Rangers Women Beat Montrose to Reach Women's Scottish Cup Final

Rangers Women are into the Women's Scottish Cup final after beating Montrose in the semi-final, with Katie Wilkinson scoring the second-half opener. The holders now move on to face Celtic, while Montrose's first run to a cup semi-final ended one step short of a final.

Wilkinson Opens the Second Half

Wilkinson made the decisive breakthrough after the interval, and Rangers managed the rest from there. The goal settled a match that had stayed tight long enough for Montrose to feel they could keep Rangers under pressure.

Leanne Crichton said the match had been difficult from the start. "Tough game, we always knew it would be. Montrose are a tough nut to crack. The reality is they marginally missed out on the top six. They've been a real handful this season."

Crichton Demands More

Rangers had already had to reshape their side after losing players before the match, and Crichton said the first-half display fell short of the standard required. "I was really disappointed with the collective [in the first half], our use of the ball. If you don't want to work hard and track back, and look like you're hungry to win this kind of game, and get to a Cup final, we won't tolerate that."

That message matched the pace of the contest. Wilkinson said Montrose made the game uncomfortable across the pitch: "They made it super tough for us, we knew they would." She added, "The message was that 'it had to be better'. The tempo of the game, our speed of play, the movement with and without the ball. It wasn't there from us."

Montrose Leave Proudly

Melissa Andreatta said Montrose's run deserved credit because it came in their first appearance in a Cup semi-final. "For their first appearance in a Cup semi-final, it's a credit to Montrose how long they stayed in the game and made it difficult for such a top team like Rangers."

Joelle Murray took the same view after Rangers' second goal. "It's a disappointing second goal to conceded from a Montrose perspective, but they can walk off the pitch with their head held high." Rangers now have a final against Celtic, with the holders still in position to defend the trophy they won before this semi-final.