Kilmarnock 17s welcomed Glasgow City down to Greenwood Academy in Dreghorn for a pre-season friendly. The air was a cool and the sun was out (finally!) All in all it was a great day for football. The game turned out to be a four goal thriller. Brogan Hay thundered Glasgow City into the lead at the break. However, an equally stunning brace from Nicole Telford seemed to have given Killie bragging rights - that was until Katie Rice converted a Hay free kick with less than ten minutes to play.
Both teams initially struggled to get into the groove in terms of creating clear cut chances in the opening passage of play. Both Kilmarnock and Glasgow City's defence led by example in staying well marshalled and allowing little room for the opponent's time on the ball.
However, City's Brogan Hay broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion on the seventeen minute mark. Finding the ball out wide left, she cut inside at pace and sold a couple of defenders with a neat triple step-over which resulted in her blasting the ball into the roof of the net from twenty five yards.
A stand-out in the final of the National Trophy in November, Hay began to stamp her authority on this game too, using a wide passing range and neat skill set to become a real thorn in the Kilmarnock side. A neat interchange with Katie Rice led to Hay being one on one with Killie goalkeeper Darlene Mitchell: however the goalkeeper rushed out of her box and executed a superb slide tackle and cleared the danger.
Then Hay's cross field pass allowed Eva Lockheart to round the goalkeeper, but the ball just rolled too far and she couldn't quite stab it home.
Finally, a Hay free kick stung Mitchell's palms and she smothered just as strikers were queueing up to slot in a potential rebound.
Killie were still in it though, and still were creating chances of their own: with five minutes of the first half left Shawnie Harper had a go from twenty yards, but City 'keeper Erin Clackers was well placed to make the save comfortably.
On the stroke of half time, Kristiana Hamilton rose to meet a cross, but her header wasn't quite powerful enough to beat Clackers who held easily. That concluded the end of the first half.