WINNERS of the Scottish Girls Under-13 Cup, the very good Hibs Girls outfit, were virtually ‘singing in the rain, at the doomed St Augustine’s High School Playing Fields as they celebrated a spectacular end-of-season double by beating Hutchison Vale 5-0 in the South East Scotland Girls League playoff. 

In the soggy, soggy conditions on a soaking wet summer’s night, the Hibs Girls played great passing football that the brave Hutchison Vale outfit just could not match on the night. The added bonus for the very good turnout of spectators on the touchlines to encourage and support the girls for this important game was the incredible play of a 10-year-old girl from Dunfermline in the Hibs Girls ranks – Caroline Weir. The natural skill of this slip of a girl from Fife had to be seen to be believed, with team coach and head of PE at St Augustine’s High School, Ronnie Hamilton, enthusing: “Caroline is the best talent I have seen, boy or girl, over the past 15 years! Her touch and control of the ball is quite incredible for such a young girl. She is a complete natural!”

The Hibs Girls went 1-0 when Yasmyn Enek fired home an early opener and the Scottish Cup winners went on to control the game. Hutchison Vale never gave, however, and they too had several good young players who appear to be keen students of the game at an age that is essentially a learning curve for them as Girls Football continues to improve in Scotland.

The wee Fife superstar fired home a brilliant left-foot free-kick to extend Hibs’ lead to 2-0, while Louise Mason went close to getting a goal for Vale on two separate occasions. But it was the girls in the green outfit that played the better football in the muddy pitch, with Enek adding a third goal after a stunning passing move with Caroline Weir that ripped open the Vale defence. In the second half, Vale showed their fighting spirit as they battled for every ball but it was Hibs who went further in front with another cracking goal from another lovely passing move, finished off perfectly by Rebecca Zoltie to make it 4-0 for Hibs.

With the Vale goal under more and more pressure and shots crashing off the bar and posts, it was not long before Hibs were on target for the fifth and last time in the game, with Zoltie adding the finishing touch to clinch a great double for the Hibs Girls.

Hibs Girls – Hannah Reid, Fern Quinn, Gemma Burns, Natalie McDermid, Ellen Reid, Anna McConnachie, Rebecca Zoltie, Yasmyn Enek, Stacey Hurdis, Rebecca McPherson, Suzanne Torrance, Caroline Weir, Stephani Tran, Ciara Donaldson.  

Hutchison Vale – Janet Hannan, Amy Thomson, Kerri Paterson, Nicole Jarvie, Louise Mason, Joanne Russell, Megan Wight, Claire Emslie, Lisa Wilson, Carrie Reynolds.

Referee – Bob Wilson.