WHEN Scotland internationals Jane Ross, Lisa Evans and Emma Mitchell were lured to clubs in Sweden and Germany, the fear was that Glasgow City's attacking threat would be seriously blunted.

The Scottish champions brought in Republic of Ireland striker Denise O'Sullivan to spearhead the attack earlier this year, but their leading goalscorer comes from closer to home. Suzanne Lappin has scored 24 goals in just 25 games already this season and none more crucial than the two earned at the Stade Maurice Defrasne on Wednesday night.

In front of 5000 Belgian fans, Lappin twice pegged back Standard Liege's lead to ensure that City will hold the edge when the second leg of the Uefa Women's Champions League last-32 tie is held at Petershill Park on Thursday night. The 2-2 draw means the Belgian champions will have to come out looking for goals.

But despite having home advantage, Lappin knows her team will have to improve on their performance in the away leg. "Standard are a really good team," says Lappin, whose 27th birthday is today. "They move the ball very well and are quick and direct going forward.

"But we know we can improve on the first leg. Getting a 2-2 draw away in Europe is a good result to everyone else, but we're disappointed we didn't come up to our own standards. It's crucial we impose ourselves better on Thursday."

When she is not scoring goals - she also came off the bench to find the net for Scotland in each of their opening two World Cup qualifiers against the Faroes and Bosnia - Lappin works as an accountant in Glasgow. Like many of her team-mates she has to juggle a full-time job with five nights' training a week.

Small wonder she was exhausted on Thursday night. After playing the night before, the squad were up at 6.30am to travel to Cologne for the flight home to Edinburgh. While most of the players then went straight to another training session, Lappin had to drive back to Glasgow. She had only negotiated a half day off with her employers, so was back behind her desk some 18 hours after playing a European tie in a different country.

This is Lappin's second spell at City, having joined Liverpool in 2011 and Chelsea the following year. She is also now back in the Scotland set-up after putting her job first while working in London. Her overall scoring record for her club is perhaps even more impressive: 195 in 225 games. It does help, though, that City dominate domestic competition.

"This has been my best season ever, both for goal scoring and for my all-round contribution," she says.

"I would also have to say I am in the best ever Glasgow City team because everybody's standards are now so high.

"When I came back to City I put a lot of pressure on myself. I didn't want to be the same player as before - I worked hard to make sure I was making a difference to the team."

With an enticing last-16 tie against Arsenal awaiting the winners, City are expecting their biggest ever crowd for the second leg against Standard. Spectators are advised to buy tickets in advance of the game.