Barrhead's Leeanne helps football team make history

Sep 15 2008 by Paul Behan, Paisley Daily Express

A HIGHLY talented female footballer has played her part in helping Glasgow City LFC make history when they became the first Scottish ladies team ever to qualify for the last 16 of the UEFA Women’s Cup.

Defender Leeanne Campbell, from Barrhead, can now look forward to an exciting clash with another top European ladies football club after her team took the scalp of a team from Moldova in convincing fashion.

Going into their final group game, played in Serbia, Leeanne and her City team-mates, sponsored by Greaves Sports, knew they needed to defeat Moldovan side FC Narta by a big margin to ensure they could not be caught by Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar, who were facing the Serbians, ZFK Masinac.

In the end, an impressive victory of 11-0 ensured that City qualified top of their group with a goal difference five better than the Dutch.

City boss Peter Caulfield was ecstatic with his side’s achievement, saying: “We came here to achieve the unthinkable and we have managed to do it.

“We were bottom seeds in this group, so to achieve this milestone for Scottish women’s football is fantastic.

“Every single player played some part in all three games, proving once again that this is a quality squad capable of achieving anything they put their mind to.

“We cannot wait for the last 16 and look forward to competing against some of the very best sides in Europe, and in FFC Frankfurt, arguably the best women’s club side in the world.”

City raced into an 8-0 half-time lead and added another three after the break to ensure qualification.

Goal scorers on the day were Leanne Ross (3), Danielle Stewart (2), Emma Fernon (2), Katharina Lindner (1), Ruesha Littlejohn (1), Jane Ross (1) Jane Brown (1).

The Scottish Women’s Football champions will now be in a very strong group of four for the second qualifying stage and will face FFC Frankfurt (Germany), ROA IL (Norway) and Zvezda-2005 (Russia).

The second stage will take place from Thursday, October 9, to Tuesday, October 14.

Greaves Sports has agreed a five-figure sponsorship deal with Glasgow City Ladies FC which will see the independent retailer make a Scottish women’s football replica kit available for sale for the first time in Scotland.

It is the biggest sponsorship deal in the history of the Scottish women’s game and includes support for Glasgow City’s new under-21 team.