Hibs “dug deep” to see off Spartans

Hibs came out on top on Sunday afternoon against Spartans with midfielder Ellis Notley insisting that her side had to “dig deep” to collect all three points. 

Hibs sit fifth in the SWPL1. Credit: Malcolm Mackenzie

It was a battling performance from the away side who came back from 1-0 down to see off Spartans 4-1 on the day. Hibs have traditionally struggled against the hosts and had not won at Ainslie Park since 2019. However, an excellent second-half performance ensured that their fantastic recent form continued. 

“It is an important three points for us, we didn’t play our best in spells but we dug deep as a team and scored the goals we needed to win,” Notley told the Edinburgh Evening News.

“Spartans seem to raise their game against us and turn it into a battle. We had to rise above that battle and match that but also play our game and get the ball and play football. We struggled in the first 50 minutes to settle into the game but we grew into the game, got the ball down and played some good stuff. Thankfully, we got ourselves back into it and then, in the second half we dominated the ball more and got the win.”

The victory is now Hibs’ ninth in 11 games which includes a run of five straight victories. This has seen the club progress to the semi-finals of the SWPL Cup as well as overcome Hearts in the Edinburgh derby earlier this month. Notley has been one of the star performers in these games with the midfielder scoring two goals in her last three matches. The midfielder was pleased to get on the scoresheet again against Spartans as she looks to keep Hibs’ run of form going. 

“We are picking up three points in more games,” she added. “That is the most important thing that we want to do in order to progress up the league and get closer to the top. We are on a good run but we will still reflect on that game to see where we can improve ready for the next games coming up. 

“I’ve scored twice this season so it’s a rare occasion. I’ll take anything, especially when it helps the team get the points.”