Celtic v Glasgow City: “Right mind-frame and the correct attitude rewards can come,” Bartle

Second placed Celtic can move within two points of league leaders Glasgow City this evening when the top two in the SWPL come together for the third and final time this season. While Celtic have beaten theRangers twice from two games, they have yet to lay a glove on Glasgow City and the Hoops really need to do something about that tonight on a match that is live on BBC Alba.

Jodie Bartle has been missing for a few games with an injury picked up in the win over theRangers at Celtic Park but the tough tackling English woman was back on Sunday, coming off the bench in the second half of the 3-0 win over Motherwell.

Photo: Vagelis Georgariou

Bartle has been speaking to the official CelticFCWomen website ahead of the crucial match this evening, reflecting on the patience and maturity she has shown over the last couple of weeks to get over a knock. Bartle also admitted that she’s been looking forward to this particular fixture for a while now, as Celtic really do want to prove that their below par performance in the 3-0 defeat in the first game back after the long winter shutdown does not reflect the true nature of this Celtic side.

Incidentally it was an awful day weather-wise that Sunday and both sides were struggling with the conditions, notably the strong wind. Glasgow got a massive break for the first goal, that looked a foul, and never looked back from there. Fine margins decide these games, maybe Celtic will get a rub of the green tonight?

On her recent injury: “It was all down to patience. I think it was a bit of maturity from me and good decision making, in that I’ve never pulled myself out of any training sessions or games before, but now it’s a lot different in a professional setup.

Photo: Colin Poultney

“There are certain expectations and I couldn’t be a weak link and potentially put the team at risk because I wasn’t 100%. It was a frustrating process because I felt great at the start, but it only takes one wrong move for everything to go back, so it was just about being patient and giving myself the chance to heal. I’ve never been one to sit around and wait, so it’s been difficult, but hopefully I can reap the rewards and be selected moving forward.”

On Tonight’s match: “It’s the first time we’ll have played fixtures back to back and I’ve said a few times now that I’m excited for this particular fixture because it’s just the next game. There isn’t all the big build up, it’s not the first game, which it has been twice now, but we’re all looking forward to it,” Jodie said.

“I think it’s going to be tiring, we’ll have a lot asked of us and we’ll need to work hard, pitch in for each other and be sensible throughout. I don’t think it’ll be pretty, I think it might be a bit of a scrappy game, but at the end of the day not every game will look nice. I’m confident we can do the job better than before; everyone was so disappointed with our performance, attitude, desire, passion and everything against them last time and we’re wanting to put that right in the performance itself.

Photo: Colin Poultney

“If we go out with the right mindframe and the correct attitude rewards can come,” Bartle added.

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

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