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

• The ‘keeper – who is still at school – had only started 11 first team games before
• There were vast financial inequalities in the women’s game on display at the final
• Why it’s a FARCE that relegated Wales could get a back-door route into Euro 2024 – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast

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

Yet, the 17-year-old’s weaknesses were held up to the most sarcastic and condescending of critiques this weekend. Still at school and thrust into the cup final because regular custodian Megan Cunningham was ineligible to play against her parent club, Easdon did not need the pile-on that came on the back of Joey Barton’s whistle to his 2.8million lapdogs.

That the teenager was badly at fault as Mia McAulay netted the opening goal of a game that Rangers went on to win 4-1 is inarguable. The suspicion is that she would have known her positioning was off from the moment she felt the ball whistle past her and into the back of the net.

But she did not need the error to be amplified and mocked by the judge and jury of a group who would appear firmly in favour of the reinstatement of the FA ban on females playing football under any circumstances.

And while that very ban may well belong to another time, its echo is still felt in the women’s game.

It is why Partick Thistle went into a national cup final in the position where they had to promote a rookie into the spotlight. The Firhill outfit are the only part-time club in the top six with manager Brian Graham commenting after the game how hard it is to bridge the gap on the top three teams in the country when he still has to beg headteachers for time off for his players to make midweek games, when his players are still juggling full-time work and education around their playing commitments.

Is it really any surprise that there should be a high-profile error from an inexperienced kid — Easdon had played 11 first-team games prior to Sunday —when put into a game against a side with vastly superior resources? If Accrington Stanley had to field a 17-year-old keeper in an FA Cup tie against Manchester City would we be surprised if that scenario played out as expected?

The development of women’s football has lagged way behind that of the men’s game. As such, it is an impoverished sideshow as it begs for every penny in a Scottish game where resources are stretched to breaking point.

The message we hear is that players like Easdon are part of a very new group of Scottish players in that they can look to the possibility of building a career within the game. And yet, can they? Professional contracts are on offer at Celtic, Rangers, Glasgow City, Hibs and Hearts. But what that actually means in terms of financial remuneration would shock most observers. In many cases, they would struggle to meet national minimum wage requirements.

These are not players who are living the high life. Rather, many of them need to take that full-time contract and work around other earning commitments in order to reach a certain standard of living. For others, it means living with parents in order to fully focus on football.

There is a prevailing feeling at times that there is an inability to offer any robust examination of standards in the women’s game.

There is a truth to an extent in that theory but the nasty nature of Barton, a man who had been voted as the worst player to ever play for Rangers in an earlier Twitter thread on Sunday, and his snide reproach left a sour taste.

There is a conversation to be had about the responsibility of adults when commenting on anyone under the age of 18 regardless of what stage they are on.

The youngster has been brutally exposed this weekend to the very worst elements that playing 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 get there.

Rangers captain Nicola Docherty was quick to get behind the teenager with a pointed tweet that refused to use Barton’s name while there were ample messages of support. And her kick-boxing father led the way as those around her rightly looked to boot him into touch.