THERE were no surprises in the Scotland squad named by Shelley Kerr last week for next month’s 2019 World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Poland.

Lizzie Arnot was rewarded for her headline-grabbing return to form following a year out with an anterior cruciate ligament rupture, while Lana Clelland is also reinstated following injury problems.

Arnot’s last game for the national side was the 5-0 defeat to Belgium in April 2017, when Scotland were played off the park, but a month earlier it was very different. Given a rare start, the Hibernian forward was outstanding in a 3-1 Cyprus Cup win over Austria. Having just turned 21 at the time, and on the brink of a move to a top English club, the outlook was bright until fate took an unwanted hand.

The player’s return to club football last month has gone according to plan, but she wrote her own script seven days ago with five goals and two assists in the astonishing 9-0 dismantling of Celtic in the SWPL Cup final.

Arnot thoroughly deserves to be back in Kerr’s plans – and by coincidence the Belarus game on June 7 is also at Falkirk Stadium, the venue where she ran riot last weekend.

Clelland’s return means Durham striker Zoe Ness drops out, which seems harsh after she came off the bench against Poland last month to score Scotland’s first goal. It also opened her account for the national team in what was her first competitive match. She is entitled to feel hard done by, even if Kerr says that Ness will have a big part to play in the squad in the future.

The area of concern remains central midfield. It shouldn’t matter against Belarus, when the emphasis will be on attack and creativity, but against better sides, including Poland who Scotland play in Kielce on June 12, more bite and aggression wouldn’t go amiss.

In that respect there is always the hope that one, or two, such Scottish-qualified midfielders might appear from off the radar. Until then Kerr will have to decide whether to continue with the present options or make a positional change within the squad.

Anna Signeul did that with Rachel Corsie. While the head coach is unlikely to move her captain, Jen Beattie and Sophie Howard have both previously played in midfield.

WHILE Hibernian's retention of the SWPL1 Cup for a third season running surprised nobody who keeps half an eye on the domestic game, the comprehensive manner in which they routed Celtic could not have been foreseen.

There was nothing in the league game between the sides a month earlier to give any indication of what would unfold, as Celtic gave as good as they got for long spells, despite the 3-1 scoreline. Yet on the larger Falkirk surface the Glasgow side barely laid a glove on Hibs in the entire 90 minutes.

While clearly devastated, Celtic manager David Haley conducted his post-match media duties with dignity. It couldn't have been an easy task given that the heaviest defeat in the club's history was broadcast live to the nation on BBC Alba.

Despite Celtic's abject performance on the day, all credit to Hibs for taking full advantage. The display continues their improvement since Grant Scott became head coach and there were eye-catching performances from several players in what was a terrific team performance.

If Hibs are, as expected, going to lose some of their best players to English clubs in the summer, they have some fine young talent, led by Shannon McGregor, eager to step up to the mark.