Boroughmuir Thistle: Sidelined Shannon Todd will play part as pals go for promotion to SWPL1

Winger Shannon Todd won't be able exert her influence on the pitch as Boroughmuir Thistle vie for promotion this weekend.

Nonetheless, she fully intends to cheer the club over the line from the sidelines at Glasgow Girls' New Tinto Park.

The Meggetland-based SWPL 2 side will be playing top-flight football next season if they secure victory on Sunday (12pm). Their hosts, meanwhile, require just a draw to ensure it is them and not Boroughmuir in SWPL 1 when the new campaign kicks off in September.

Suzy Shepherd’s Boroughmuir team were ten adrift at Christmas, but hit good in the second half of the season as teams around them dropped points.

For 27-year-old Todd, however, her season ended prematurely in the middle of that good run after sustaining a serious knee injury in a 2-1 loss – against Glasgow Girls – in March.

And although she doesn't anticipate pulling on a purple jersey until at least December, Todd says the prospect of rubbing shoulders against the likes of newly-crowned champions Rangers, Hibs and Hearts is all the motivation she needs.

“My ligament and meniscus both snapped so it was probably the worst pain I've ever felt," she explained.

“It was kind of difficult to process when I was told the severity of the injury and estimated recovery time. To think that I'll probably not play again until the end of the year is tough to take.

Shannon Todd is out injured but will be cheering on her teammates in their promotion decider

“I had my operation three weeks ago and the surgeon was happy with it, so hopefully I am now on the road to recovery.

“My rehab starts next month so my aim is to be back running by September once I get my knee brace off and, all being well, back playing just before Christmas.

“If we can get promoted tomorrow then that is just going to give me an even bigger incentive to get my books back on. I'll be on the social media so I'll be giving the updates of the game.

“It'll be hard to watch but the girls have been in great form so I have every belief in them. We've really gelled as a team and I think that has helped grind out the results we have. We just need one final push.

"We're a pretty close team. We all see each other away from training and matches and the club have been so supportive to me in my recovery too."