League Cup Winners Celtic are back in SWPL action tomorrow afternoon, taking on Motherwell at the Penny Cars Stadium over at Airdrie with the match kicking off at 2pm thus presenting a fixture clash for those of us watching to be at both games tomorrow.
Surely this match could have been played at Celtic Park ahead of the Cinch Premiership match which gives off at 3pm and that could have allowed supporters the chance to watch both Celtic sides in action? Tickets for tomorrow’s SWPL match are available HERE.
#ParksSWPL | 🚨 24 HOUR COUNTDOWN 🚨
⚽ @CelticFCWomen v @MotherwellWomen
📅 Sunday 12th December
🏟 Penny Cars Stadium
🕓 14:00 KO
📺 LIVE on @BBCSportScot pic.twitter.com/dYwJgWVed6— Park’s Motor Group SWPL (@SWPL) December 11, 2021
Yesterday The Celtic Star joined The Cynic in chatting to both Fran Alonso and Olivia Chance about that joyous afternoon at Firhill last Sunday and of course about the game tomorrow which for the Women’s side will be the final Celtic match of 2020.
Fran Alonso can certainly look back with pride in what his side achieved in this calendar, a 25 game unbeaten run, pushing Glasgow City all the way to the last day for the title – indeed coming within a penalty miss of winning the league, qualifying for the Champions League and putting in two creditable performances against quality sides in the club’s debut season in the women’s game’s top competition and of course winning the League cup after beating theRangers in the quarter finals, holders Hibs in the semi-final and Champions Glasgow City in the Final.
Champions welcomed back at Paradise! 🏆
WHAT A FEELING… and what a victory for the #Bhoys 🤩#SWPLCup 🍀 @CelticFC pic.twitter.com/luQq406fgg
— Celtic FC Women (@CelticFCWomen) December 9, 2021
And to cap it all off the team were introduced to the 55,000 supporters at Celtic Park on Thursday night who stood to applaud and appreciate the work that Fran Alonso has done and the achievements of this fine Celtic side under his clever coaching and player management.
Thank you #Celts for last night’s amazing reception at Paradise 🙌🏆#HailHail 🍀 @kellyclark_94 pic.twitter.com/0NgjDXydzA
— Celtic FC Women (@CelticFCWomen) December 10, 2021
Here’s how our conversation went with Fran Alonso yesterday afternoon…
The Celtic Star: Brilliant on Sunday, absolutely fantastic what an afternoon we had…
Fran Alonso: Yes, fantastic, one of the best days in my football life for sure. It was fantastic. The whole experience of the day. The crowd, the support, the performance, a perfect day…
The Celtic Star: The crowd were brilliant but that team performance was just unbelievable, Fran. From the first minute, we were just at it and we were wonderful…
Fran Alonso: In our eyes, in the recent game against (the)Rangers we lost the game in two minutes so we knew the start we made would dictate the rest of the game. We put so much focus during the week into the start, to be very aggressive, on the front foot and with quality trying to create in the first minutes of the game and we got two chances in two minutes. It was very good. I think Glasgow City didn’t expect that and that set the rest of the game. It’s the best game we’ve ever played and the most important one as well.
The Celtic Star: They seemed to be well aware of Charlie (Wellings) but Clarissa Larisey was just absolutely fantastic – what a performance she had.
Fran Alonso: I think we were outstanding as a team. Charlie didn’t score which is something that doesn’t happen often, she often scores bus she did an outstanding defensive job. Clarissa, Jacynta every other player, we didn’t give them any time on the ball.
We were so aggressive. That’s physically and mentally very demanding but we prepared all week for that. We knew that would be our game-plan and our chance to beat the best team in the country and we did that. I think for the first time in football I felt that after 65-70 minutes that I didn’t want to do any change, that’s never happened to me before.
The players gave 150% percent. And the players from the bench as well, they were outstanding. They were shouting more than me, they were supporting. It was. A one team performance, everyone contributed regardless of what role they had to do on the day. It was fantastic. I couldn’t have dreamt it any better It was better than the dream.
TADHAL ⚽ Tha @CelticFCWomen air thoiseach!
Celtic take the lead with a bullet header! pic.twitter.com/1cP0lGkLVp
— BBC ALBA (@bbcalba) December 5, 2021
The Celtic Star: When’s the second trophy Fran?
Fran Alonso: Well we will definitely fight as hard as we can to try to get one more or two more this year. You know we are the only team in the country that’s got the possibility to win all three trophies but I know that right now we are a few points behind the top of the league in the league and the in the next cup we will see.
We are working very well, we are working very cleverly, we have no injuries and I think that gives us a good chance in a long competition like the league. It gives us a good chance to be fighting to the end and if the other teams are going to beat us it will be because they are better than us. But we are not going to make it easy for them to beat us.
The Cynic then took over asking the questions which you can listen to below. A word that on the last answer from Fran when he was asked about the winter break and any potential January signings coming into the squad. Here’s what the Celtic manager Fran Alonso had to say…
Fran Alonso: No. I trust the group. I told them at the beginning of the season that I trust this group, so we are not looking, unless something unexpected happens, we are not looking to bring any player in during the winter transfer window because I trust this group, I trust this group to fight for the two competitions left.
During the winter break we are going to give them a programme, they will still have one day off per week, so they go to see their families for a couple of weeks which is important, they need to switch off, but it’s important that they don’t let their fitness levels drop too much. Then just before the New Year we will come back to training for our first competitive game on the 9th (January).
So a quick break, not too long, obviously they’d like a little longer but we mean business this year and they have to be very good because already we’ve lost a few points in the league and we want to make that distance shorter and to give ourselves a chance to win it in the last two or three games.
Watch Fran Alonso’s media conference from yesterday speaking to The Celtic Star and The Cynic – the two Celtic sites fully committed to supporting Celtic FC Women….
We also spoke to one of Celtic’s SWPL Cup winning stars Olivia Chance who tidied up everything in the middle of the park against Glasgow City in contrast to the previous match against City where the Champions always seemed to have had an extra player in the middle of the park. Olivia Chance sorted that particular problem out and provided the platform for the Celtic team to impose themselves on Celtic’s cup final opponents.
“The team played really well on Sunday and it was probably our best game this season,” Liv said at yesterday’s Media Conference.
“I think the coaches have done a really good job of bringing us down quite quickly and focusing us for the game this weekend. It’s an important one for us to keep the pressure on the other two sides ahead, so we are ready.
“It was great for us as a team to walk out at Celtic Park and it was a great reception from the fans as well.
“The cup win is a step in the right direction for us. It’s a slow progress for the team to become that dominant side.
“It might not be this season but I think we’re really pushing and we want to be the dominant force in Scottish football for many years to come. I think getting our first cup in 10 years was definitely a good step.”
GIRLS YOU ARE CELTIC PIONEERS ….YOU ARE A CREDIT TO THE THIS GREAT CLUB…LOTS OF MORE GREAT DAYS TO COME…bella ciao…..