Spartans manager Debbi McCulloch hopes the preseason rust has now worn off

After Spartans found themselves 2-0 now down in three and a half minutes against Aberdeen on Sunday, manager Debbi McCulloch hopes her side’s preseason rust has now worn off.

The Edinburgh side took part in their first preseason game last weekend in a 3-2 loss to fellow SWPL1 side Aberdeen. A slow start ultimately condemned McCulloch’s side to defeat however, the manager is hopeful that the second half showing from her side is a sign of things to come.

“The first 45 minutes were a bit of a shock for us,” she told the Edinburgh Evening News. “We were 2-0 down after three and a half minutes, but if we are going to have a bad 45 minutes let's have it in pre-season. You’ve got to consider the players will be a wee bit rusty. We came back into the game, scored twice and had a third disallowed because the referee didn’t think the ball was over the line. However, my players were adamant that it was.

“It was good to get a competitive fixture under our belt, we have a couple of behind-closed-doors games coming up and another two friendlies over the next two Sundays against Gartcairn and Boroughmuir. It’s time to ramp things up a bit and we have certainly been doing that over the last 10 days through increasing the intensity. On the pitch, the players have received that really well. However, as ever in pre-season we have picked up a couple of niggles but nothing too serious.”

Spartans are scheduled to play Gartcairn and Boroughmuir before the start of the season. Credit: Spartans Women

Spartans were due to play Rangers the week before, but the Glaswegians had to pull out of the fixture. With two more friendlies lined up before the start of the campaign, McCulloch is pleased to see her side back out on the pitch after a long break.

“We have not been on the pitch for nearly enough eight weeks,” she added. “It is always good to return to some form of competitive action. We have had a couple of squad games, but you want to be up against opposition that isn’t your own teammates, that always brings a different dynamic and challenge. The players all enjoyed it and got a good level of minutes under their legs; we will continue that this week as we prepare for the start of the season.”