Eilidh Austin described her first Rangers hat-trick as “an amazing feeling” after stepping into a more advanced role and helping fire the team into the next round of the Scottish Cup with an emphatic win over Renfrew Ladies on Sunday afternoon.
Austin, who was pushed higher up the pitch by manager Leanne Crichton for the match at Broadwood Stadium, admitted she was determined to make an attacking impact.
“I really wanted to get myself on the scoresheet,” she said.
“To end up with three was incredible. I’ve not had many chances in my career to chase a hat-trick, so it felt like one of those days where everything was falling into place.”
She revealed that even when Crichton shifted her back to right-back for the second half, the hunger for a third goal was still burning.
“I definitely wanted one more,” she admitted.
“You could probably see that!
“I kept trying and eventually I got it.”
Austin said she enjoyed the opportunity to play further forward, a role she believes suits her strengths – similar to those of men’s counterpart James Tavernier.
“I love going forward - it’s a big part of my game,” she explained.
“The manager put trust in me to play wide today and work on my final product, and I’m happy I could show that.”
Her third goal came with a composed finish into the far corner – on the finish she said: “Honestly, it was just about picking out that opposite corner and hitting it clean.”
Despite the margin of victory, Austin agreed with Crichton that the team’s overall performance wasn’t at their usual level.
“We weren’t great today,” she said. “It wasn’t close to our best.
“We had to regroup at half-time because we were wasting too many chances and our quality in possession wasn’t good enough.
“The second half was better, but we know we need to raise our standards again next week.”
Austin added that the timing of the interval helped them reset.
She said: “Half-time came at the right moment.
“We needed it to settle, to refocus, and then go back out and be sharper.”
The defender-turned-winger-turned-right-back leaves the afternoon with her first Rangers match ball and a clear sense of where the team must improve as the season continues.
The ladies return to SWPL league action this weekend with a match against Glasgow rivals Partick Thistle.