“The Hard Work Starts Now”: Motherwell's Gillian Inglis says her side are up for the challenge
Image supplied by the SWPL: Motherwell’s Gillian Inglis believes her side are just getting started.
By Jack Cranmer
Motherwell are outsiders in the top half of the SWPL this season following the leagues split.
The side are up against the dominant force in Glasgow City, both Old Firm sides, Celtic and Rangers and both Edinburgh sides, Hibernian and Hearts, in the top six of this year’s table.
Unlike their opponents, Motherwell’s women’s side remain part-time and know they will be underdogs, who all still have a chance of winning the title come the final day in May.
However, Motherwell have no trepidation heading into these fixtures and they still have a lot to prove. Defender Gillian Inglis and her side are going into these games looking to win, and do not see confirmation of their 6th place achievement as the culmination of their season.
Inglis dismissed any thoughts of becoming spoilers for other team’s title bid, emphasising that her side’s focus was entirely on their own game.
Speaking at this week’s SWPL top six event at Hampden, she said: “We will just focus on us in every game, we'll just prepare the exact same way as we have done all season.
“We’ve managed to get some decent results so hopefully we can continue with that in this bit of the season.”
With the league introducing the split for the 2022/23 season, this will be the ‘Well’s first time competing in the top half and Inglis is delighted that her side’s hard work is translating into progression on the field.
She said: “I think it's a progression to finish eighth and seventh and now sixth.
“To be in the top six was an aim of ours at the beginning of this season and I’m delighted that we've managed to achieve it, but the hard work starts now.”
Inglis did concede it would be a challenge to match the sides above them in the league due to their oppositions full time schedules.
Image supplied by the SWPL: Gillian and her side are up against the biggest teams in the country.
She said: “When you look at the names of the teams above us and the support that they have. The time that they train, the sheer number of hours that they spend on the training pitch, being full time as opposed to us, it’s completely different in a way.
“It is really difficult for us, but it's where we want to be. We want to be playing against the best teams in the country week in week out.”
Motherwell host Rangers on Sunday and will finish their campaign with an away trip to Celtic.