchison Vale
3
1
1
1
-4
4
6
Aberdeen F.C
3
1
0
2
0
3
7
Central Girls Football Academy
3
1
0
2
-1
3
8
Glasgow Girls FC
4
1
0
3
-5
3
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Head Coach Stewart Hall said, “Our season has started positively and we hope to continue this. We obviously expect the season to be extremely competitive, with every point being a hard earned one. Our goal after gaining promotion last season was to remain in the division and compete in every game.” Their league-opener at home to Motherwell saw them finish 2-1 down at the final whistle. However Motherwell were found to have fielded an ineligible player and the tie was awarded to Killie by the League Management Committee.
In their second fixture, Kilmarnock came up against fellow promotion-winners Central FA, who had subdued Saints’ opening weekend with a winning start to their SWPL campaign. However, it was Kilmarnock who came out on top with a 2-1 win at the Innodrill Stadium. Three more points came courtesy of a win against Aberdeen FC Ladies at Rugby Park on 11 March. The Round 4 fixture away to Hearts scheduled for 18 March fell victim to the Mini Beast from the East.
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Back row (l-r): Steve Grossi, Eilidh McIntyre, Rhianna Tweedie, Amy Henderson, Rachel Todd, Rebecca Cameron, Corrie McIlravey-Davidson, Roberta-Leigh Cochran, Ellie Cowie, Emma Flynn-Scott, Emma Maclean, Laura Dunn, Scott Knox Front row (l-r): Rebecca McGowan, Rachel Wolecki, Leah Fleming, Niamh Irvine, John Fettes, Jason McCrindle, Rebecca Foote, Megan Moss, Hannah Clark, Emma Sommerville
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SPONSORS’ GAME
HELP LUKE
I am delighted to welcome so many of our Sponsors to the match for this year’s Sponsors Match.
Assistant Manager John Fettes is supporting the campaign to secure specialist cancer treatment for Luke Stewart.
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a great mixture of “well kent” as well as new faces.
Our sponsors are so important to us and we are very lucky having so many who are so generous and loyal.
It is absolutely impossible for us to thank our sponsors enough but hopefully today they will enjoy meeting each other, enjoy watching the girls in action, and go away with a better understanding of just what a difference they make not to mention a positive feeling about what they do for the team.
Luke Stewart was 7 years old when diagnosed with a rare and inoperable brain tumour called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in January 2017. There is no cure and average life expectancy from diagnosis is a mere 9 months.
This year we added to our sponsor packages and as a result today we will welcome a record number, and
And let’s hope they keep their record up of bringing victory on the day!
ou may recall we trialled this event last year in our match against Hearts and it was huge success. It also inspired the team to victory that day, so we had no option but to repeat the exercise this season!
Pioneering treatment is however now available in Mexico. It is very costly as well as being 5,000 miles from home. Through the generosity of a growing community Luke started treatment in May 2017 and has shown great improvement. Luke has now had 10 Intra Arterial chemotherapy treatments & 4 Immunotherapy treatments, along with 50 hyperbaric treatments. At £15,000 per Intra Arterial chemotherapy treatment & £25,000 per Immunotherapy treatment, Help Luke fundraising is needed to ensure Luke can continue with these life-saving treatments.
John Fettes heard about the Help Luke campaign after meeting Luke’s dad Mark at the football club attended by Luke’s younger brother and John’s youngest son. After a couple of weeks’ thought about how he could help, John decided to adopt Help Luke as his sponsor free of charge. Luke and his mum Jenny recently went to Mexico for further treatment; with sufficient funds available for just one more session after this one, it is vital that more money is raised for Luke’s treatment to continue. We are looking forward to having Luke and his family attend as our special guests here in Perth at our next home game, on 15 April. Please support the Help Luke campaign by donating at www.treeofhope.org.uk/luke-stewart/
facebook.com/helplukemakehistory twitter.com/HelpLukeStewart helplukemakehistory@gmail.com
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PLAYER PROFILE When Fiona Mearns re-signed for the club at the beginning of the month there was a great deal of reminiscing by those who remember her first spell at the club.
F
iona joined the club on her return from America early in 2013. In her first season the team won Division 2 and then secured a promotion place through the play-offs with Fiona scoring 17 goals including two hat-tricks. Her third season was just as successful with Fiona helping the team secure their first ever League Cup Trophy, beating Hibs Development 3-0 and then securing promotion to SWPL2. She scored some memorable and important goals in that period, with a header versus Hibs at Jeanfield and a 30-yard free kick away to Falkirk up there with her best. Fiona unfortunately suffered a serious knee injury and this injury was actually one of the reasons that she has returned. “I’m currently recovering from knee surgery and SJWFC offers everything I need to give me the best chance of getting fully fit & back on the pitch. I also loved my time at Jeanfield Swifts and that made it an easy decision to return”. The term “experienced player” certainly applied to Fiona. Hav16
ing been inspired to play football at the age of 7 after watching a Dunfermline v Hearts game she has played for a variety of teams including Monifieth, Forfar, Dundee United Sports Club and Abertay before taking up a football scholarship offer at Concord University in West Virginia. Fiona certainly enjoyed her spell in the States “The best decision I ever made was going to the States to play, it was really challenging in terms of fitness and it changed the player that I was when I came back to Scotland to play for Jeanfield”. When she joined Jeanfield, Fiona was re-united with her favourite player Jade McDonald. “Jade and I played in the same team since we were 13 or 14 at Monifieth. She is a brilliant player and team mate. It was great to play again with her and share the highlight of my career with her when we won the League in my first season. I seem to remember we both enjoyed the celebration in Perth that night a bit too much!”
