BLUES KEEP TITLE HOPES ALIVE
Linfield Ladies kept their faint title hopes alive with an impressive 4-2 victory at home to Sion Swifts, who are now mathematically out of the race.
Kirsty McGuinness opened the scoring against her former club with a goal after two minutes after being slipped through by Erin McLaughlin but Linfield levelled the score twenty minutes later through the in-form Alison Smyth with a fine goal from the edge of the area.
Eight minutes later and Linfield took the lead as Victoria Carleton went down the wing after a Rebecca McKenna through ball, and the cross into the box was inadvertently turned into her own net by Sion defender Tasmin McCarter.
Linfield had a chance to extend their lead two minutes into the second half after a handball from Casey Howe’s corner, but visiting goalkeeper Caoimhe Callaghan thwarted Smyth from the spot.
Linfield pressure paid off in the 71st minute as Katie Dickson scored with her first touch from a corner after Smyth’s initial header goalward.
The instrumental Howe added a fourth with 12 minutes remaining as she converted Rebecca Bassett’s cross, while McGuinness grabbed her second of the game and a consolation from the penalty spot with three minutes remaining.
Linfield Ladies: McFrederick, Fitzsimmons, Hutton, Carleton, Howe, Smyth, Burrows, McKenna, Magee, E. Leckey, Donnan subs Bassett (replaced Smyth 74), Power (not used), Dickson (replaced E. Leckey 68), McConnell (not used), McMaster (not used)
Sion Swifts Ladies: Callaghan, McCarter, E. McLaughlin, Crompton, McVarnock, C. McGuinness, K. McGuinness, McDaid, Burns, R. McLaughlin, McGlynn subs Lynch (replaced Burns 68), Brown (replaced McVarnock 56), Feehan (replaced R. McLaughlin 79), McKinney (not used)
Substitution 
Substitution 
