Sky Sports Cup: Falkirk duo Nicola Docherty and Sam Kerr help Gers clinch first ever league cup triumph

In front of a nearly 4,000 strong crowd at Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh, the Glasgow side lifted the domestic league cup trophy for the first time, with goals from Lizzie Arnot and Kirsty Howat in either half sealing a comfortable victory against a Hibs team that have won the competition seven times previously.

Dean Gibson’s side also fielded a Falkirk native on the day with former Graeme High pupil Leah Eddie starting for them.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, stalwart Docherty said the match highlighted the positive direction of the women’s game in Scotland.

“It is a fantastic achievement for women’s football,” she said. “It has come a long way and it has still got a long way to go. We’ve played here (at Tynecastle) with the national team and the atmosphere is always great and it was a proper occasion.”

On the match, the 30-year-old added: “It is obviously a club that I have supported since I was a kid so to come back here (to Rangers) and to win trophies with this group is just amazing. This really does mean the world to me.

“Lizzie Arnot and Kirsty Howat are fantastic at doing what they do up top and we defend from the front and that really helped us get it over the line to credit to all of the team. Everyone dug in.

“I am delighted because truthfully last season we disappointed ourselves by not winning a cup and just coming away with a league title because we believed we could do it. We’ve now ticked the first one of the season off and it is a great moment for everyone.”

Meanwhile, Hibs’ Gibson claimed that this current Rangers group are the ‘best squad’ throughout SWPL’s history in terms of quality.

“That is the best team that this league has seen,” he said. “There is no-one who will really touch them. They were very good and at the best of times they are a tough team to play against. Offensively and defensively they are so strong.”