Seventh heaven for Shetland as they lift Highlands and Islands League Cup
SHETLAND’S women’s footballers made more history by lifting the Highlands and Islands League Cup for the first time with victory over Sutherland on Sunday.
The blues were 1-0 up before some spectators had even taken their seats at Station Park in Nairn, with a goal in just 36 seconds from captain Rhea Nicolson easing any nerves.
And the team were 3-0 to the good by the time the half-time whistle blew, with Freya Leslie and Lisa Goudie adding to their advantage.
Nicolson got her second just minutes into the second half to all but seal the trophy, before Leslie found the net twice more to complete her hat-trick.
A final goal from Goudie was the icing on the cake, as Shetland beat Sutherland 7-0.
Coach Adam Priest said it was a fantastic moment for Shetland football, saying it was a terrific performance from the team to lift the trophy in such dominant fashion.
He said: “We have had so much support for football in Shetland from the junior game to the senior game.
“It shows that we have some really good women’s and girls’ football in Shetland by taking the youth players forward.
“We could only take a squad of 18 as we have so many in the squad, there is so much talent in Shetland, but they will get their chance and there will be more glory to come I am sure.”
Leslie earned the player of the match trophy to go along with the match ball, and she said Shetland had been confident going into the match they could lift the trophy for the first time.
“This is amazing for women’s football in Shetland, there was loads of people on the live stream back home watching,” she said.
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“After the Island Games and having such a positive performance there, we have managed to keep it going and finish this season on winning the League Cup and I am pretty proud.”
Scottish Women’s Football chief executive Aileen Campbell paid tribute to the Shetland players, saying it was “tremendous” to see them etch their name on the trophy.
“They deserve great praise for their commitment and dedication to this cup and for all the hours of travel they have put in – we truly appreciate and value all the effort from players and volunteers alike,” she said.
“Both clubs brought the noise to a cup final with a real buzz and we hope they enjoyed their day.
“We are grateful to our sponsors, ScottishPower for helping to make this competition a success and to our friends at Nairn County FC for providing such a splendid backdrop to this special cup.”
It caps off an incredible few months for the Shetland women’s team, who made history at the Island Games in Orkney by becoming the first Shetland female footballers to win a match at the games.
They also thrashed neighbours Orkney 8-0 in their annual inter-county fixture in late August.
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