Hamilton Accies Women boss Robert Watson admits his side are overwhelming favourites to win SWPL2 – but is taking nothing for granted.
With just one defeat all season, Accies hold an eight-point lead over second-placed Kilmarnock and 12 over Boroughmuir in third as they prepare to host Rossvale on January 5.
Watson says they remain focused on maintaining their excellent form, but admits they are in a far better place than the summer, when they dropped down from SWPL1.
Hamilton conceded a late equaliser against SWPL1 and derby rivals Motherwell, losing 4-3 on penalties in the League Cup second round in September.
Earlier this month they knocked Queen’s Park out of the Scottish Cup third round with a 3-1 win, setting up a fourth-round tie at fellow top flight side Aberdeen in February.
Watson said: “We didn’t go into the season as favourites, but probably by the half-way stage everyone will be saying we are.
“But that’s not really on our minds, we set a target of getting promoted, and to do that we need to win a league.
“It’s just about how we look after ourselves week to week and the players have been brilliant so far – it’s now about doing it again over another 14 league games and making sure that, come May, we’re in the best possible position to get promoted and win the title.
“We’ve only had one defeat all season and I think that’s really key. We’ve played 16 games since the start of the year, including cups, and we’ve only lost one match – and again it was quite easily a game we could have drawn, we unfortunately missed a penalty late on in that game.”
Watson added: “I think the true barometer is showing that consistency. We’ve knocked a Premier League 1 team out of the Scottish Cup, took a Premier League 1 side to penalties in the League Cup and I think we were very unfortunate not to be on the winning side that day after 120 minutes.
“I think we’re in a great place, considering where we were in May, getting relegated, when we look back on the year as a whole.
“But there’s still a long way to go, and the players are really focused to work hard over Christmas and get as best possible a start when we return against Rossvale in January.
“We have an eight-point lead over Kilmarnock, and then I think it’s 12 on Boroughmuir, so we’re in a position where we’re three results away.
“But at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what other teams do if we keep winning and look after ourselves.”