Brooke Nunn glad to open Hibs account as attacker shares what players must do in derby showdown

The right substitutions can change games, something that was evident on Wednesday night when Hibs Women came from behind to defeat Partick Thistle Women 3-1 at Meadowbank.
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Cara Henderson’s early close-range finish had the visitors in front, a lead they held until the half-time interval, but a goal seconds after the restart by Katie Lockwood, on as an injury replacement for Kirsty Morrison midway through the opening 45 minutes, got Hibs back into the game and she added a second with 15 minutes left to play after a cross from fellow substitute Brooke Nunn had been headed off the bar by Eilidh Adams. Nunn herself then made the points safe towards the end when she pounced on a slack backpass to rifle home the third goal but crucially, her first in green and white since arriving in January.

Lockwood has been particularly prolific since swapping Örebro for Edinburgh, hitting five goals in ten appearances, but her compatriot Nunn has perhaps taken a little longer to adapt to life in the Capital. But now she is off the mark, she is aiming to build on her performance against Thistle, and help Hibs have a strong finish to the season.

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"It feels amazing to get my first goal but more importantly make an impact coming off the bench, help us get the victory, and be of use to the team,” she told the Evening News after the midweek win. “I feel like I’ve just about fully adjusted to Scotland and the game up here. It’s about finding momentum now and hopefully I can build on my performance against Partick Thistle and keep it going.”

Brooke Nunn opened her account for Hibs against Partick Thistle and is keen to build on her performanceBrooke Nunn opened her account for Hibs against Partick Thistle and is keen to build on her performance
Brooke Nunn opened her account for Hibs against Partick Thistle and is keen to build on her performance

Head coach Dean Gibson was full of praise for Nunn’s impact, and her performance may have given him a decision to make going into Saturday’s Edinburgh derby at Easter Road. With Kirsty Morrison likely to miss that game through injury, there is a vacant spot in the team which the former Arsenal and London Bees attacker may have her eye on.

"The manager knows what I’m capable of and he tells me to believe in myself and realise what I can offer,” Nunn continued. “He told me to go and show the team and the fans what I can do, so I went out aiming to prove myself and hopefully I did – but I couldn’t not score with the chance I had.”

Matches between Hearts and Hibs have been close this season, with very little between the Capital rivals. An equaliser in the last ten minutes from Hibs’ Crystal Thomas in the first encounter forced a penalty shoot-out to decide the winners of the Capital Cup, with Hibs prevailing, while the opposite happened in February at Tynecastle as Georgia Hunter’s late leveller produced another shoot-out won by the hosts. But Nunn believes a combination of confidence and self-belief can stand Hibs in good stead this weekend.

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"I think we need to believe in ourselves a lot more, and that we can actually go out to win the game,” she continued. “We need to believe in each other and really push ourselves to get the three points. Wednesday’s result gives us great confidence, it shows we can bounce back from anything, and we just need to work with each other and guide each other in the right direction.”

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