Blues beat Granite City opponents to end year second in league table
SHETLAND Ladies will end the year in second place in the North District league after two more victories at the weekend.
The blues concluded the first half of the season with two wins, six goals and two clean sheets to cap off a superb start to their maiden league journey.
The islanders defeated Bon Accord 3–0 at Cults Academy on Saturday before overcoming Aberdeen Grammar School Former Pupils (AGSFP) by the same scoreline at Rubislaw on Sunday.
Saturday’s encounter with Bon Accord was the second meeting between the sides this season, and once again the Aberdeen team proved difficult to break down.
Shetland gradually began to take control, however, with forward Bethany Orlowska demonstrating her goalscoring instincts by striking twice to give the visitors a commanding advantage.
Abbey Arthur added a third goal, firing through a crowd of players to seal a deserved 3–0 victory.
Sanna Forsyth troubled the opposition with her speed, while Ashley Hunter stood out in midfield, but the player of the match award went to Vicky Wiseman – who produced one of her finest performances in a Shetland shirt.
Sunday’s match at Rubislaw presented a different challenge against an experienced and physically strong AGSFP side.
Heavy rain made conditions difficult, but Shetland started positively and took the game to their opponents.
Captain Kristan Robertson was influential in midfield, dictating the tempo of the game alongside Abbey Arthur, while Irvine continued to threaten with her pace.
It was Irvine who created the opening goal, driving into the circle before unleashing a shot that deflected off an Aberdeen stick and into the net.
Shetland’s second was arguably the best goal of the weekend.
Having regained possession while defending their own circle, the visitors quickly transferred the ball wide.
Irvine advanced down the right before delivering a powerful cross into the Aberdeen goalmouth, where young Ava Anderson arrived to produce an excellent deflection past the goalkeeper.
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The home side responded strongly after the interval, putting the visitors under sustained pressure.
Despite the pressure, it was Shetland who scored again.
Robertson broke forward from midfield before slipping an excellent pass through to junior Lori Smith. Showing composure beyond her years, Smith picked her spot and fired confidently past the goalkeeper to complete the scoring.
Although Shetland were unable to produce their best hockey throughout the match, they showed resilience and determination against experienced opposition in difficult conditions.
The younger players, including Smith, Madison Jozwik and Anderson, all made valuable contributions. Hunter again stood out, but it was Megan Grant who was named player of the match following another commanding display at centre back.
The two victories brought a successful conclusion to the opening phase of Shetland’s first season in the North District league, with four further weekends of double-header fixtures scheduled for 2027.
The competition has provided opportunities for a much larger group of players to experience regular competitive hockey, an important part of Shetland’s ambition to continue improving at inter-county level.
Head coach Derek Leask was particularly pleased with the contribution of the younger players and the growing depth of the squad.
“We had another group of junior and newer players involved this weekend, and they’ve all gained valuable experience playing alongside some of our established players,” he said.
“I was really pleased with Kristan Robertson’s contribution as captain. She led by example throughout the weekend and showed exactly how much our younger players can learn from playing alongside experienced teammates.
“One of the most encouraging things has been seeing how many different players have contributed over the past couple of months.
“There were only four players from our inter-county-winning squad in this weekend’s team, yet we still produced two very good performances against established Aberdeen opposition.
“We’re already seeing improvements in so many players, and with another four weekends of league hockey ahead of us, there’s a great opportunity to keep building on that progress.”
Shetland Ladies thanked Northwards Transport and NorthLink Ferries for their support, which the team said made participation possible.
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