An 8-0 defeat at home is not the start to the season that any club would want.
But Jason McCrindle reckons the League Cup reverse at the hands of Glasgow City will benefit his Jeanfield Swifts players in the long run.
They’ve just embarked on their second campaign in SWPL2, with the ambitious club aiming to progress to the top-flight over the next few years.
And Swifts head coach McCrindle says the cup clash with Glasgow provided his players with a taste of just how good they’ll have to be to compete against the best.
He said: “Glasgow City are the top side in Scotland for a reason – they work hard, they dedicate their lives to football.
“We want our girls to be the best they can be and they know it’s important to continue to work hard.
“We learned a lot against Glasgow City. Even though we lost the game, it was still great to be involved in and hopefully it gave the girls an idea of just what they need to do to get to that level.
“If they are prepared to work hard, we have got girls in the team who could easily play in the top-flight.”
McCrindle says his players are reaping the benefits of life in the Premier League, as they prepare to take on Forfar Farmington this weekend.
He said: “We learned a lot last season in terms of the quality of the opposition. It was a step up for us.
“We’ve learned a lot about the mental side, the preparation for games, how to train, how to approach games, how we set up in games.
“The higher the level you play at, the better the opposition. So the girls had to adapt their game and work hard to compete with these teams in SWPL2.
“We are a really ambitious club and we’ve got a good structure. Everybody at the club wants the same thing and that’s to be the best.
“The aim, one day, is to get to the top level. But we know it’s not going to happen overnight.
“That’s why it’s so important that we continue to develop our own players and give all these young girls who are in the youth structure a clear pathway to continue through the age levels and play senior football with Jeanfield.
“It would be easy for us to go and get players from other clubs – and we’ve brought two or three in this year – but I think it’s important that we look after our own players and continue to develop them.”
McCrindle himself played and coached in the Juniors but is relishing the switch to women’s football after joining Swifts four years ago.
He said: “I was involved in men’s football for a long time and the opportunity arose to get involved in the ladies game – I’ve never looked back.
“Four or five years ago, girl’s football wasn’t nearly as popular as it is now. The game has grown immensely over the time that I’ve been involved.
“The girls are great – they want to learn, they are keen. They take everything on board and it’s great to be a part of it.”