THE magnitude of the task ahead of Melissa Andreatta was driven home to the new Scotland women’s team manager at Hampden tonight when her side suffered another defeat in her opening game in charge at Hampden and were relegated from the A League of the Nations League.
The former Australia assistant, who succeeded Pedro Martinez last month, needed to oversee a two goal victory against Austria on in the national side’s penultimate Group A1 outing to avoid finishing in bottom spot in the section.
However, her girls lost their sixth consecutive match narrowly and will now drop down a division as a result.
Qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil in 2027 will be her ultimate objective in her new role. It was evident from a display which was high on endeavour that it is far from an unrealistic goal. There is, however, clearly much work ahead of her if she is to end this disappointing run of form and make her team a force to be reckoned with on the international stage once again.
Andreatta was positivity personified when she spoke to the media at her pre-match press conference yesterday afternoon. Several days of training with her new charges at Oriam just outside Edinburgh had clearly filled her with great optimism for the future.
“I only see opportunity on Friday night,” she said. “Yes, there's going to be tough times and there's a lot of progress to be made, but we believe we have what it takes to get the win and we're going to fight.
“We want to make sure those points don’t leave Hampden Park. What I’ve learnt about this group is that previous results haven’t affected their belief.”
It was, however, difficult to see why she was so upbeat once this encounter got underway. The visitors quickly assumed control and applied sustained pressure to their hosts goal. They were unfortunate not to convert one of the scoring opportunities they carved out.
Only profligate Austrian finishing and outstanding goalkeeping from Lee Gibson kept the scoreline goalless. The Glasgow City player tipped an Annabel Schasching which found her six yard box over the crossbar. She then palmed a ferocious Verena Hanshaw attempt past her right post with an instinctive reaction save.
Scotland, to their credit, responded to those scares by making their way up the other end of the park and carving out a chance of their own. Caroline Weir supplied Erin Cuthbert on the edge of the area. Her team mate, though, snatched at her shot and failed to find her intended target.
That, however, was a rare foray into the opposition half by Weir and her countrywomen during the opening 45 minutes. Their rivals dominated possession and bossed the middle of the park. Only the woodwork prevented them from edging ahead before half-time.
Gibson, who had just denied Austria captain Sarah Puntigam with her outstretched left leg, was unable to get a hand to a Julia Hickelsberger chip and was relieved first when it hit the bar and then when her right back Emma Lawton headed the ball to safety. But Scotland were living dangerously.
Kathleen McGovern, who was on target 25 times for Hibernian in 2024/25 campaign as the capital club pipped defending champions Rangers to the Premier League, was handed her Scotland debut. The 22-year-old, however, received little decent service and was unable to inflict any damage in the final third.
Andreatta showed that she will pick players on form not reputation with her team selection. There was no place in the starting line-up for the returning Rachel Corsie even though her captain had announced this week that the Austria game would be last at Hampden and the meeting with the Netherlands her last in a dark blue jersey.
But Jenna Clark of Liverpool was preferred to the Aston Villa centre-half. The 35-year-old has admittedly just come back after an extended period on the sidelines. So she probably only had a half of football in her legs. Still, Corsie being left on the bench underlined the new woman at the helm will have no room for sentiment.
The 35-year-old came on to win her 155th cap and probably penultimate at the start of the second-half and showed no signs of her lengthy lay-off. She was, though, unable to prevent Hickelsberger glancing a header beyond Gibson and into the net at a Schasching corner and giving Austria the lead.
Andreatta threw on Amy Rodgers for Watson, Martha Thomas for McGovern shortly after the forward had forced a save from Manuela Zinsberger, Kirsty Howat for Freya Gregory and Mia McAuley for Lauren Davidson. The Rangers teenager picked up her first cap. Many, many more are sure to follow for the prodigiously talented winger in the years to come.
Howat had a chance to net and equaliser shortly after taking to field with nine minutes of regulation time remaining when Martha Thomas teed here up. She was, to the dismay of the 4,063-strong crowd, unable to get a shot away. But she atoned soon afterwards when she forced Zinsberger to tip her long-range effort onto the bar.
The strong finish will have heartened Andreatta. But the Netherlands will present a far stiffer challenge in Tilburg on Tuesday. There will need to be a stark improvement to finish this campaign on a positive note. Corsie received a warm ovation from the fans following the final whistle. It was a shame that such a fine servant had to bow out in such disappointing fashion.
