Celtic 0 theRangers 1
For the second weekend running it was Derby Day again for Fran Alonso and his Celtic players. This time the Hoops were on ‘home’ ground at the Penny Cars Stadium, Airdrie against theRangers after a 1-0 victory at Murray Park last weekend.
Whilst last week was an altogether celebratory affair, this time around the Celts were to feel the rough end of a 1-0 reverse as Fran Alonso found himself tactically countered by theRangers for the first time from five attempts as opposite number and under pressure Malky Thomson prevailed in this SWPL1 encounter.
Celtic lined up for this one with the team that ended the Cup win just a week prior, with Logan in goal and a backline of Hayes, Clark and Shorts. In midfield, Tegan Bowie started on the left, Jodie Bartle on the right whilst the middle of the park saw Shen and Chance link up again. Ahead of the two central midfielders, Jacynta and Larisey were chosen to flank the goalscoring threat of Charlie Wellings. There could be no arguments on team selection then from Fran Alonso. In terms of current form, the team chosen was quite simply the strongest available.
theRangers started the game as should have been expected. Lessons learned from last weekend saw them begin with a far more aggressive press, closing Celtic down in their own half and trying to force the issue in the wide areas as Celtic operated a back three.
And within two minutes this paid off. Jacynta laid the ball off just inside her own half, and as Tegan Bowie attempted to take possession, she was pressured into conceding the ball. With no support around her to compensate, theRangers McLauchlan was able to feed the advancing Jane Ross who with one look saw Chloe Logan far off her line and executed the lob over the stranded Celtic ‘keeper to put theRangers into an early lead.
However, this was to be an open and entertaining tactical battle as the first half commenced and Charlie Wellings, from a Tegan Bowie pass, almost found a similar way to goal only to see her floated effort stray wide of the goal just two minutes after theRangers had taken the lead.
theRangers reacted immediately however and Logan was forced to dive to her right to block a Zoe Ness shot, before from the corner kick, then Logan again produced the goods to save from a headed Jane Ross effort.
Celtic were struggling to cope with the high press in these early stages, though they were to soon find their feet and start to impact their own game on the counter attack, whilst also starting to look more assured at the back.
Wellings managed a left foot shot that went just over, and then, as the game swung in both directions, Tegan Bowie saved the Hoops going two goals down when Jane Ross zipped the all goalward and Celtic’s wing back drove back to clear the ball off the line. And the pendulum swung again when Jacynta created a fine opportunity after 26 minutes that Wellings could agonising only drag wide of Fife’s far post.
By now Celtic were getting more of a foothold, however the half time whistle would come without further scoring, despite Shen’s Unlucky 22-yard drive from distance drifting centrally rather than to a corner of the goal and another left foot Wellings effort from over 20 yards again heading wide of the post.
In truth Celtic had worked their way into a game theRangers were dominating. Our rivals looked far more comfortable pushing high, yet Celtic were at least looking like any counter attacking opportunities coughed up could be taken advantage of.
Therefore, as the second half started there was hope Celtic could claw their way back into this one. Instead theRangers reverted to the caution exhibited in that cup game, dropped a little deeper and cut off the supply lines the Celts had tried to exploit in the first half, as they instead looked to invite Celtic on, hit on the counter and still press Celtic from the front, and sadly for Celtic it worked.
theRangers had the best chance of the early exchanges as after 53 minutes Ross linked with Arnott and a Zoe Ness shot was well held by Logan. However, two minutes later a Jacynta pass saw Wellings self-create her own lay off before trying an acrobatic volley that went just wide.
By now theRangers were calling on their experience and strangling the game. Indeed, the standout moment in the next ten minutes came as Alonso received his third yellow card of the season, reacting to a late, and unpunished tackle on Larisey from Ness, however as much as his attempts to create a sense of injustice could be lauded it is becoming a tired tactic from Celtic’s head coach and elicited little reaction from his players.
Instead, there would have been more benefit from changing things up. And the Spaniard did so as he replaced Shorts with Craig and Bowie with Izzy Atkinson, but in truth it made little impact.
Celtic suddenly went more direct but got little change from theRangers defence, indeed the sight of long balls heading into the area asked more of a question as to why Kathleen McGovern wasn’t at least invited to enter the fray and support the isolated Charlie Wellings rather than remove Jacynta, introduce the pace of Maria Gros and yet still strike long balls with no real target to hit.
In the end the game petered out to a disappointing defeat. Would a draw have been a fair result? Possibly. But the equalising goal didn’t come and the original concession was self-inflicted, so it’s hard to argue with a 1-0 defeat today.
And we shouldn’t be too hard on a group of players who worked their socks off and a manager who tried to match up for most of the game. Sometimes luck just doesn’t go your way and that’s just what happened to Celtic today.
None of these players should be disheartened, instead they should be proud of their efforts, and next time the teams clash remember they’ve had a fair share of lady luck themselves in previous meetings. That may be little consolation today of course, but it should be some comfort at least tomorrow.
Niall J
*The Celtic Star is committed to supporting the Celtic FC Women side and as is usually the case we will have match photography available shortly from today’s match ( now added). Next up is the SWPL Cup semi-final against Hibs at Forthbank Stadium next Sunday. Let’s put today’s disappointment behind us and get the the Cup Final. COYGIG.
