The Glasgow weather might well have been this season in microcosm for both Glasgow City and Rangers today.
There have been storms and clouds in amongst the sunshine with Rangers ending their season basking in the latter. Their Scottish Cup win at Hampden could not have been more comfortable, nor the performance more in sharp contrast to the meek ending to their league campaign.
This was a win at a canter. Rangers’ tears from last weekend were used as the catalyst to get their hands on the final trophy of the season. It enables Jo Potter to claim both cups on offer – and she was keen to underline that she has won four trophies out of six across her two years – but there will still be a lingering sense that the title remains elusive.
Mia McAulay got Rangers up and running in the opening half before Kirsty Howat scored either side of the interval. To rub salt in the wound, City finished the game with ten players on the pitch with defender Samantha Van Diemen dismissed after VAR intervened to upgrade a yellow card to a red with ten minutes of the game remaining.
Leanne Ross watched her side claim second spot last weekend and with it take the second Champions League place. Again, though, the league failure was always going to linger. That failure is compounded now with yesterday’s defeat which confines City to back-to-back seasons without a trophy. For a club who have dominated the landscape of Scottish football for so long, there is no question that it will sting across the next few months.
As will the manner of this performance. They were conspicuous by their absence against Rangers with no stage of the game offering a suggestion that they were capable of gaining any kind of momentum.
By the time that McAulay had put Rangers in front, Potter’s side had twice hit the woodwork.
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It was a warning that City had failed to heed with McAulay sclaffing an effort off the outside of the post in the opening stages before Kathy Hill had whacked a header off the bar.
McAulay’s opener came as Van Diemen – arguably her poorest game of the season- came brought the ball out of defence but her pass was cut out. McAulay eluded the challenge from Claire Walsh before spearing a right-footed diagonal effort low into the bottom corner.
Gers skipper Nicola Docherty was forced off shortly after the opener. Injured in the opening minutes after a collision with Amy Muir as both players slid in and Docherty appeared to take a knee to the face, the full-back was forced off, clearly upset at the manner in which her afternoon was prematurely ended.
It no impact on Rangers’ dominance.
City hit the crossbar through Natalia Wrobel before Rangers added a second.
Katie Wilksinson was the architect, whipping a ball into the feet of Kirsty Howat.
She brought it down, sent van Diemen the wrong way with a slight feint before turned and driving a low effort beyond Gibson.
It could have been game over for the Petershill side. Gibson was forced into a stop after McAulay was allowed to break through one-on-one with the stopper spreading herself to deny the teenager.
City tried to force their way into the game before the break but their pressure came to nothing as Rangers headed into the interval in firm command of the game.
The second period was still in its infancy as Rangers put it to bed. Chelsea Cornet broke through City’s backline and squared the ball across the six-yard box with Howat sliding in to beat Gibson.
City appealed for offside but television images showed that Cornet was well on as she ghosted in behind.
City’s lack of composure when they did get into decent areas undermined any hope they had of hauling themselves back into the game.
Nicole Kozlova ought to have burst the net when she was picked out inside the box and, with the goal gaping, she inexplicably hit her effort wide of the target.
From there on, Rangers headed to the other side of the park and flirted with a fourth; Gibson had to deny McAulay as the Ibrox side kept at it.
For all that Rangers were well on top, Potter remained on edge as she patrolled her technical area constantly barking instructions.
Van Diemen’s dismissal caused confusion inside the stadium; VAR is not in use across the women’s game with the long delay to check van Diemen’s foul.
Rangers could have had more. Jane Ross, on for her final appearance as she now heads into retirement, unselfishly squared for Rio Hardy who blazed wildly wide when she should have buried it.
Rangers could afford to be slack by then.
There remain question to be asked over the summer but one suspects their break will offer more relaxation than City’s.
