Our women’s team returned to league action today, opening their campaign in the revamped SWFL Central-West competition. However, a combination of defensive errors and misfortune in the final third saw the side fall to a 7–0 defeat at Mountblow.

Gerry Gallacher’s team had the first chance of the match when Gemma Russell fired wide inside the opening minute. But, as in the previous outing against Gleniffer in the ScottishPower Regional League Cup, a misplaced pass in our defensive third proved costly. Cumbernauld United capitalised to take the lead inside five minutes through Frankie Fern.

Fern doubled both her and her team’s tally on the counter inside ten minutes, before completing her hat-trick before the half-hour mark. The hosts added a fourth before the interval when Kira Swallow was chipped from range by Fern after another loss of possession around 30 yards from goal.

Teigen Calder made her debut shortly after the half-hour and almost marked it with a goal from her very first touch – a superb pass from Russell sent her through, but the Cumbernauld keeper produced a fine save.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with errors again proving costly. Russell was presented with a golden chance when the opposition keeper passed the ball straight to her, but her attempted chip drifted just wide. Almost immediately, Cumbernauld broke into the box one-on-one with Swallow. Although Mya Logan recovered well to get a foot on the ball, her clearance fell kindly to Fern, who tapped into an empty net.

Casey-Leigh Findlay came close after an excellent cross-field pass from Neamh MacNeil, while Niamh McAleer had a late header cleared off the line. However, the visitors added two more – a sixth from Emma McLure and a seventh from Fern – to complete a heavy opening-day defeat.

It was a tough introduction to the new division, but there were still positives to take and plenty for the team to build on in the weeks ahead. We return to league action next Sunday away to Drumchapel United at the Donald Dewar Centre, having already defeated ‘the Drum’ in the league cup group stage this season.

Dumbarton Women 0

Cumbernauld United Ladies 7

3′, 10′, 30′, 41′, 52′, 69′  Frankie Fern, 56′ Emma McLure