Swifts book Semi Place

Swifts welcomed good friends and familiar faces, Cumbernauld Colts to a windswept Jeanfield. The game was to as well contested as the earlier league match and the scoring sequence was to follow an exact pattern, with Swifts booking a place in the semi-finals.
Facing a strong wind and playing up the hill the Swifts were going to have to show resolve in the first half. To their credit they did so and started the game the brighter team and were rewarded with the opener in the first quarter, and it was goal from the training ground. MacLean showed good composure on the ball and played an accurate ball to Mearns who held the ball up perfectly and played in McGinley. The striker had timed her run perfectly, cut across the last defender and finished with commendable composure.
The next 20mins were played out competitively with both teams showing great effort. The Swifts middle four were putting in a great shift to keep the visitors under pressure, and the defence were being expertly led by McDonald and Leiper. It was tough against the wind and the Colts were rewarded with the equaliser when Swifts lost possession on the right and a through ball into their left channel found the opposition striker who blasted home. The half was played out evenly with a Robertson strike on the stroke of half-time the most noteworthy effort.
Both teams will have been pleased with their 1st half application and Swifts management were very happy with the attempts of their team to play football under pressure from opponents and the elements.
The next goal was most certainly going to be vital, and it was the Swifts who got it. Again the goal was started from the full-back, when substitute Nicholson, on after the longest sub-preparation in SWF history, played into Thatcher who helped the ball into the channel where McGinley had beaten the Colts defensive line. Again the striker showed excellent composure in drawing the keeper and then beating her with a side-foot finish.
The Swifts were boosted by this and on top and to their credit ensured that they took advantage, when McGinley secured her hat-trick when she was first to a loose ball and smashed an acrobatic lob over the Colts keeper.
Swifts continued their pressure and a Mearns lob was well saved and her replacement McIntyre was linking the play cleverly and bringing Todd more into the match. With Thatcher and Robertson in command it looked as if Swifts would see the game out comfortably. However as always the Colts has other ideas and a flurry of substitutions and formation changes later they grabbed a second goal when they broke free and a cross was turned into her own net by MacLean. Colts were boosted by this and were looking to stage another of their legendary late surges. Swifts however held onto their lead for the final 5 minutes.
Colts will be frustrated that they left their best second half efforts just too late to get back into the match. Swifts will be delighted with the victory that their efforts deserved and especially that they had learned their lessons from the previous week's defeat to Buchan and took many of the points from the week's training into the game to good effect.