Hamilton Accies Women boss Robert Watson says their next two games will be a barometer of their title chances, as they tackle sides directly below them in SWPL2.
Accies travel to Livingston on Sunday with a six-point lead over the Lionesses, and the following week are at second-placed Kilmarnock, looking to stretch their five-point advantage over their Ayrshire hosts.
That comes after a 3-0 win at home to Ayr United, with a Josi Giard double added to by a first strike of the season from Freya MacDonald, in what Watson says was one of their poorest 45 minutes of the season.
He said: “Livingston and Kilmarnock will be looking at us, thinking win those games and they claw back points, and for ourselves it’s about winning those games and we can extend our lead.
“Both games coming up are going to be really exciting, without a doubt all three teams are going to want to do everything possible to win the games.
“We’re away in both, so they’re going to be very tough trips, but if you want to win something these are the games that you have to perform in and take things from.
“It will be a good barometer of exactly where we are, come the first week of November, after we’ve played Kilmarnock.”
Watson was pleased with aspects of the win at New Douglas Park on Sunday, and will cut his girls some slack, given they’re still the only unbeaten team in the league after eight games.
He said: “It’s just important that we take it one week at a time and make sure we pick up the win.
“If we’re honest with ourselves the second half was probably the poorest we’ve played all season.
“For whatever reason we just didn’t get going at the start of the second half,.
“But when you look at it over a number of games, we’ve only had one very poor half, we’re in a pretty good place, and I’m sure the players will bounce back this week with the game at Livingston.”
Shelley Campbell made her first appearance since suffering a knee injury against Montrose in the final game of last season, a total of 21 weeks out.
Watson said: “Shelley has been working hard to get back. She’s slowly getting there, she will probably need shorter appearances to get her up to full speed, but it’s great to have her back.
“It was Freya’s first goal of the season and first from open play, and I don’t think she’ll hit many better.
“It was a great team move, and if the net wasn’t there the ball would still be going , she hit it that hard!
“Josi hadn’t scored in a couple of games, had one of those weeks up at Rossvale where everything she hit struck the bar or the goalkeeper, but that just shows what a good player she is and how quickly she can bounce back, mentally.
“She had two chances, took both, and was very clinical.”
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