Rangers Women star enjoys 'extra grit' in Old Firm win over Celtic to reignite title bid

Katie Wilkinson’s hat-trick breathed new life into Rangers‘ Scottish Women’s Premier League title bid after a 3-0 win over rivals Celtic.

Leanne Crichton’s side took the lead in the 15th minute when Wilkinson headed in Brogan Hay’s cross to ease the away side’s nerves on Monday at New Douglas Park.

Wilkinson then grabbed a crucial second, just as Celtic were coming back into the contest, with a superb 18-yard free-kick past goalkeeper Adelaide Gay in the 40th minute.

And the 31-year-old forward rounded off the scoring from the penalty spot in the 90th minute after Emma Lawton fouled May Cruft.

After pacesetters Glasgow City lost again, Rangers’ win over Celtic saw them rise to second in the table ahead of a crunch clash with new leaders Hearts.

Rangers bounce back from SWPL Cup final loss

Rangers’ season seemed to be gathering momentum after halting Glasgow City’s 20-match unbeaten league run last month.

However, their bid to win a fourth straight Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup was foiled by their Glasgow neighbours in a 2-1 final loss.

But they have bounced back well from that final defeat with two wins on the spin in the league.

And in another boost for the Gers, Glasgow have now lost three matches in a row, with defeats to Hibernian and Hearts in the past week.

And after Rangers extended their unbeaten run against Celtic to 11 games, to put them within one point of top spot, Wilkinson could not contain her excitement.

She also said her free-kick was one of her best in a Rangers shirt.

She told the club’s website: “The free-kick is up there for me in terms of my goals for Rangers.

“It’s a big three points for us first and foremost, away from home as well. I thought all over the pitch there were some massive performances, and I am just glad to be able to help.

“The clean sheet is massive. Sometimes in these types of games, you don’t get the performance, but I thought we had it all.

“We managed the game, good performance, individually we managed our battles well, three goals, it is a massive win for us.

“We know what it means to all of the Rangers supporters. We want to win every game, but there is a bit of extra grit in these types of games.”

International break comes at wrong time for Rangers

With Glasgow slipping from their perch at the top of the table, and Rangers rising to second from fourth in a matter of weeks, this international break comes at an inopportune time for Crichton’s team.

The old adage, “Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake,” comes to mind with Glasgow, but Rangers have to wait until 24 April for their next encounter.

That will be a crunch top-of-the-table clash at home to league leaders Hearts, who beat them 3-2 on 15 March.

If they win that, they could be dreaming of a league title. This battle to finish the season on top looks set to go down to the wire, with just two points separating Hearts in first and Glasgow in third.

Wilkinson added, “We go into the international break now, but we are taking it game by game. We got the three points today, some girls go away now, and those who are here will work hard.

“We will prepare for the next game, that’s what we are thinking about and trying to get as many points as we can.”

Rangers responded well to their cup final loss, and next up, they will hope to rebound again, this time against Hearts.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Govan.