FIONA MEARNS say that Jodie had the best banter ever... but also the worst depending on whether or not she was on form.! I’ve got so many wonderful memories of playing with Jodie and becoming great friends”.
We obviously can’t comment on the former but the two against East Fife still remain fresh in our memories with the free kick one that even her hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic would have been proud of.
One of Fiona’s more peculiar memories was turning to see her goalkeeper at Monifieth swinging upside down from the cross bar during a game, but more impressive was Kim Little who Fiona played against when she played for Hibs against Fiona’s Monifieth. “She scored 7 goals from midfield!”
As a personal trainer it is no surprise that Fiona likes to keep fit and she had just taken up Crossfit before her injury, and she is desperate to get back fit and enjoy playing football again
As a goalscorer we have allowed Fiona to pick more than one favourite. ”Either the goal I scored to beat a previously undefeated team for Concord or one of the goals scored against East Fife for Jeanfield to win us the league that day.”
It has been great catching up with Fiona again, and in typical Fiona fashion she leaves us with one last unusual fact… She can do a mean worm and has used it as a goal celebration. She has promised to unleash it once she returns and we will hold her to that promise. Welcome back Fiona and best of luck in your rehab.
Another of Fiona’s favourite teammates who became a great friend was Jodie Nicholson. “I’d have to
St. Johnstone Women FC vs FC Kilmarnock Ladies
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NPL 15s BEAT KILLIE Jeanfield Swifts Girls U15s undertook the longest journey of the National Performance League as they travelled to Kilmarnock.
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n opening win against Boroughmuir Thistle (2-1) was followed by a 3-1 loss to Glasgow City in a hastily-reversed fixture played out in a blizzard after the Bute Drive pitches were ruled out due to waterlogging from the melted snow. Week three would see the Swifts tackle the league’s longest away trip, as they travelled to Kilmarnock to face a side they had last met at U13s in a festival in Edinburgh in 2016. On that occasion, playing in monsoon-like conditions Killie emerged easy winners, taking a 7-0 victory. Swifts were determined that the result would be different this time around, however, and put in commanding performance to record a 4-2 win.
After the break, Swifts started brightly again as Beth Allen pounced on a through ball from Ferguson to extend the lead. Limiting Kilmarnock to possession in their own half, Swifts struck again on 70 minutes as Abbie Ferguson hit her second and Swifts’ fourth. Kilmarnock snatched a late consolation goal but it wasn’t enough to deny Swifts the victory that puts them third in the league behind City and Hearts. This weekend the 15s take on Bayside at Bute Drive and will be seeking to secure the three points with another win.
Swifts dominated the opening quarter, but it took 23 minutes before the first goal came, courtesy of Abbie Ferguson. A Member Bene ts Scheme
Kilmarnock hit back almost immediately, to level up the score, before Beth Dakers hit a huge shot from well outside the box to regain the lead for Swifts. 18
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ST. JOHNSTONE WFC
2
1 Corrie McIlravey-Davidson A&B Taxis Perth
3 Amy Henderson
5 Jennifer Rodgers Milk Hairdressing 20
SQUAD 2018
7
Emma Flynn-Scott Smith Services
4
8
Chiara Grossi Grossi Dry Cleaners
10
9
Rhianna Tweedie St. John’s Centre
6
Rachel Todd J T Handyman
11 Laura Dunn Radio Taxis
St. Johnstone Women FC vs FC Kilmarnock Ladies
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Ellie Cowie Master Trophies
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Niamh Irvine Liam Anderson Arch. 15 April 2018
Hannah Clark Station Hotel, Leslie
Rachel Wolecki Victoria Houston Prams
St. Johnstone Women FC vs FC Kilmarnock Ladies
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ST. JOHNSTONE WFC
13 Emma Maclean Radio Taxis
15 Megan Moss A&B Taxis Perth
17 Leah Fleming Fleming SubServ Ltd. 22
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SQUAD 2018
19
Rebecca Foote Ally Foote Flooring
16
20
Rebecca McGowan easityre
22
21
Eilidh McIntyre AGB Scotland
Rebecca Cameron
Bobby Cochran AM | Architect
Emma Sommerville R&M Bearings
18 Jade McDonald Stephen Gardiner Homes
St. Johnstone Women FC vs FC Kilmarnock Ladies
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SWPL2 FIXTURES Date
Opposition
Result
Date
Opposition
11 Feb
Central Girls FA (H)
1-3
20 Jun
EUHV (A)
18 Feb
Aberdeen (A)
0-2
24 Jun
Kilmarnock (A)
11 Mar
Hearts (H)
3-1
5 Aug
Motherwell (H)
1 Apr
Glasgow Girls (A)
0-4
19 Aug
Central Girls FA (H)
15 Apr
Kilmarnock (H)
26 Aug
Aberdeen (A)
22 Apr
Motherwell (A)
9 Sep
Hearts (H)
6 May
Central Girls FA (A)
23 Sep
Glasgow Girls (A)
9 May
Aberdeen (H)
30 Sep
EUHV (A)
13 May
EUHV (H)
21 Oct
Kilmarnock (H)
27 May
Hearts (A)
28 Oct
Motherwell (A)
3 Jun
Glasgow Girls (H)
Result
Designed & edited by Iwan Davies, Translutions Ltd. Printed by John McKinlay Printers Ltd., 11-15 King Street, Perth ©Jeanfield Swifts Girls FC 2018