CELTIC Women’s team play their first league match as a fully-fledged professional side this evening when they host 13-in-a-row Champions, Glasgow City at K Park in East Kilbride.
For those who can’t make it along the game is live tonight on BBC Alba at 7.30pm and for those outside the UK and Ireland Celtic TV will also be showing the start of an exciting new dawn for Celtic live tonight.
It’ll be as tough an encounter as Celtic could expect to face. The league opener will not only be a real test but also a signal as to where the Celts stand in comparison to a well-established, organised and successful opponent.
Under new manager Fran Alonso pre-season saw the team travel to the warmer climes of Gran Canaria and play two games in two day resulting in a 3-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen before a thumping 7-0 win over CF Union Viera. The final friendly match played in the less glamourous surroundings of Stepps playing fields saw the Celts run out comfortable 4-0 victors against DLR Waves FC.
Since then the real competitive games have begun in earnest with two league cup encounters. The first in blustery conditions saw the Celtic side draw their opening group game 0-0 against Glasgow Women at K Park before following up with a resounding 6-0 win at McDiarmid Park against St Johnstone with new signing Summer Green scoring after only 86 seconds and further goals coming via unfortunate own goal from The Saints and Celtic’s Rachel Donaldson while a Sarah Ewens hat-trick sealed a wonderful win ahead of their league opener against Glasgow City this evening.
📰 | Our new number 7⃣ says Celtic loan move can make her brave, as she swaps Madrid’s red and white for Glasgow’s green and white🇪🇸🍀https://t.co/yVDdbkbBzC
— Celtic FC Women (@CelticFCWomen) February 19, 2020
Early signs therefore look good and confidence must be high as Celtic host the historic powerhouse of women’s football in Scotland.
Celtic have already announced that Celtic FC Women’s team have agreed a new three-year training kit partnership with leading sports technology company, Eleven Sports Media as the professional approach kicks on behind the scenes, one of a number of new sponsorship deals now in place.
The new manager himself boasts a fantastic footballing pedigree having had huge top-level football experience, as Ronald Koeman’s first team assistant at Everton in the English Premier League and Mauricio Pochettino’s technical coach at Southampton.
First live game from K-Park for the opening of the @ScotWFootball season. @CelticFCWomen v @GlasgowCityFC. Promises to be a cracker. On @bbcalba or come along and be part of history. #womeninfootbal pic.twitter.com/OaCLDdZcSH
— Margot McCuaig (@MargotMcCuaig) February 21, 2020
On the challenge facing the new man and his new charges Fran Alonso was sounding positive if not rather confident: “We will try our best to challenge for the title but it’s a transition from last year to this year and it’s about how quickly we can adjust,” he said.
“City have to be favourites, but what a nice challenge for us that they’re the team to beat. And if we do achieve it one year it will be like ‘wow!’ – that’s what a club like Celtic should be achieving.
“In the next two or three years I think we will have to fight to be in the Champs League.”
Alonso has also been talking this week with the media in the build up to the match and was interviewed for Celtic TV
🎙️ Hear from manager @FranAlonsoFA ahead of tonight’s landmark @SWPL opener.
🆚 @GlasgowCityFC
📌 K-Park, East Kilbride
⌚️ 7.35pm
📺 @CelticTV (ex UK & IRE) and @bbcalba
📲 @CelticFCWomenGet along and support the Ghirls, Celts! 😃🍀#COYGIG 🟢⚪️ pic.twitter.com/FNb8IVR5fe
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) February 21, 2020
The new Head coach has continued the drive towards a professional outlook by signing up a few new faces to the ranks with Lisa Robertson, Sarah Teegarden and Summer Greenall signing on before defender Jodie Bartle signed up from Coventry United.
Midfielder Lisa Robertson has joined the Hoops after two years at English Championship side, Durham and has a fine CV. She won the domestic treble with Glasgow City in 2013 as well as three Scottish Cups and four League Cups during two spells with Hibs.
Midfielder Teegarden, 24, was most recently with French side Lille and has also played professionally in Sweden and America, while Forward Summer Green, 24, has been capped at Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 level and spent last season with Swedish club Vittsjo.
Jodie Bartle a centre-half, has signed from Coventry United. Jodie began her career as a 17-year-old with Yaxley before moving on to Peterborough Northern Star and Loughborough Foxes before making the move to Coventry and now onto Celtic.
The latest signing joined on loan this week when Spaniard Anita Marcos joined the club on loan from Atletico Madrid. The 19-year-old forward is one of the most exciting young players in Europe, and has already won two league titles with Atletico, as well as twice helping Spain lift the Under-19 European Championship. Anita will wear the coveted number 7 shirt. No Pressure there then.
For those who can get along it will be an opportunity to see history in the making and witness Celtic play professional league football for the first time. The standard of opponent in Glasgow City will be sure to make it an exciting encounter to watch.
For those who can’t be there or indeed watch it on BBC Alba or Celtic TV tonight, the Celtic Star will report back and let you know how The Ghirls get on.
From all The Celtic Star readers we’d like to wish the very best of luck to the Celtic women’s team tonight and for their historic campaign ahead.
Niall J
Read Former Celtic Director Willie Haughey’s Grovelling Apology from Craig Whyte | The Celtic Star https://t.co/p6Y4OuDgop
— The Celtic Star Editor (@CelticStarMag) February 20, 2020
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