Celtic headed to Ainslie Park in Edinburgh to face Spartans this afternoon for their first SWPL away fixture since league football returned following the enforced Covid-19 Shutdown.
With a defeat to Glasgow City followed by a 3-0 win over Hearts, the Celts found themselves chasing a five-point deficit in the title race. As such this afternoon’s tie, with a midweek clash against theRangers, rumoured to be at Celtic Park, in midweek looming large, was going to be vital if the Hoops were to claw themselves back into title contention.
There were returns for Chloe Logan, Caitlin Hayes, Lisa Robertson and Anna Filbey to the starting line-up and a welcome sight of Kathleen McGovern returning to the matchday squad with a place on the bench.
Pre-match Head coach Fran Alonso stated he expected to face a tough team, one dangerous on the counter-attack and a physical battle, hinting if Celtic were to win this afternoon, then it would have to be earned. The Celtic head coach then would have been surprised as anyone just how quickly the Celts grabbed the opening goal.
Inside thirty seconds Spartans were calling for a penalty as Galbraith fell to the floor under a challenge by Hayes, it wasn’t given and within sixty seconds Celtic were in front. A powerful drive down the right side for the returning Filbey found Sarah Ewens making a superbly timed front post run and the deft finished matched the fine approach play to put the Celts one up.
Celtic had started as if they had a point to prove, the intensity and movement on an off the ball was just what Alonso would have been asking for in a game of such importance and they came close to going two up seven minutes in as left back Chloe Warrington found herself right of centre of the 18 yard box and drove a twenty yarder inches wide of Spartans ‘keeper Harrison’s left hand post. Not a bad right peg for a left back!
Filby then turned the screw with a strike that forced a smart block from Harrison who then nearly sold the Spartans jersey’s flapping from the resulting corner kick but Celtic couldn’t quite turn the ball home.
Spartans who seemed to lack the physicality to match Celtic in the middle of the park had one chance a quarter of an hour in, as Alana Marshall almost converted direct from a corner kick – a warning that wasn’t heeded later on – however it would have been harsh on Celtic and Jodie Bartle in particular who was clearly shoved off the ball when trying to shield the ball and claim a goal kick.
At this point Fran Alonso’s only complaint on the Celtic performance would have been there was only one goal to show for his side’s efforts, but that was soon to be remedied. With 26 minutes played the impressive Jacynta found Sarah Ewens making a clever run towards the corner flag. Ewens laid the ball back beautifully for Chloe Craig who had little pressure placed on her by the Spartans defence and had all the time she needed to pick out Sarah Teegarden between two static Spartans defenders to place a gentle header into the net for the American’s first competitive goal after a year out with injury.
Despite the two-goal advantage there were further opportunities for Sarah Ewens who twice shot off target, one in particular from a superb pick-out by Rachel Donaldson really should have been converted, and Jacynta with a fierce effort just wide of the post, before a Spartans enforced scramble in the Celtic box served as a reminder the game was far from over as the Edinburgh side made half-hearted claims for a penalty – again.
And right on half-time those concerns were found to be justified as Alana Marshall once again attempted an audacious swinging corner kick that found the back of the net with Chloe Logan looking culpable to the cross ball again, as she had from an earlier attempt from the same player.
The Celts then went in at the break with a only a single goal lead despite a level of domination, both territorially and physically, that few would have expected prior to the game kicking off, but to lose a goal right on half time was harsh to say the least, though they had been warned in advance.
Half time: Spartans 1 Celtic 2
Niall J
