WHETHER by accident or design, the Cyprus Cup provided many more opportunities than usual for Scotland’s fringe players.
Anna Signeul had intended to give all the outfield players game time anyway, but her hand was further forced by a spate of injuries. Two of her initial 23-player squad, Rachel Corsie and Lana Clelland, didn’t feature at all, while a further five were ruled out of the final game against Wales.
Of that starting 11, only two look odds-on to play in the opening Euro match against England.
The best performance was the 3-1 win over Austria and that coincided with Scotland having running power on both flanks. Lizzie Arnot made the most of her first full game, while Lisa Evans crowned a fine display by taking the Hibernian player’s pass before scoring an outstanding third goal.
A common thread has run through the six games in 2017 – performances have overwhelmingly improved in the second 45 minutes. And as well as Arnot, two more young players, Fiona Brown and Erin Cuthbert, added energy and creativity when called upon.
Striker Jane Ross passed the 100-cap landmark and came close to notching her third tournament goal which would have taken her Scotland total to 50.
Yet amidst this positivity, the baffling aspect was Signeul’s decision not to give game time to goalkeeper Lee Alexander. This despite Gemma Fay, who hadn’t played since being injured against Denmark in January, being kept under wraps for the opening two games and being hit by a different problem in the third.
Shannon Lynn came on as her replacement, and played throughout the other three games. Nobody could begrudge the Scotland No 2 her opportunities as she has often been a sub over the years, but it’s difficult to understand why a 25-year-old goalkeeper with Champions League experience was taken to Cyprus and not played.
There will now be a more than passing interest in whether Scott Booth prefers Fay – if fit – or Alexander for Glasgow City’s league opener against Stirling University today.
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