Joey Barton bile over Rangers error forgotten thanks to support of football world

Ava Easdon has thanked the women’s football community for their support last month after she got pelters from Joey Barton.

The 17-year-old Partick Thistle keeper – who will leave school next month to take up her first professional contract – was caught in the middle of a social media storm after the Sky Sports Cup Final. An error during the 4-1 defeat to Rangers was seized upon by big mouth Barton, with his dog whistle to 2.8million Twitter followers resulting in an unwelcome pile-on for the teenager, who is on loan from Glasgow City.

However, messages of support quickly followed, with Scotland boss Pedro Martinez Losa as well as skipper Rachel Corsie and fellow national stalwart Erin Cuthbert, of Chelsea, springing to the teenager’s defence. And the shot-stopper, up for Young Player of the Year at the PFA Scotland awards, insisted she accepts criticism will be part of the game while welcoming the supportive nature in what would have been a surreal experience.

Easdon said: “Stuff like that happens in football and it happens in the men’s game too. It happens all the time and it just happened to me. Stuff like that doesn’t really get to me. But the support I got from the girls in the league, down south and lots of male players too was incredible. The support definitely overcame the negative comments.”

And Easdon, who will be in action this evening as Thistle take on Hibs, added: “It was quite weird to see people recognised me and the players who came out in support of me.

"It was massive and it made me forget what was said. I can’t thank them enough.”

Rangers will take on Hearts tonight looking to pick up any slack that might give between Celtic and Glasgow City in the earlier kick-off. Elena Sadiku’s Hoops are two