St Johnstone Women came from two goals down against league leaders Kilmarnock on Sunday to record their first home league win of the season 4-2.
With last week’s match with Boroughmuir postponed following a waterlogged pitch, it was the first game in two weeks for Saints after being knocked out of the Sky Sports Cup by Glasgow City.
It was the away side who started the match the better of the two teams with an early chance falling to Kayla Healey. Her header from a corner was cleared off the line by her opposite number 22, Eirinn McCafferty.
Ten minutes in, and the Ayrshire side were in front. Jordan McLintock, who joined Kilmarnock last month from Partick Thistle, found herself with freedom to shoot from 20 yards and her low strike nestled inside Ellie Mitchell’s right-hand post.
Saints tried hard to get back into the game through the front three of Steffi Simson, Jodie Ovens and Eilidh Begg. It would be Begg who first went closest to getting Saints level, stretching out to strike, her effort went wide. Rebecca Robertson also went close, her diving header once again going just wide.
At the other end, McLintock was only denied her second by a very good save from Mitchell. From the edge of the box, her left-footed strike was well saved by Mitchell who pushed the ball left to safety.
Into the second half and there was a change for Saints as Morgan Steedman was introduced for Jodie Ovens.
Kilmarnock stretched their lead shortly into the half. Lauryn Reside sent a looping ball high from the left wing which Mitchell again got a hand to but couldn’t stop the ball dropping into the net this time.
She had better luck a short time later with a fine save to turn Healey’s outside of the right foot shot wide from six yards – a goal which may have put the game out of reach. However, Saints got back in the game with half an hour left on the clock. A wicked cross from the left by Alix Moodie was parried by goalkeeper Ellie Currie, but the ball fell to Morgan Steedman who made no mistake from two yards.
Saints manager Jamie Reynolds rang the changes, with Ellie May Cowie, Elvie McLean, Scarlett Brady and, making her debut, Megan Burns, all introduced in close succession for Steffi Simson, Nicole Carter, Ellie MacIver, and Niamh Irvine.
Saints were given an even bigger boost a short time later when Kilmarnock were reduced to ten. Currie came rushing out and downed Ellie May Cowie just outside her box. Referee Kyle Hall appeared to check with his assistant to make sure the foul was outside the box, and then produced a red card.
Alix Moodie fired just over from the resulting free kick but would soon get Saints level. Her ball from a corner appeared to be heading straight into the goal, though the punch from replacement goalkeeper Holly Kerrigan helped it on its way in.
Steedman would go close twice with great opportunities to get Saints ahead before doing so in spectacular fashion. Saints had won another corner with eight minutes left, and when a looping header came back to earth, Steedman scored with an acrobatic overhead kick at the back post.
Steedman rounded off her second hat-trick of the season in the closing minutes of the match. Latching onto a through ball she powered past the Kilmarnock defence, took a touch to come inside and unleashed a powerful strike into the top corner from just outside the box to give Saints their second league win of the season.
The result, combined with Boroughmuir’s defeat to Queen’s Park moves Saints up into sixth place. Next Sunday the side travel to face Stirling University who won by the odd goal in five when the sides met on the opening day of the season at Riverside.
Saints: Mitchell, MacIver (Brady), Carter (McLean), Clark, Irvine (Burns), Moodie, Simson (Cowie), Begg, McCafferty, Robertson, Ovens (M.Steedman).
Subs not used: Burke, Malcolm, L.Steedman, Cochran.
Kilmarnock: Currie, Boyce, Healey, McLaughlin, Reside, Robinson, G.Crooks, McLintock, Crainie, M.Crooks, Haplin.
Subs: Kerrigan, McCulloch, Munro, Cowan, McTear, O’Brien.
Match report by Stuart Cowper