Dunipace earn Barclays Scottish Women's Championship promotion after play-off win
Gillian Lynn hailed her Dunipace heroes after they secured promotion to the Barclays Scottish Women’s Championship last Sunday.
The DCL Westfield side, who were only founded in 2021, will play in the third tier next season after a 2-1 play-off victory over Armadale Thistle at Ochilview Park.
Star striker Claire Hutton was the hero for her side, heading home the winning goal on the hour mark. The ’Pace opened the scoring, again from a corner, after 24 minutes when Rebecca Robertson slammed home.
There was nothing goalkeeper Jess Lothian could do about Armadale’s first half leveller, with Ruth Gorman’s free-kick giving her no chance.
Speaking to the Falkirk Herald, manager Lynn expressed her pride but admitted that the performance wasn’t Dunipace’s best showing.
“It is a funny one, if I am being honest I felt it was our worst performance of the season!” she said. “It was really nervy, which you would expect for such a big occasion with a big crowd.
"But we just looked a shadow of ourselves at points. Everyone looked nervous. But we did grow and towards the end of the match we started to pick up.
“It is all about getting promotion over the line. And what we do have is players who can turn up in those big moments to score or make something happen and we got that twice.”
Lynn spearheaded the club’s formation five years ago and has now led the ’Pace to the third tier. But she heaped all the praise of her players for what they have given to the cause.
The team just missed out on the League One title, finishing three points behind Elgin City in second spot. But they managed to get through a tough play-off.
She said: “It has been an incredible season. And it felt like one we really deserved something out of. It was always going to be tight between us, St Mirren and Elgin City and we knew that we would be there or thereabouts. And to finish three points behind the league leaders is tough but the table doesn’t lie at the end of the day.
"The character shown was brilliant because it isn’t easy to go again. And we did have a point where we were top of the league and it felt like it could be ours to win. We had aspirations to win it to be honest.
"We just didn’t do it in the split, which sounds silly because we were unbeaten but two draws and three wins just wasn’t enough. I know what we can do and we just fell a little bit short there.
“I am so proud of how far the team has come in such a short space of time. That’s been five years now basically from 2021 and we are now heading to the Championship, only one step away from the SWPL. We’ve been lucky to have so many dedicated players here. It’s been a team effort from so many people and not just myself or the players on the pitch.”
The job doesn’t stop for the summer for Lynn, who is now actively recruiting new coaching staff and players for the journey ahead.
She’s on the hunt for a head coach, assistant coach and goalkeeping coach with the required coaching qualifications.
Any players who believe they would be a strong addition are also encouraged to get in touch with the club.