Erin Henderson becomes Spartans’ saviour as Debbi McCulloch bows out as manager

Erin Henderson netted a dramatic late equaliser for Spartans to draw 1-1 with Montrose in Debbi McCulloch’s final game as manager.

McCulloch announced last week then she planned to step down as head coach after she was confirmed as the CEO of the community foundation. It looked as if it would be a send off to forget as Montrose took the lead just three minutes in. Spartans huff and puffed in order to find a goal and up popped Henderson in the 92nd minute to head home a dramatic equaliser. 

“I could feel it coming but I could see the clock was running out as well,” McCulloch told the Edinburgh Evening News. “Sometimes it just doesn’t go for you. I said to them at half-time, we can’t be lucky, we can’t be unlucky, we have to make it happen. The only way that can happen is if we focus on our first touch, pass the ball with more intensity. We knew we were going to have the wind behind us in the second half and we could utilise that. The changes we made helped massively too”

It was the worst possible start for Spartans as Montrose took the lead three minutes in. Directly from a corner Demi Taylor managed to beat the ‘keeper. The hosts responded well as Hannah Jordan whipped in a fantastic ball but no one could get the clinical touch needed. Spartans then went close again as Jordan looked to fire the ball into the bottom corner but the ‘keeper matched the effort. Montrose almost pulled two goals ahead when Alicia Yates was forced to pull off a stunning save to stop the ball from nestling in the top corner. Mya Bates had the hosts’ best chance right at the end of the first half as her first time effort looped over the bar. Montrose were inches away from making it 2-0 in the final seconds of the first period as Jordan had to clear the ball off the line from a corner. 

The second half was a scrappy affair with few chances for either side. A series of fouls really stopped either side from getting into any rhythm as Spartans hunted for an equaliser. Caley Gibb looked to play through Bates early on but the winger was just unable to connect with the through ball. Rebecca Foote had a golden chance to equalise when the ball fell to her off a corner late on but her effort flew over the bar. Then, in the dying seconds, Alana Marshall’s free-kick produced a good save from the opposing ‘keeper before Henderson popped up to head in the rebound for a dramatic equaliser.

“Even though we have a bigger injury list now than we did in total last season, the players that can on today made a really positive impact,” McCulloch added. “That’s all we need them to do, Erin [Henderson] hasn’t played many minutes for us this season, it's a journey for her and it has been a bit frustrating for her. Then she goes and scores her first SWPL1 goal. Football can change in moments, you just have to make sure you stay committed, consistent and work as hard as you can.”