McCafferty makes Thistle stay permanent

We are delighted to confirm that Ria McCafferty has joined Boroughmuir Thistle on a permanent deal from Spartans FC Women following a successful loan spell in the second half of last season!

This will mark the 23-year-old’s third spell as a Thistle player, having also donned the purple and white during the 2021/22 season whilst on loan from Hibernian.

Last campaign, the midfielder pitched in with two goals and a handful of assists that saw her awarded the SWPL 2 Player of the Month award for April 2024.

She also picked up two fans’ Player of the Match awards when the club began running such polls towards the end of last season.

McCafferty, who joined the Hibernian youth set-up aged six, made the step up to the Hibees’ first team in 2019 before signing for fellow SWPL 1 club Spartans in July 2022.

The midfielder went on to make 34 appearances for the Ainslie Park side before linking up with the Thistle squad in February of this year and playing an instrumental role in a strong end to the season.

Upon the completion of the deal, McCafferty commented: “I am really excited to get started with this group of girls this season!

“We have set high expectations and standards for each other and for the club, and I’m excited to see how we follow up on it.”

Head Coach Andy Enwood also praised the 23-year-old’s ability to dictate play from the middle of the park:

“I am delighted that Ria has chosen to return permanently to Boroughmuir Thistle for the upcoming season.

“In my mind, Ria is in a select group of SWPL players who have an envious level of technical passing range. We are all looking forward to supporting Ria's improvement and maximising the talent she has.”