Hearts hat-trick hero outlines club's ambitions after ideal start to new campaign

Speaking with Georgia Timms, Hearts Women’s hat-trick hero from the opening game of the season, there is one word in particular which keeps coming up: ambition.

It’s what sold the striker on a move to Hearts as she came to a crucial point in her career after her time with FA Women’s Championship side Lewes came to an end.

Eva Olid’s group finished eighth in the SWPL 1 last term, jumping up from second-to-last place on the final day of the season. They spent the summer executing a recruitment drive aimed at bringing full-time, experienced players into the squad with the hope of propelling themselves up the table and becoming a major player in the women’s game in Scotland. After hearing their pitch, Timms decided it was time for a new adventure as she enters her prime footballing years.

“It wasn't easy leaving Lewes. It was a tough time, but it's what I needed. I knew myself I needed a change, to step away from the Championship because I'm the type of player who wants to try something different,” she told the Evening News.

Striker Georgia Timms signed for Hearts Women this summer after her exit from Lewes. Picture: David Mollison

“The ambition this year is to be top six. Obviously we know it's going to be a hard season and a long season, but we know we've got the quality, what with the new girls coming in and the girls who were already here from last season. It's a great group. We know that we can do it and we'll put in the work and effort, while the coaching staff have been great as well.

“They've got so much ambition at this club and what they want to achieve. The facilities are incredible, which also helps. At the age of 24 I'm now at that stage where I wanna learn more but I'm also experienced. So coming here I want to show what I can do to help this club.

“It's a very young squad but they are very good players. What I love about it is that the players are very ambitious and they want to learn. Players like myself, Emma [Brownlie], Ciara [Grant], Roody {New Zealand international Katie Rood], Ocean [Rolandsen], all of us that are coming in, they look up to us and want to learn, which is a real nice part of the club. Also, even the coaching staff want to learn, which is something you don't hear that often. If we put out to them they will listen to us. I think that's where the club is growing and it's a real nice touch.”

Things certainly couldn’t have gone much better for Timms on her debut for the Gorgie Girls. She single-handedly overturned a 1-0 half-time deficit with two excellently taken finishes before grabbing the match ball by tucking away a third from the penalty spot.

Georgia Timms and Katie Rood, once team-mates at Lewes, have been reunited at the Oriam this summer. Picture: Getty

The crucial third came after a couple of sliding doors moments which could have seen the game swing back in Partick Thistle’s direction. After Timms missed an opportunity to grab her third, the visitors were awarded a spot kick. Charlotte Parker-Smith, who gave away with the foul, made amends with a save to keep the hosts in front.

“Charlotte was gutted to give away the penalty but she did excellently to save us,” said Timms. “Just before the penalty was given I had a massive opportunity with a header. So I was like 'oh no, what have I done?'. But then we get the opportunity to score the third goal, which was also a penalty. As soon as Roody went down I was like 'Roody?' and she was like 'yeah girl, go and get your hat-trick'. I just had to stay composed and finish it.

"Roody and I both played at my previous club Lewes so we know each other very well. It's nice to have someone that I know at the club so her coming in was a great addition. It's good because it means we can link up again like old times.

“I'm massively delighted with the hat-trick. This is what I've been brought here to do to help Hearts. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself by aiming for a specific number of goals. I'm just taking it game by game, really.”

The win over Thistle came just seven days after a seismic event for women’s football in the UK as England defeated Germany in front of 87,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. While many of her new Scottish team-mates weren’t exactly impressed with the Auld Enemy getting their hands on an international trophy, Timms knows the result will benefit players on both sides of the border.

“It's a great opportunity for women's football,” she said. “Being up here, I know not many Scottish like the English, but for me it's a great platform for women's football and it's growing, which is what women's football needs. It won't just be great for the English league, it'll be great for the Scottish league as well. It'll help with getting the media interested and everything. I'm at that age where I've seen it slowly grow but I think this will be the changing point.

“I think Scotland seeing what England can do will further spur them on. Scotland are close to the World Cup and I know this will put a fire in their belly.

“I actually watched it with the girls as we had a game that day. Just after our game we all sat and watched it. I think I was the only one... well, Roody and I were the only two players who celebrated when England scored. Everyone else wasn't too happy, I can tell you that! But no, I think after seeing England win the girls realised what it meant as a whole for women's football, which is good.”

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