Rangers Head Coach Interview

Jo Potter wants Rangers to "lay down a marker" by winning the first piece of silverware up for grabs this season.

Rangers take on Partick Thistle as they bid to retain the trophy they won for the first time last season at Tynecastle Park.

Speaking to the official Sky Sports Cup final matchday programme, she said: "I think the first trophy is always important. The first opportunity to get one is always important.

"It is a big opportunity for us to lay down a marker and be the first club to get it this season, which we definitely want to do.

"That is our trophy to retain so we want to make sure we are keeping our hands firmly on that if we can.

"It is a really big occasion for us. I have said to the players previously that it is their cup to retain. I really want to get my hands on it and get my first piece of silverware for this club. I think it is important for us."

Rangers got to the final with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Old Firm rivals Celtic in the last four, with former Lioness Potter highlighting that win as their standout moment in the run to the final.

She continued: "Was the Old Firm semi-final standout moment in the run? That is hard to look past, we were excellent that day.

"I think we were definitely deserved winners but the character of the squad and the players when we went behind to step up and be accounted for and continue to play the way we play no matter what we were up against was big for us.

"I think that is something that we have shown throughout, that character and that belief no matter what is happening in front of us.

"Behind, in front, no matter what we are always there and we are always fighting. That fighting spirit should carry us a long way."

Rangers claimed the trophy in December 2022 with a 2-0 win over Hibernian, thanks to Lizzie Arnot's goal of the season and a strike from Kirsty Howat, and Potter wants her team to use that success to get them over the line when they take on the Jags.

"I think the experiences of being in those situations are vital for us," she added. "It is hard to replicate finals and that pressure and being in that stadium.

"It is big for us to have experienced that, playing in big moments in big games.

"I am hoping they can draw on those experiences and remember how it feels and for me it is just trying to keep calm and remember what we do and what we do well.

“Trying to remain focused on that and doing what we need to do to win that game."

Partick Thistle Head Coach Interview

Finding a balance between playing and management has proven to be a difficult feat for many. However, it is a challenge that Partick Thistle men's captain turn women's head coach Brian Graham has been relishing in.

Clocking over 150 appearances on the pitch and scoring more than 70 goals in the process - Graham has also made history in the dugout too.

Since taking charge of the Jags in September 2020, he hit the ground running by sealing promotion from SWPL2, before claiming back-to-back top-six finishes and guiding the team to a first national cup final.

Now, there is another bit of history in his sights as he targets a win over Rangers at Tynecastle Park.

"To be leading a team out at a national final - the first for Partick Thistle as a club since 1971 and first for the women's side, it is an incredible moment," he said.

"It a very special moment for me and my players in terms of how far we’ve come since I came into the club.

"In my first year we finished third, which got us up. After getting to the top flight, it was all about not finishing bottom, we managed to do that and then went on to get two back-to-back top-six finishes and reach this final - it is an incredible rise in a short period of time.

"There is no way on earth before a ball was kicked this season that people would say Partick Thistle would be in a national cup final but it just shows the progression of the group over the last couple of years."

League meetings against Rangers have been close - with a 0-0 draw following a narrow 1-0 loss earlier in the season, giving the Thistle boss reason for optimism his part-time side can beat the SWPL leaders.

Graham added: "I remember as a young player I got to a final and players told me to remember it, as it might be my last. I want my players to really enjoy the day because that saying is true - sometimes you might only get to a final once and you need to savour every moment.

"The results against Rangers this season give me belief that we have the ability to match them in a final. It’s a one-off game, anything can happen.

"We have a community, togetherness, a team bond and spirit within the group, staff and players alike. That’s what I want my football club to be, honest and demanding of each other to set standards high.

"I want my players to go out there with everything they've got, have no regrets, and give it their all. If we fall short, we fall short, as long as you’ve given everything then that’s all that matters to me. I just have the belief that we can do it."