Celtic FC Women’s post-split fixtures in the Scottish Women’s Premier League have been announced…
Before getting into the post-split details it’s worth noting that Elena Sadiku has one SWPL1 remaining fixture this side of the split, against Partick Thistle at Airdrie at the start of March.
Essentially Celtic FC Women need to be perfect from here on in in their league campaign and after being the better team in the 1-1 draw at Ibrox at the weekend, despite the disgraceful last minute ban on Celtic supporters, Sadiku team know that this is possible.
A reminder that unlike the split in the Scottish Premiership, in the SWPL1 the teams play each other home and away after the split happens. So Celtic have eleven league matches remaining and essentially need to win them all at this stage to guarantee a first ever league title for the Ghirls.
Post split, Celtic FC Women will kick off their bid for the league title with a home match against theRangers and will host Hibs on the last day of the campaign.
Celtic face theRangers on 17 March for the first post-split game. Sadly, it is unlikely that this game will be played at Celtic Park due to the men’s team facing St. Johnstone in the league the day before. I don’t see the tie being moved from the Excelsior for this reason, as the standard of our pitch has already been under fire in recent months.
Our second match will be against Glasgow City at Petershill Park on 31 March. This will be another important game as it looks as though City have fought their way back into this title race, meaning that three points here could be vital come the end of the season.
We have another trip to Petershill Park on 14 April as we face Partick Thistle. Brian Graham’s side have had an impressive season thus far, earning their place in the top six with a series of impressive results, including a goalless draw against theRangers. This will be another clash to look out for as Thistle should not be underestimated.
We host Hibs on 17 April as the Edinburgh side travel to us for the first time this season. Hibs have managed to score both times we’ve faced each other this season and their star player is Jorian Baucom, who is the leading goalscorer in the SWPL this season. They are again a dangerous side, but I am confident that the players will be well-aware of that fact and will do their best to secure three points.
At the halfway point, we host Hearts on 21 April. Hearts currently sit in fourth place but are tied on points with Hibs and only one ahead of Thistle. After drawing with us earlier in the season and taking a two-goal lead at the Excelsior before falling to defeat, they will be hoping that they can surprise us and steal three points.
As we move into the real business end of the season, Glasgow City visit the Excelsior to face us on 1st May. Despite losing to Celtic twice this season, City managed to get one over on us last month with an early goal that proved to be decisive. A positive to take going into this home fixture is that both our wins were at the Excelsior, with the only loss to them this season being away from home.
Four days later, we will face theRangers for the second time in what could prove to be a title deciding clash. This tie is likely to be played at Broadwood on 5th May, and our rivals will be confident that with a home crowd, they will be able to grab three points. Let’s prove them wrong! The might move this to Ibrox and we’ll have to wait to see whether Celtic supporters will be admitted this time.
If Celtic FC Women get to this stage with a series of consecutive wins then we will be in a superb position to win the title.
A return to home on 12 May as we host Partick Thistle. As mentioned above, will also host Thistle in the last pre-split game and that game will be live on BBC Sports Scotland so make sure to tune in. Hopefully we can go into the split on a high.
In our second last game, we have a trip to the capital as we take on Hearts. After three difficult games, it certainly doesn’t get any easier as Hearts will prove to be a test. We’ll hope that we can go into this one with a win over them at the Excelsior.
On the final day of the season, we’ll be facing Hibs at home. Hopefully this game can be moved to Celtic Park if we are still in the title race, as seeing the Ghirls in with another chance of winning the league at Paradise would be a welcome end to a fantastic campaign.
There’s still much more of the season left to play but things are getting real now. Any dropped points at this stage could prove to be devastating, so we need to ensure that performance levels are top week in, week out. Half Season Tickets are available to buy online via the official Celtic FC website for those who want to back Elena Sadiku and the Celts in person for the remainder of the season. These are priced at £40 and can be purchased here.
It’s the international break but the Hoops return to action on 3rd March for the final pre-split game. We host Partick Thistle at 14:00 and it is guaranteed to be an exciting game. As always, The Celtic Star will keep you updated with an international round-up as to how our Ghirls get on for their countries!
Jessica Elliott
CELTIC FC WOMEN – POST-SPLIT FIXTURES ARE SHOWN BELOW…
So we face the top two teams back to back in the space of four days , not once but twice , that a convenient advantage to the blue n orange Huns isn’t it , random my arse .