ON THE ROAD finds Hibernian women just 180 minutes away from 'doing a Leicester' ... but their extraordinary character will endure whether they win title or not

Hibernian 2 Glasgow City 2

So however did it travel to this? Hibernian are 3 hours distant from the SPFL title. It is the unlikeliest of occurrence stories and it survived a torrid introspection nether the prima astatine Meadowbank connected Sunday.

The effort to ‘do a Leicester’ successful the SWPL goes on. It doesn’t get immoderate easier with Celtic astatine Meadowbank and Ranger astatine Ibrox awaiting, but the quality of the Edinburgh squad and the lessons learned volition endure immoderate happens successful the adjacent week.

This hopeful travel towards a rubric has been a agelong one. The archetypal lessons are successful geography and history. The origins of the nine tin beryllium traced backmost to Arniston Rangers astatine under-age level and past Preston Athletic arsenic seniors successful 1997.

Hibernian Ladies (note the name) were calved successful 1999 and a Scottish Cup followed successful 2003. A cupful treble was achieved successful play 2004-2005. Then determination was the wonderment run of 2006-2007 erstwhile Kim Little came done and the league was won without a defeat. The Scottish Cup was added, too.

Here we determination from geography and past to economics. The nine were successful fiscal occupation and were restructured nether a assemblage foundation. Hibs went connected aboriginal to occurrence but galore players near during this period. Glasgow City v Hibs was the large rivalry, albeit the Weegies usually took the honours. Celtic and Rangers entered the fray with their budgets and infrastructure and the communicative of Hibs seemed destined to beryllium 1 of eternal striving alternatively than gilded success.

This is simply a little acquisition but it leads america to Meadowbank connected Sunday and echoes of the past. Again, the Glasgow City v Hibs rivalry was to the fore. Again, the Hibs manager was Grant Scott, who returned to the nine successful 2023 aft being successful complaint erstwhile the broadside won the Scottish Cup and SWPL cupful successful 2018 and 2019.

He present leads a squad that is successful rod presumption for a rubric which tin besides beryllium won by Rangers and City.

There are those who person past with the nine and who are grateful nary substance however this each pans out. Cat Ferguson runs the supporters’ radical and was astatine the lucifer with her lad Murray, two, and daughter, Orla.

She has followed Hibs done respective location venues including Ainslie Park and Almondvale. She is blessed to bask successful the sunshine of Meadowbank, though, and dreams of trips to overseas lands.

‘I person seen immense changes but each for the better,’ she said. ‘The togetherness of the nine is amazing. The girls person clicked and the manager has been fab. We mightiness not triumph the title but the thought of qualifying for European shot is inactive with us. And I would beryllium there. I would tally a autobus anyplace and the kids would come, too.’

As a drum began to bushed and the basal filled, she added: ‘The full happening conscionable gives maine a buzz. It’s not conscionable the football, it’s the shot family.’

This sentiment was seconded by John Reilly who held his granddaughter, Grace, successful his arms. His daughter, Kirsten, was playing for Hibs. His son, Neil, begetter of Grace, was successful the stands.

‘The play we person had has been unexpected,’ helium admitted. ‘We don’t truly person a large squad but, arsenic the manager has said a fewer times, we person overachieved. I genuinely deliberation we tin triumph the league. There is simply a determination astir the team.’

This was exemplified by his daughter, who toiled to large effect successful pugnacious conditions. It has been a travel for Kirsten, too. She went to the University of West Alabama having played concisely for Hearts. On her instrumentality from the USA, she went to Stirling University past joined Hibs, Bristol City, Rangers and Crystal Palace. She has won a rubric with Rangers, a title with Palace, and cups with Hibs. It each started with Musselburgh Windsor.

‘We unrecorded successful Musselburgh and Kirsten went down determination to play and she loved it,’ said her dad. ‘It was 40 girls each seeming to tally aft the 1 shot but she had a passionateness for it.’

She had the skill, too. At 29, she was 1 of the experienced players that kept Hibs composed connected Sunday arsenic City strained to triumph the game.

After the match, she was focused connected what was to come. ‘It’s togetherness that has got america here,’ she said. That trait is needed to get implicit the line.

‘We each get connected and we each enactment hard together,’ she added. That was evident successful the 90 minutes yesterday but determination was besides a content successful the team. Reilly knows however to triumph and her acquisition volition beryllium invaluable implicit the 3 hours that abstracted Hibernian from a title.

Scott emerged from the manager’s country to emphasise Reilly’s appraisal of the team’s large qualities.

So however did Hibs go league leaders with the play coming to a climax?

‘It’s the squad ethic, it’s the togetherness successful the group,’ said Scott, who has won manager of the twelvemonth and has immense acquisition arsenic a manager with Hearts, St Johnstone and Glasgow City. He has some sought to underplay his relation and support players from the load of expectation.

The players person reacted with a defiant energy. ‘They fight. You saw that today,’ helium said. ‘We were outplayed astatine times but we fought hard. That has got america done clip and again this season. We person different 2 large pushes to come.’

Hibs were evidently organised and well-coached, truthful the play has been built connected coagulated foundations. ‘We person recovered a mode that works for the players we have,’ said Scott. ‘We tin beryllium hard to interruption down.’

Siobhan Hunter, who was immense astatine centre-back, besides harks backmost to a Hibs past. She joined the nine arsenic an 11-year-old from Edina Hearts and has made 275 appearances for the Hibees.

‘You request each the parts to work,’ said Scott of a squad effort successful which Hunter played a immense part. ‘You request the strategy to enactment but you request the players to bargain into it. They person to support committing to the cause. There are nary secrets, it’s thing fancy. It’s hard enactment and belief.’

But it’s coaching, too.

‘Yes, it’s a process,’ Scott conceded. ‘We support drip feeding the cardinal parts of information. We are accordant with what we inquire them to do. A tally of bully results unneurotic means it becomes little work. They respond automatically. We conscionable punctual them of who we are, who we acceptable retired to be. That’s each down to the players. They person taken it each truly well.’

Scott is good placed to measure the authorities of women’s shot successful Scotland. He pointed retired that professionalism was present the byword arsenic 5 teams person gone full-time.

‘The modular of enactment is precocious and the operation has improved massively. There is concern successful players from each implicit the world,’ helium said.

He is alert the crippled is going done an bonzer play of evolution. ‘The enactment down the scenes, the non-pitch work, has grown. It’s fundamentally the aforesaid exemplary arsenic nonrecreational men’s teams. The resources and finances person improved. It’s inactive successful its infancy, but improving.’

Hibs person grown, too. Two much strides and a large extremity volition person been reached.

What are Scott’s hopes for the week to come?

‘Every different squad to driblet points,’ helium said.

There is history, geography and economics successful the communicative of Hibernian Women. But the bottommost enactment this week is arithmetic.