Crichton hails Wilkinson and Cruft after win over Celtic
Leanne Crichton paid tribute to her Rangers side for a dominant 3-0 derby win away to Celtic despite having to field "a makeshift backline". "If you look at players who have come in and having played a lot of minutes - Eilidh Austin has played excellently well at full-back all season and played at centre-back for us today," the head coach told BBC Alba. "Jodi McLeary, whose been excellent in the middle of the pitch, goes back into full-back.
I know she's done that at points this season, but there were bits of the puzzle we were having to put together to make sure we got it right. " A victory thanks to hat-trick from striker Katie Wilkinson pushes Rangers above Glasgow City into second spot in the Scottish Women's Premier League. "It helps the moments of quality at the top of the pitch," Crichton said.
"The moments of pressure Katie has dealt with so well this season. " The head coach also praised midfielder May Cruft - and not just for earning the penalty from which Wilkinson completed her hat-trick. "Sixteen but runs the show in the middle of the pitch and the number of fouls she had to bounce back up from today," Crichton said.
"Teams are all over her, but she's handling it so, so well. " However, Crichton thought "everyone was a nine out of 10 today" in Hamilton. "We've had to put in a real shift to get the job done," she said.
"Even at 2-0, it is a dangerous scoreline and Celtic have players who can hurt you and get them back in the game. "What we wanted from us today was a really controlled performance and I think we got that. " Rangers have won twice in the league after losing the Sky Sports Cup final to City.