Celtic FC Women 6-1 Partick Thistle…
Celtic FC Women dominated Partick Thistle as the Ghirls cruise to a 6-1 victory on their return to the Excelsior Stadium. The gap between Celtic and Rangers remains at four points, with our rivals also having won today.
We found an early goal as Amy Gallacher opened the scoring with four minutes on the clock. Ashworth-Clifford, returning to the starting 11 for the first time since she returned from injury, won the ball, and sent it to Gallacher in the box. The forward shot and it struck off the post and in.
Murphy Agnew attempted to run onto a loose ball, but the Thistle goalkeeper got there first and had it at her feet. Agnew was relentless though and stole it from the keeper, before finding the back of the net from a tight angle.
Gallacher got herself a brace as the ball fell to her feet. She remained composed and took a touch before dispatching it beyond the goalkeeper. The visitors were given a lifeline as Cara Henderson pulled one back from the spot, but their hopes were quickly snuffed out as Tash Flint struck home.
Not a lot of action to speak of in the second half but with time running out, we did get two more goals. Jenny Smith, who came off the bench, made an impact as she took a shot from the edge of the area. The Scotland international thought the goalkeeper could’ve kept it out, but to her delight, it went over the line.
To round off a fantastic performance, Gallacher got a hat trick with four minutes left to play. Kit Loferski sent a low, rolling ball into the box and it evaded all of Hibs’ defenders, eventually falling to the feet of Gallacher. The forward couldn’t have had an easier finish and coolly converted the shot.
The hat-trick hero, Amy Gallacher, spoke to Celtic TV after the game. She said: “It was a great performance all around and it was good to get three points. It’s a joy to play in this team, the team creates a lot of chances, and I’m glad to get the three goals but most importantly the three points.
🗣️ “It was a good performance. It’s a joy to play in this team, and I’m glad to get the three goals.”
🎥 Amy Gallacher reflect on today’s performance after scoring a hat-trick at the Excelsior Stadium ⤵#CELPAR | #SWPL | #COYGIG🍀 pic.twitter.com/56o0ofEW7w
— Celtic FC Women (@CelticFCWomen) March 3, 2024
“It’s always a tough game this one, but we’ve been working on tactics throughout the week and we’re getting used to Elena’s game plan now. We’re a team that loves to score goals, we’ve got goalscorers all over the park. We really enjoy playing with each other and hopefully, we can keep it up.”
Elena Sadiku also spoke to Celtic TV after the victory, saying: “We’re happy with the first half but not really happy with the second because we feel that we should’ve pushed for more. It’s a good feeling, as a coach, to stand there and be a little disappointed, in the way that we should’ve attacked the second half much more. I’m proud when the girls also feel it because we want more. It’s a good sign and we’re progressing. You can see that in the performance.
🗣️ “It’s a great sign. We are progressing, and you can see that in our performance today.”
🎥 Elena Sadiku spoke to @CelticTV after this afternoon’s 6-1 victory over Partick Thistle ⤵#CELPAR | #SWPL | #COYGIG🍀 pic.twitter.com/rCR492eZpT
— Celtic FC Women (@CelticFCWomen) March 3, 2024
“We started the game well and we deserved to get that early goal but I’m also happy how we reacted to that. We scored the first goal, but we wanted to get another and another. That’s what makes me proud to stand here after the game.
“Something that I really enjoyed today was that we created a lot of chances through open play, it wasn’t only by set pieces now. I think we’re strong in set pieces, we’ll always continue that, but now we’re creating chances from open play and that’s amazing to see.
Keeping the gap at four points was the most important thing, and we’ve done it. We’ve put ourselves in a good position going into the split and this performance speaks volumes of what this team is capable of.”
Our first post-split game is on St Patrick’s 17 March against theRangers, but before that, we have an away tie in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup against Montrose. Much to look forward to going into the final part of the season. Let’s hope we can go all the way!
Jessica Elliott
PS – Find more excellent coverage of Celtic FC Women on our new wee sister site Celtic Shorts, check it out now. I’ll be writing about the women’s game on Celtic Shorts and I’m very much looking forward to it.
