Shame on Joey Barton and his 2.8m lapdogs for mocking a 17-year-old kid, writes ALISON McCONNELL. His nasty nature has brutally exposed her to the very worst elements of playing football

Football is not a forgiving environment. If Ava Easdon didn’t appreciate it before Sunday’s Sky Sports Cup final, she will now.

However, the 17-year-old’s weaknesses were the subject of the most sarcastic and condescending criticism this weekend. Still at school and pushed to the cup final because regular goalkeeper Megan Cunningham was ineligible to play against her parent club, Easdon did not need the attack that came after Joey Barton’s whistle on his 2.8 million lapdogs.

It is indisputable that the teenager was greatly at fault when Mia McAulay scored the first goal of a game that the Rangers won 4-1. The suspicion is that she would have known her position was wrong from the moment she felt the ball whiz past her and into the back of the net.

But she didn’t need the error to be amplified and mocked by the judge and jury of a group who would appear firmly in favor of reinstating the FA’s ban on women playing football under any circumstances.

And while that ban may belong to another era, its echo is still felt in women’s football.

The part-time goalkeeper, who is still at school, had a game to forget but was forced to learn a harsh lesson about women’s football.

The former Fleetwood Town manager criticized a high-profile mistake in a post to his 2.8 million followers on X.

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That’s why Partick Thistle reached a national cup final in the position where they had to promote a rookie to the limelight. Firhill’s team are the only part-time club in the top six and manager Brian Graham commented after the match how difficult it is to close the gap on the top three teams in the country when he still has to beg managers to give him time Freeing up your players to play midweek games, when your players are still juggling full-time work and education around their gaming commitments.

Is it really surprising that there would be a high-profile mistake by an inexperienced kid (Easdon had made 11 first-team appearances before Sunday) when he is put in a game against a team with vastly superior resources? If Accrington Stanley were to field a 17-year-old goalkeeper in an FA Cup match against Manchester City, would we be surprised if that scenario played out as expected?

The development of women’s football is far behind that of men’s football. As such, he is an impoverished sideshow, asking for every penny in a Scottish game where resources are stretched thin.

The message we are hearing is that players like Easdon are part of a very new group of Scottish players who may consider building a career within the game. And yet, can they do it? Professional contracts are on offer at Celtic, Rangers, Glasgow City, Hibs and Hearts. But what that actually means in terms of financial compensation would surprise most observers. In many cases, they would have difficulty meeting national minimum wage requirements.

These are not players who are living the good life. Rather, many of them need to accept that full-time contract and work out other income commitments to achieve a certain standard of living. For others, it means living with their parents so they can focus fully on football.

There is sometimes a prevailing feeling that a solid examination of the standards of women’s football cannot be offered.

There is some truth to some extent in that theory, but the unpleasant nature of Barton – a man who had been voted the worst player to ever play for the Rangers in a Twitter thread earlier on Sunday – and his sarcastic rebuke left a mark. bitter taste.

Partick Thistle coach Brian Graham has spoken about the difficulties his team faced in trying to close the gap on the top teams.

Earlier on social media on Sunday afternoon, Barton was voted the worst player to ever appear for the Rangers (pictured in 2016).

There is a conversation about the responsibility of adults when commenting on anyone under the age of 18, regardless of the scenario they are in.

The young man has been brutally exposed this weekend to the worst elements that football can bring.

She will know more than most what she needs to work on in terms of her game, but what she will also have learned this weekend is that there is also a supportive community to help her achieve it.

Rangers captain Nicola Docherty was quick to support the teenager with a scathing tweet refusing to use Barton’s name while there were ample messages of support. And his father, a kickboxer, led the way as those around her rightly sought to connect him.