March brought plenty more excitement for Scottish Women’s soccer as the title race progressed and the fight to avoid relegation battled on. There was also a cup final, the result of which could impact the league, too. Not to mention the national team getting ready to face Germany home and away after two February defeats.
Starting with the league, it’s been a great month for Hibernian. They've continued their brilliant season with a couple of top results this month. A 1-0 win at home to Celtic helped advance their claim as serious title contenders. When they followed that up with a 0-1 away win against Glasgow City they reinforced that charge for the title.
The SWPL table shows Hibs sitting proudly at the top. They are two points ahead of Rangers with Glasgow City third just a further point behind. Celtic look to be out of the race now with the gap between them and Hibs now ten points. Elena Sadiku’s side’s last chance to keep in touch fell away on Friday night when they lost a home match against Glasgow City 1-2. With the team looking disjointed at times, we are likely to see more questions raised about Sadiku’s future at the club.
Hibernian top the SWPL table and prepare for an amazing outcome
The current glory sits with Hibernian. Their table-topping run so far wouldn't have been predicted by many. Their budget is well behind those of the other top four clubs, and they look capable of breaking the Glasgow stranglehold on the title. That would be a major achievement for Hibs and a breakthrough for the league. There is a but though, and that’s linked to Rangers. The two clubs meeting on April 20 could be a major decider for the league title.
Rangers returned to better form in March but will be regretting a 2-2 draw at home against Hearts early in the month. A much more emphatic 4-0 win over Hearts as their other Edinburgh rivals this weekend. That helped keep Rangers just those two points behind in second place.
As far as Hibs are concerned red, that cup final I mentioned may yet come into play. In March, they met Rangers in the Sky Sports Cup Final. Rangers lifted the trophy for the third year in succession with an emphatic 5-0 scoreline. A win that will give Rangers confidence when the two sides meet again. Hibs though haven't been distracted since then in their league campaign and will be happy to meet Rangers at their home ground.
Relegation looms for some in the SWPL
At the bottom end of the table, it’s looking done and dusted for Dundee United and Queens Park on four and eleven points respectively. But Montrose above them on 17 points are only six points behind Spartans and will retain a remote hope of catching them. The bottom three clubs will all be relegated this season as the SWPL moves to a ten-club format for next season.
We’ll have to wait for more league action, though, the next SWPL matches aren't until April 13. The gap is for two more Scotland international matches. Interim head coach Michael McArdle has his national team squad back together again. They face Germany in a UEFA Nations League doubleheader starting at Tannadice, Dundee on April 4 and then away in Germany on April 8. Two tough games for the team and McArdle as he tries to make a claim for the permanent manager’s role.