SWNT: Slovakia Preview

SWNT Head Coach Pedro Martinéz Losa says that there are no competitive or non-competitive games, but the implications of not getting results in one far outweigh the other.

On Friday night Scotland’s winless run in competitive fixtures stretched to eight games as they claimed what could prove to be a useful point away to Serbia in Leskovac.

Focus now shifts to Hampden and the visit of Slovakia where victory has to be the aim. The visitors are competent but still developing in the women’s game, Sporting Club de Huelva striker Patrícia Hmírová is an experienced and well travelled goal threat while 24-year-old St Pölten midfielder Mária Mikolajovà has developed a knack of scoring important goals including the winner against Romania and an equaliser at home to Finland during their Nations League - League B campaign.

That 2-2 draw at home to the Finns was the pick of their League B results along with victory’s against Croatia and Romania. In a tightly contested group they would finish in the relegation play-off spot but would comfortably maintain their Tier 2 status with a 9-0 aggregate victory over Latvia allowing them to be grouped with Scotland, Serbia and Israel as the road to Switzerland continues.

As Scotland played out a 0-0 draw in Serbia the Slovaks began their Euro 2025 qualifying journey with a 2-0 victory at home to Israel; the kind of competitive victory that Scottish supporters have been waiting sixteen month for, and will hopefully be celebrating, come full time on Tuesday night.

“For me, there’s no competitive or non-competitive [games].” Scotland’s Spanish Head Coach would say ahead of Tuesday’s contest at Hampden, “We are not playing competitive games because the calendar only had us play six competitive games in the last two years, but we prepare for the games the same.”

Scotland have indeed only played six competitive fixtures since October 2022 and while there have been challenges along the way, including an extensive injury list that in the last few days has seen the names Sandy MacIver and Christy Grimshaw added to it, the sparseness of competitive action has been a result of Scotland’s current difficulty in securing the big results when it matters most under the Spaniard.

Had SWNT defeated the Republic of Ireland in their World Cup play-off then there would have been no 2023 Pinatar Cup as friendlies against Slovakia, Hungary and The Philippines would have been replaced by the next phase of competition for a major tournament spot.

Success during those inter-confederation play-offs in New Zealand would have meant summer friendlies against Northern Ireland at Dens Park and away to Finland would not have taken place, or at the very least be contested under very different circumstances, as Scotland and their supporters prepared for a big fat World Cup adventure Down Under.

A bit of what-if-ing there I know but fast forward to a challenging Nations League campaign and Scotland once again found themselves starting a new year in Spain’s southern corner for friendlies against The Philippines and Finland having been unable to get the results required to secure a shot at retaining their Nations League - League A status via the play-offs.

In competitive action, Scotland have scored just four times since the end of the 2023 World Cup Qualifying group phase; Abi Harrison’s extra-time winner against Austria, Kirsty Hanson’s goal in Sunderland, Sophie Howard’s late equaliser against Belgium at Hampden and Erin Cuthbert’s rocket in Leuven. Goals have come a bit easier in friendly games.

The clean sheet earned in Serbia courtesy of some solid defence in the closing stages was the first time opposition had drawn a blank in a competitive fixture since Austria (the 2-0 win over The Philippines at this year’s Pinatar Cup the only other occasion during the intervening period).

Where Scotland currently stand is a question to reflect on another day but results in competitive games will have a direct impact on the future direction of the women’s game in Scotland, not just on the pitch but off it too.

Finances, media coverage, attendances, commercial partnerships and the ability to showcase Scottish football on the biggest stages of a rapidly growing game will only come with success on the pitch.

Scotland’s Head Coach may be approaching his role in the same way, whether that be winning 2-1 in Tampere or losing 6-0 at home to England, watching the 45-50 players that make up his current talent pool or collating the statistics that he believes shows the progress that results can hide, but the distinction between competitive and non-competitive games could not be more clear cut. As is the case with the stakes at play.

Pedro Martinéz Losa, his coaches, the players, the SFA, the media, the fans… everyone invested in Scottish women’s football wants SWNT to succeed but the only way in which success can flourish is by turning it on in the moments that matter.

Three out of the four sides in Group B2 will progress to the next phase, for Scotland to not be one of those sides is unthinkable, the wins will come but the manner in which they do will also shape their chances of further progress, victory against Slovakia on Tuesday night would be a mighty fine place to shaping that future.

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Scotland host Slovakia this Tuesday night with a 7:35pm kick off. Tickets are available here. The game is also live on BBC Alba, the BBC Sport website and iPlayer.

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