Boroughmuir Thistle made it three league wins on the spin as they recorded a 1-0 victory over second-placed Kilmarnock on Sunday afternoon.
Cara Borthwick notched what turned out to be the winner shortly before half time at Meadowbank, with a well-taken strike from inside the box.
Thistle restricted the visitors to very little and could have easily scored a couple more on another day.
The solitary goal was enough, though, as Boroughmuir also took advantage of results elsewhere to move up into third place - one point behind Killie.
As Kilmarnock made the trip from Ayrshire to the capital on Sunday, a close game was always in store. There was nothing to separate the two sides when they met at Rugby Park back in September, and both teams had enjoyed a similar start to the season.
Boroughmuir started brightly as Louise Mason tried to find Borthwick with a lofted pass into the box and a powerful run by Jayden Simmons won Thistle a free kick in a dangerous position.
It took until the 15th minute for Kilmarnock to offer any attacking threat as Eva Galloway’s long-range effort was well held by Toni Harkness in the Thistle goal.
Two minutes later, Cailin Michie thought she had scored her seventh league goal of the season when she turned the ball into the back of the net from Ria McCafferty’s free kick - however, the linesman’s offside flag was raised straight away.
Fiona Gibson was next to try her luck as she forced Killie goalkeeper Ellie Currie into a fantastic diving save to keep out her bottom corner-bound header from six yards.
Last weekend’s goalscorer Emily Arthur was then played in by Borthwick who’d bombed down the right, but the striker couldn’t quite convert her effort on target despite being unmarked in the box.
It didn’t matter, though, as Borthwick opened the scoring just four minutes later. The winger latched onto Mason’s through ball, shrugged off the Kilmarnock defender, and stuck the ball low beyond Currie to secure her fourth league goal of the season.
On the stroke of half time, Holly Aitchison ventured forward and somehow managed to carve out an opportunity for herself at the edge of the box - but the defender saw her shot saved.
Much to Andy Enwood’s displeasure, Thistle started the second half a little slower as Kilmarnock appeared to be first to every ball and looking to make things happen in a way they hadn’t in the first period.
The home side rode the storm, however, with Arthur and Michie causing the Killie defence some trouble.
Harkness was called into action once more on 61 minutes when she dived low to save a Kilmarnock free kick.
Moments later, Borthwick was at the heart of the attacking play once again as she broke down the right but watched as Currie gathered her cutback.
Clear-cut chances from then on were at a premium as Thistle looked comfortable in possession and Kilmarnock couldn’t trouble the well-drilled Thistle defence.
Nine extra minutes were added on to the second half by referee David Gallagher, but Thistle managed to hold on and secure the win despite some self-inflicted nervy moments.
So Boroughmuir move up into third place in SWPL 2 following their third successive 1-0 league victory - ahead of Livingston on goal difference.
Up next, Boroughmuir face a trip to play league leaders Hamilton Accies at New Douglas Park next Sunday afternoon. Kick-off in that one is at midday.
Boroughmuir Thistle: Harkness, Lynch, Arthur (Hall 67’), Mason (C) (Sheehan 75’), Simmons, Michie, Forbes, Gibson, McCafferty, Borthwick (Forsyth 75’), Aitchison
Subs: Angelini, Sheehan, Macleod, Forsyth, Brady, Hinchcliffe, Hall, Parrish, Moore
Kilmarnock WFC: Currie, McCulloch (Reside 46’), O’Brien, Linden, Robinson (C), Galloway (Cowan 60’), MacConnell (Gallagher 78’), Gray, McTear, Scott (Crainie 78’), Martin
Subs: Kerrigan, Brady, Crainie, Reside, Cowan, Gallagher, Murray
Referee: David Gallagher
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