Kathleen McGovern: history, hat-tricks and a hatchback full of memorabilia
Hibernian Women's formidable forward speaks exclusively to Nutmeg FC ahead of the return leg of their Europa Cup tie against Inter Milan tonight at Easter Road
Daniel Gray’s latest Slow Match Report will come from Easter Road (out tomorrow), when Hibs take on Inter under the lights tonight as they attempt to overturn a 4-1 first-leg deficit
Waiting at my desk for this 1pm interview to start, I’m feeling the nerves: and rightly so. It’s not every day that an opportunity to speak with a recently-crowned league champion presents itself – let alone the lethal markswoman that fired her team to the title.
In just one season – her first season – at Hibernian, Kathleen McGovern’s 31 goals represent an output of which any veteran striker could be proud. But 23-year-old McGovern’s phenomenal Leith debut surprised even herself. By her own admission, she had hoped her first campaign would act as a stepping stone to an improved second spell.
“Last season, obviously hitting the 30 goal mark – I really didn’t put pressure on myself,” she said. “I actually really wanted to kick on in my second season here at Hibs, so to do it so quickly after joining the club was a bit of a shock!
“I looked after my body and I feel in a good place off the pitch. On the pitch, we can really see it in my performance – I believe in myself a lot more.”
Personal statistics, McGovern insists, only matter insofar as her team succeeds collectively. A first SWPL title in 18 years was the fruit borne by a Hibernian side that, week after week, delivered consistent, positive and attacking football. Yet, while toppling the “Glaswegian triopoly” might taste sweet, the reward of European football for this campaign was equally pleasing.
Heartbreak, though, was only around the corner. A goal against Denmark’s Fortuna Hjørring from captain Rachael Boyle had the assembled Hibees dreaming of Champions League nights: Fortuna then equalised deep into the second-half, before a last-minute ‘Olimpico’ goal from Omewa Joy Ogochuckwu saw Grant Scott’s side exit the main competition. They talk about curses, about ‘Hibsing it', but this was no negative reflection on a team that had played proactive, gutsy and determined football for 90 minutes. This was a cruel, sickening end.
Her fiercely competitive nature shines through, yes; as she dissects missed opportunities or frustrating moments, I can empathise with the goalkeepers unfortunate enough to stand between her ruthless drive, and the nets in which her ambitions lie.
The format of the competition did allow Hibernian a second chance: a playoff game, the winners of which progressing to the inaugural UEFA Women’s Europa Cup. Up came Apollon Limassol – and up stepped McGovern. With European qualification at stake, the number 10 produced a performance fit for the history books: a first Hibernian Women hat-trick since Kim Little bagged three against Mayo back in 2007.
“That hat-trick was special,” she said. “Obviously, I was gutted about missing the penalty in the Fortuna game, it was really disheartening. I would say I’m usually quite good at penalties, so missing that one didn’t sit right with me.
“Going into the Apollon game was hard, the conditions were really tough. But I know that, in this team, I’ll get chances. It’s just about taking them.”
McGovern’s three strikes – the best being a sublime arcing effort from outside of the box – saw Hibernian through a tumultuous, pinballing encounter that saw them emerge 3-2 winners, guaranteeing a Europa Cup qualifying berth against Italian giants, Inter Milan.
It’s the collective success – not the individual acclaim – that McGovern keeps returning to. Her fiercely competitive nature shines through, yes; as she dissects missed opportunities or frustrating moments, I can empathise with the goalkeepers unfortunate enough to stand between her ruthless drive, and the nets in which her ambitions lie. Yet I’m struck more by her measured, humble responses to incredible personal achievements, international caps and hat-tricks galore. Her desire is to play for her teammates, not for herself, and there is little time for sentimentality.
That much becomes very apparent, when the topic of her match-ball collection – specifically, exhibit Apollon – comes up.
“It’s actually still in my car!” McGovern laughs. “My dad’s quite a sentimental person, he likes to keep everything that I get. I don’t keep any in my flat, I just send them to my mum and dad. The Apollon ball was quite a nice ball, actually, so he’ll be delighted with that one!”
Smiles were harder to come by as the first-leg of the Inter Milan game was broached. The Italian vice-champions represented a significant challenge and, despite a spirited Hibernian performance and a stunning goal from McGovern’s strike partner, Eilidh Adams, Hibernian approach their second-leg with a 4-1 defeat to overcome at Easter Road.
Can that loss, though, be channeled positively? Adams’ 67th minute lifeline has vastly bettered Hibernian’s odds and, with less pressure on their shoulders and a better understanding of their opponents – combined with the prospect of a bumper crowd on the night – the tie is far from over.
“You don’t know what to expect from a team that you’ve not played against before,” McGovern admits. “Obviously in the first 10, 15 minutes, we got a feel for Inter and we got a shock because they came at us so quickly.
“I felt in the second second-half, we did create a lot more – it just shows that, when we do go forward, we are exciting and create chances. Now the pressure’s off, we can focus on ourselves and hopefully we can cause them problems going forward.”
These were the nights that Hibernian dreamed of during those restless, congested months of spring fixtures from which they wrestled the SWPL title. “Football does strange things sometimes”, McGovern reminds me. Is a remarkable comeback on the cards?
“It’s such a good occasion for us”, McGovern says, “for us players and for the club. It’s great to be at Easter Road again, we always appreciate a lot of fans coming down to watch.
“A good support behind us, a nice grass pitch under the lights – you can’t really ask for much more.”
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