GLASGOW City really rose to the occasion against Gornik Leczna on Monday, and certainly well above their earlier levels in the Champions League group qualifiers against Anderlecht and Martve. Although fortunate still to be in with a chance of reaching the last 32 – they required Gornik to beat Anderlecht three days earlier – they made the most of their reprieve against the Polish champions.

The two goalscorers, Jo Love and Sam Kerr, come from different ends of the spectrum regarding European experience, but both took their chances well.

And credit also to Abbi Grant – having badly squandered an even easier opportunity to put her side ahead, the lively forward, who was switched into the middle for this game, quickly made amends by setting up the Love goal.

The reward is a last 32 tie against Cypriot champions Somatio Barcelona. The club, which was only formed in 2016 and plays its games in Limassol, is making its debut in the competition, but any notion they might be novices was dispelled by their qualifying group results in Ljubljana. They won all three matches, scoring 10 goals and conceding none.

Six of the goals – two in each game – were scored by striker Krystyna Freda. She is one of two players from the United States in a cosmopolitan squad which includes Africans and former Everton defender Caitlin Hayes.

“We’re definitely not taking anything for granted, but we do feel the draw gives us a chance to qualify for the last 16,” City head coach Scott Booth said.

“They have a lot of foreign players and in that respect I would probably put them in the same bracket as Kazygurt.”

City went out on away goals to the Kazakhstan champions last year, but were the better side over the two legs. There is now a clear opportunity for the Scottish champions to progress beyond the last 32 next month for the first time in four seasons.

THE task City faced in the Gornik game in some respects mirrors the challenge that will confront Scotland when they play Switzerland in the World Cup qualifier in Paisley a week on Thursday.

Booth’s side needed to win and score at least twice to reach the last 32, whereas Shelley Kerr’s players have to beat the Swiss by two clear goals to depart for Albania knowing any sort of victory would bring a first World Cup qualification.

Kerr named her squad for the double-header on Wednesday, with Zoe Ness returning in place of Hayley Lauder, the Glasgow City attacking midfielder having missed all three of her club's Champions League qualifiers with a calf strain. The Hibernian captain, Joelle Murray, has also still not recovered from the ankle injury incurred during her team's league match against Celtic in April.

With Lauder and Murray unavailable, just two of the 20 outfield players chosen by Kerr – Jo Love and Leanne Crichton – are attached to Scottish clubs. Goalkeepers Lee Alexander and Jenna Fife take the total up to four out of 23, but nevertheless that is surely a record low for any Scotland football squad, female or male.

Eight of Kerr's players switched clubs in the summer, with three joining English teams from Scottish ones. And therein lies the issue.

Nobody could blame Lizzie Arnot, Kirsty Smith and Christie Murray for wanting to experience fully professional environments at Manchester United and Liverpool – and equally nobody can point a finger at Kerr for wanting her players to be performing week in, week out at the highest possible levels.

Given that Love and Crichton are both over 30, are we soon going to witness a Scotland squad with no domestic outfield players at all? It's moving that way, certainly, but it will be a sad day if and when it does arrive.