There were some shock scorelines in SWPL 1 over the past week.
In games they would have been expected to win, Rangers and Celtic were held to 0-0 draws against Hearts and Motherwell respectively.
Rangers should have taken all three points in their stalemate at the Oriam as they had numerous chances to find a winner but Hearts deserved credit for working hard to pick up a point.
It’s the first time since 2019 that a team other than Glasgow City or Celtic have taken SWPL 1 points off Rangers, so it was no mean feat by the Jambos.
But it’s a sloppy result for the reigning league champions. It could be down to the time of year where because the women’s game has a long break over the festive period, teams lose momentum.
After such a long lay-off from the league, the below-par performance could be down to Rangers having lost the focus that’s normally so ingrained in them week-to-week.
It could be a turning point for Rangers where they know they can’t have another game like that – and sometimes you need a bit of a scare to kick you into action again.
The 0-0 between Motherwell and Celtic is another result that stood out – but it was less of a shock to me as the Rangers game, as I don’t believe Celtic are on the same level as their Glasgow rivals.
It’s a result Fran Alonso will be disappointed with as it was an opportunity for Celtic to gain some ground on Rangers in the table.
The results were disappointing from a Celtic and Rangers perspective – because they should’ve won. For me, they are more anomalies than an indicator of a more competitive division.
And while there has been progress, which is great, I still think there is a big gulf between the top three and the rest of the teams in the league.
But, you can’t take away anything from Motherwell and Hearts.
I know at both clubs – with Paul Brownlie and Leanne Crichton at Motherwell and Eva Olid at Hearts – there are passionate coaches, who do more for their club than just getting improved performances on the pitch.
For the women’s game as a whole, it’s nice to see clubs who back their coaches – and have made investment and created better structures – have some success because it shows those who haven’t what they’re missing out on.
Aberdeen look to go five unbeaten against Hearts
Hearts will be looking to follow up their result against Rangers with a win when they travel north to play Aberdeen on Sunday, and it should be an exciting clash at Balmoral Stadium.
It’s probably going to be the Dons’ biggest test since the interim coaching staff came in but they seem to be in a better place now, especially having won against Hamilton last weekend.
That win extended their unbeaten run to four games and lifted them out of the relegation zone, so it should take the pressure of a wee bit and hopefully they can play with a bit more freedom.
A win against the Jambos moves Aberdeen one step closer to going unbeaten in January – with their final game away to Glasgow Women on the 29th – which would be a big boost for the players.
It had been a difficult period for the Dons and one that I’m sure the players are glad to be coming out the other side of it now.
Lyon let Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir down in more ways than one
Last week, I wrote about my Scotland teammate Emma Mukandi’s difficult experiences returning to football after giving birth to her daughter – and, unfortunately, another player has since come out and told their story.
The former Iceland captain and Juventus midfielder Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir won a landmark maternity pay ruling after her former club Lyon withheld wages during her pregnancy.
The French club has now been ordered to pay unpaid salaries of more than 82,000 euros (£72,000), but what struck me most was the way in which Sara was let down by her club – not as a footballer or an employee, but as a human being.
In a column, Sara wrote how she had felt neglected as her former club failed to check-in with her throughout her pregnancy – which is just wrong, clubs have a duty of care for their players.
The fact we’ve had two players, of a really small pool, speak out within the same week about bad experiences is really worrying – it suggests a negative experience is somewhat the norm for players trying to start a family.
It’s new territory for most clubs, but that’s certainly not an excuse to treat people terribly.
My social media feed was flooded with people sharing Sara’s story and sending her messages of support. It was really powerful to see people acknowledge her experience and then use their own voices to call for change.
WSL clubs improve away-day experience
It was another big crowd at the Emirates last weekend as more than 46,000 tickets were sold for the WSL fixture between Arsenal and Chelsea.
I really appreciated that there was a designated away end for the Chelsea fans – and they stood out, with one corner of the ground a sea of fans in blue tops and waving blue scarves.
There are plenty people across the country who travel to support their club, so having a proper match-day experience, like an away-end for travelling fans, is going to be a massive part of growing the women’s game.
Meanwhile, the biggest WSL transfer of the week saw Mana Iwabuchi make the move across north London as she has signed for Tottenham on loan from Arsenal.
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