Fri 4 Sep 2026, 8:30
Ellie Scott insists Glentoran must put the disappointment of their defeat to Cliftonville behind them quickly as they prepare to face Lisburn Ladies in the Sports Direct Women’s Premiership (kick-off 7.45pm).
The Glens’ hopes of retaining the league title suffered a blow last week as the Reds secured a narrow 2-1 victory at Blanchflower Stadium to move eight points clear at the summit.
It was a difficult result for the hosts to take after Nadene Caldwell had cancelled out Teegan Lynch’s first-half opener, only for Caitlin McGuinness to strike with 10 minutes remaining and secure all three points.
Scott, however, says Glentoran must lift themselves again with a number of important games still to come.
“Nobody likes losing games, but it is even tougher when it is a match of such significance against your rivals,” said Scott.
“We knew going into the game how important it was in terms of the title race, and I think we gave it everything we had.
“I thought we were unfortunate to fall behind, but we showed a lot of character to get ourselves back into the game after the break.
“We pushed hard to get ourselves in front, but unfortunately it was Cliftonville who grabbed the second goal late on.
“Even then, we kept pushing in an effort to get something from the match, but it just wasn’t to be.
“The result obviously means it is out of our hands now, but we certainly won’t be throwing in the towel.
“There are still a few games to come and you never know what might happen along the way. We can only focus on ourselves, though, and we know we have to keep winning to have any chance.
“It doesn’t matter what the other results are if we don’t do what we need to do, so that is our only focus between now and the end of the season.
“Friday night can’t come quickly enough. We are all raring to go again and will be doing everything we can to pick up the three points.
“There will certainly be no giving up in this camp. Our aim is to win as many games as possible between now and the end of the campaign.”
Scott is enjoying her football again after enduring a horrendous period in which the young goalkeeper suffered two serious knee injuries inside two years.
Just six months after joining the Glens from Lisburn Rangers in 2023, Scott sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Cliftonville.
The goalkeeper spent 16 months on the sidelines and, incredibly, suffered another ACL injury only weeks after completing her lengthy rehabilitation while on duty with Northern Ireland Under-19s.
“It was such a difficult time, to be honest,” said Scott. “When you suffer a serious injury, there is so much to process, from the length of time you are going to be out to the demanding rehabilitation ahead of you.
“When you get the go-ahead to start playing again, it feels like a weight has been lifted and you feel like a footballer again.
“To suffer a second ACL injury only weeks after coming back was devastating because you begin to wonder whether you will ever make it back again.
“Thankfully, I have so many good people around me at Glentoran. They have given me incredible support from that first injury right through to helping me return for a second time.
“I know they were all devastated for me when it happened again, but they made sure I remained positive and focused on regaining my fitness.
“I am just so relieved to be playing again. It feels a little like I am making up for lost time. I know I am young, but I don’t want to miss games. I want to play as much as possible.
“I am determined to make as big an impact as I can during the remaining games and then carry that into next season.”
