By Sheryl Ritchie
Rangers Women’s title challenge ended in heartbreak at Ibrox on Sunday as a 1-0 defeat to Hibernian handed the league to the visitors and left Rangers in third place, missing out on Champions League qualification for next season.
Docherty: “This Will Hurt for a Long Time”
Reflecting on the result, defender Nicola Docherty pulled no punches in her assessment of the match and the season as a whole.
“It was one of those days – we never looked like we’d score,” Docherty admitted. “We didn’t do enough today or across the season. Hibs showed far more consistency throughout.”
The defeat at Ibrox marked another title slip on home turf, and Docherty acknowledged the emotional weight of the venue.
“It’s tough to take, especially at Ibrox. The stadium has so much history, and now that’s two titles we’ve lost here.”
Despite a strong midweek win over Hearts that kept their title hopes alive going into the final day, Rangers fell short when it mattered most.
“We put ourselves in a good position on Wednesday, but we needed two wins to give ourselves a chance,” she added. “Across the season, we made mistakes across the board.”
“I love winning. I never get fed up of it, so this will hurt for a long time.”
Docherty was candid about the team’s struggles in front of goal against Hibs, citing poor decision-making in key areas.
“We had to score when it mattered. We got into good areas but made the wrong decisions – playing an extra pass instead of taking the shot.”
Looking ahead, she stressed the need to regroup quickly before next weekend’s Scottish Cup Final.
“We need to move on quickly. There’s a cup final to look forward to,” she said. “My role will be to bring the group back together. The leaders will tie in – we stick together and bring everyone together.”
