Aberdeen 'where they belong' after win over Hamilton Accies
Hamilton Accies 1-2 Aberdeen: Visitors jump four places in SWPL 1 after first league win in seven
Aberdeen are “where they belong” believes Emma Hunter after they jumped four places in SWPL 1 after a 2-1 win over Hamilton ended a seven-match losing streak.
Bayley Hutchison scored twice at the Fountain of Youth Stadium, with Josephine Giard’s late counter not enough for the home side.
The result leaves Accies bottom going into the winter break, but moves the Dons up into the top half of the table.
“It was vitally important the three points take us back up the table where we feel we belong,” said Aberdeen co-manager Hunter.
Hutchison netted in both halves, and it could have been three for the visitors only for Jo Fraser’s effort to be ruled offside.
But Accies improved in the final 15 minutes and Giard knocked past debutant Aberdeen goalkeeper Aaliyah-Jay Meach in the final moments of the game.
Hunter paid tribute to Hutchison, who scored for the third Aberdeen game in a row.
She said: “Bayley has got a lot of pace and as a player she knows what her strengths are and always tries to play off the last defender, we always knew we would get chances like that.
“As a team we have learned lessons in terms of trying to overplay and sometimes being direct in behind and getting them turning. I thought Bayley gave them a difficult time the team did really well, it was disappointing to lose the goal I think defensively we were really strong.”
‘People getting carried away’
Hamilton assistant manager Robert Watson insists there is panic despite being three points adrift at the bottom of the table, and pointed to Hearts’ recent resurgence as evidence his side can do the same.
He said: “It was a fair game across the board. They were maybe slightly better in possession than us, but we finished the game far stronger.
“The disappointing moment for us was losing two similar goals. Other than that our keepers didn’t make any saves.
“We punished them for their poor defensive header and to me that tells the story of the game, it is two teams at the bottom half of the league scrapping, ultimately, we came away with nothing and that is our disappointment.
“I think as a group we are fairly good at looking forward, a few people are getting carried away when we’re a win from the team above us. At one point everyone said Hearts were in trouble, now they have won two or three games and are sitting sixth. People need to calm down and look at the bigger picture.”
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