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SWPL: Rangers v Glasgow Metropolis |
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Venue: Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld Date: Sunday, 27 August Kick-off: 16:10 BST |
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Protection: Watch on BBC Alba & BBC iPlayer, stay textual content commentary on the BBC Sport web site & app |
Having been appointed this summer season, Jo Potter is unburdened by the three months of damage her Rangers facet have felt since Glasgow Metropolis’s dramatic winner snatched the title from their grasp within the last recreation of the final Scottish Ladies’s Premier League season.
The 2 sides meet once more on Sunday and, though it is just their fourth matches of the brand new marketing campaign, it’s already being billed as a possible title decider.
Like Potter, Metropolis’s Leanne Ross has not lengthy accomplished her first pre-season as her facet’s head coach, however the long-serving former membership captain has been basking within the pleasure of snatching again the trophy Rangers received for the primary time to finish Glasgow’s 14-year dominance.
Each staff bosses go into the sport in excessive spirits, with each buoyed by how the World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand might enhance Scottish girls’s soccer.
Rangers ticket gross sales ‘via the roof’
Former England midfielder Potter’s house nation misplaced the ultimate to Spain and she or he can be upset that Scotland didn’t qualify.
“I feel that will’ve been large for the league,” she says. “However, total, I feel it is accomplished wonders for girls’s soccer – getting crowds via the gates.
“I do know our ticket gross sales are via the roof.”
Sunday’s recreation is stay on BBC Alba, the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport on-line and Potter believes such publicity can solely assist the ladies’s recreation develop much more – and enhance the standard.
Rangers missed out on the possibly money-spinning Champions League after the helter skelter last day left them third behind Metropolis and Celtic.
Nevertheless, the previous Birmingham Metropolis and Studying 38-year-old thinks the shortage of European ties will give her restructured squad extra time to gel as “we’re nonetheless a bit of bit skinny on the bottom with gamers”.
“Glad to this point, however we all know we nonetheless have a bit to go,” she says. “The gamers have been nice. They’re like sponges in the meanwhile – soaking every little thing up.
“I’ve stated it a few instances – we’re truly fairly a means forward of the place I assumed we might be at this second in time.”
Manchester United on Friday confirmed the signing of Emma Watson, the midfielder who rejected a brand new Rangers contract after rising as a Scotland worldwide final season.
Nevertheless, fellow 17-year-old Mia McAuley particularly has risen to the problem of following in her wake, with the ahead placing a scoring efficiency in for final weekend’s 5-1 hammering of Aberdeen.
“It is a new begin, it is a new season, a brand new problem and we’re a distinct staff to final season – and I am positive Metropolis will carry one thing totally different as nicely,” Potter stated. “It is a massive recreation for us, however coming into this with a contemporary outlook can solely assist us.
“We all know they have a few threats and we at all times work to that, however we will consider ourselves and see if we are able to damage Metropolis with what we are able to do.”
Metropolis preparations go ‘like clockwork’
Ross hopes a number of the World Cup feelgood issue would possibly rub off on herself, given she can be a part of the Scotland nationwide teaching staff headed by Spaniard Pedro Martinez Losa.
Having taken over halfway via final season, the 42-year-old former Scotland midfielder’s facet appeared like that they had thrown away the title within the last couple of weeks till that last-day win at Ibrox.
Whereas Metropolis have misplaced Priscilla Chinchilla, the Costa Rica worldwide who additionally rejected a brand new deal, on one wing, the match winner on that day, Lauren Davidson, stays on the opposite and Ross says having the ability to make “a number of additions” has been “unbelievable”.
“We clearly went via that powerful spell in the direction of the tip of the season and doubtless lots of people outwith this membership began to put in writing us off at that time,” Ross informed BBC Scotland’s Soccer Move programme.
“However I do know the character we have now inside the squad right here and the dedication and the drive and ambition we have now at this membership and I knew that was going to hold us via. So we simply needed to hold everyone centered and look in the direction of that last recreation and provides it that last push.
“We have got an amazing staff right here at Glasgow Metropolis and we had put the element in even earlier than the season had ended. We knew precisely how we had been going to method pre-season and every little thing simply appeared to work like clockwork up till the beginning of the season.”
With Celtic having additionally began with three victories themselves as Fran Alonso’s facet proceed the place they left off in high-scoring style – 21 targets scored with one conceded – a three-horse race for the title appears assured once more.
Rangers and Metropolis due to this fact go into Sunday’s recreation figuring out that any slip-up will possible hand an early benefit to their Glasgow rivals.