Sunday's matches at the top and bottom ends of the Scottish Women’s Premier League were critical in determining the champions and finalising the last relegation spot. Hibs had to avoid defeat at Rangers to win the title. Rangers had to win to draw level on points and snatch it on goal difference.
That made for a tense game, which sat at 0-0 until the 74th minute. A goal from Linzi Taylor put Hibs ahead and changed the dynamics of the match again. Rangers needed to score twice but barely threatened the Hibs goal as the clock ran down. It ended 0-1 to Hibs, securing the Edinburgh side its first league title for 18 years.
That title win also takes the club to the qualifying stages of the Women’s Champions League. It’s quite an achievement, especially up against the larger budgets at the Glasgow clubs. Hibs have added extra competitiveness to the SWPL this season and are well-deserved title winners. Rangers may be disappointed, but Hibs have now beaten them three times in the SWPL this season.
European places in the SWPL decided
Elsewhere, Glasgow City beat Hearts 2-0; those three points took them to second place ahead of Rangers, who slipped from potential champions to third. City snapped up the second Champions League qualifier place, leaving Rangers out in the cold.
While Hibs boss Grant Scott takes the plaudits, elsewhere some managers will be under added pressure and scrutiny. Questions will be asked about Celtic boss Elena Sadiku. A final day 6-0 win over Motherwell for Celtic doesn't make their fourth-place finish acceptable. Jo Potter at Rangers may also face scrutiny after another final-day failure. Though with the chance to secure a second trophy this season next weekend in the Scottish Cup final, any big decision there may have to wait.
At the other end of the table, Spartans and Montrose were both seeking last-ditch wins and hoping to avoid relegation. Montrose had to win and hope Spartans lost. Spartans had to better or match the Montrose result. Tense times indeed with such a big impact following on from the two games.
Relegation and success at the bottom after a tough fight to the end
Montrose, though, have been on a great run over recent weeks as they fought to retain their top table place. They won their final game against Dundee United 4 - 0. That was enough to pull them ahead of Spartans, who lost 2 - 1 against Partick and dropped into third bottom place, and ultimately the league below for next season.
It’s been quite a turnaround for both those teams over recent weeks. Montrose sensing it wasn’t all over yet, while Spartans kept dropping more points. The gap between the two narrowed until Montrose eventually overtook Spartans and kept their Premier League place. Congratulations and commiserations for competing to the very end of another tight and exciting SWPL season.