This piece was originally published after Hannah Wilkinson scored five goals in a single game earlier this season, at the time, only the second person to do so in the Liberty A-League. But on Sunday night, Fiona Worts became the third, with her five-goal haul in Adelaide United’s 8-2 win over Brisbane Roar.
Sat in the stands at AAMI Park, Kate Gill watched on as Hannah Wilkinson scored five times, impressed by the individual masterclass unfolding before her eyes.
It didn’t occur to her for one second she was witnessing the New Zealand international take a share of the Liberty A-League record Gill held on her own for seven years.
“I actually missed (Wilkinson’s) first two goals, because I didn’t turn up quick enough,” Gill took KEEPUP. “They were pretty rapid fire. But I saw the remainder.
“To be honest, no, I completely forgot about (my record). I was like, ‘Oh, did she score all five? That’s fantastic!’ I didn’t even think about it until I saw the Twitter feed start to spit itself out.
“I thought, ‘Good on her – that’s great!’
“I had some vague recollection but I wasn’t thinking it was going to be beaten, I wasn’t sitting on the edge of my seat thinking ‘Oh no, don’t do it’.
“It wasn’t until people started talking about it (that I remembered).”
It was October, 2014 when Gill claimed the record for most goals (five) scored in a single fixture in the formerly named W-League. The handful of strikes all came in the second half of Perth Glory’s 10-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
Gill remembers her enjoyment playing alongside the magnificent members of Glory’s 2014 squad more vividly than the five-goal haul itself.
“I think it was more the team that was on the park in that one,” she said. “We had such a stellar lineup: Sam Kerr was a strong part, Caitlin Foord, Mackenzie Arnold in goal, Alanna Kennedy as well. We just had a really strong squad, and that season was very memorable.
“Of course that game was great and a good result, but it was just the ability to play with those players that season which was really great. It was just a great squad to be a part of.
“I think once you get the first two (goals) you get into a bit of a rhythm, and you end up being in the right place at the right time. The goals might not be the most glamorous, but everything just falls your way.”
Perth Glory would finish the season on top of the table, the Wanderers on the bottom.
It’s a stark contrast to the context of the Boxing Day Melbourne Derby clash, in which Wilkinson confronted reigning champions Victory and ripped them apart with a lightning first-half hat-trick – the quickest in league history from kick-off – before adding a further two in the second half to cap the monumental 5-1 win.
“Judging by the game previously against City where it went down to the wire, that 2-1 result, you wouldn’t have thought the game would blow out the way it did,” Gill said.
“Not taking anything away from Hannah’s performance, but I just don’t think Victory showed up. They didn’t really look that cohesive, a bit disjointed. They weren’t great going forward and weren’t too great in defence.
“But it’s good to see Hannah find her feet. I think it always takes a bit of time, especially when you’re a new player coming into the league itself, and into a new team environment.”
Gill added: “I think she’s unfortunately had a few injuries, she’s just come off an ACL injury which is always quite challenging to find your way back from, then get your fitness back, then get your touch back and find some form as well.
“It’s pleasing for her to be able to do that. I think it’s great to have a player of her stature and calibre in the league; that’s what we want, we want to be able to entice those players to come and play in the league, so that’s great in itself.
“She’s a seasoned professional in that way, she’s spent a lot of time in Scandinavia where she’s played for a few difference clubs, so I think leading into the World Cup it’s great for New Zealand – but not so great for us.”
As for any words shared between the league’s two most potent single-game goal scorers: “No, no I haven’t (spoken to her) to be honest,” Gill said.
“I’ll let her enjoy the time. That’s her spotlight now.”
