As we approach the end of the international break there have been a couple of bright spots for fans of Celtic FC Women, chiefly the last minute call up of Maria McAneny to the Scotland squad, her debut and last minute equaliser against Ukraine. Emma Lawton has also made the Scotland squad and a number of the youngsters we have become accustomed to making first team appearances have featured in the international youth set up. We also jumped up a spot in the table before the break started, currently sitting on the same number of points as Rangers but remaining seven points adrift of league leaders Glasgow City and three behind second place Hearts.
There are different ways of looking at the current situation as we hurtle towards the January window. Given the undeniable increase in the competitiveness of this league, the injury crisis at Celtic and challenges presented by underinvestment, one could argue that, to still be in touch at the top and ahead of last year’s league champions, is a positive. As we all know, leagues are not won or lost in November, especially when the league set up provides us with the roller coaster of the split come spring time. However, as any dedicated follower of this team will tell you, right now, the vibes are off. Whether you are in the stadium, watching the limited tv coverage or keeping up via social media and podcasts, it seems clear that there is a general sense of malaise and discontent around the women’s team at Celtic, not helped by the corresponding turmoil and disquiet across the club as a whole. The fans are frustrated by the lack of communication and engagement from the club, there are question marks over the manager’s ability to get the best out of her players, especially in big games against title rivals, and performances have been lacklustre.
We have three more games before the winter break, each very different in character, that might inform us about the direction in which the team is heading before Christmas. First up we face Dunfermline Athletic at home in the Scottish Cup, a club that currently sit ninth in Scottish Women’s League One and who should be easily turned over by even the thinnest of Celtic squads. Under normal circumstances this would be an opportunity to give minutes to players who don’t regularly feature in the first team squad. A similar fixture this time last year against Glasgow Girls & Women provided fans with the first look at academy player Darra Dawson and saw Colette Cavanagh given the captain’s armband. The difference this season is stark, in that many of the academy players and youngsters who could get first team experience in the first game of a Scottish Cup campaign have already become regular features of the squad, coming off the bench to replace a starting XI which appears reliably fixed through necessity rather than strategic planning. We should be seeing starting places given to the likes of Darra Dawson, Sienna McGoldrick, Amy Richardson and Emma Knox if they are to play a necessary part in the rest of the season – something which looks increasingly likely.
The following weekend another home fixture against Aberdeen, a team who have only recorded two wins this season against Hamilton Accies and Montrose. On a weekend where significant league rivals also face teams lower down the table, it is essential that we pick up all three points and if this somehow does not transpire we are in, perhaps even bigger trouble than we all thought. As fans we will also be hoping against all hope that this fixture will be a chance to see players returning from injury such as Natalie Ross, Emma Westin and even Chloe Craig given an opportunity to stage their return to full squad minutes.
The final challenge before the winter break is arguably the most formidable – Hibs away at Meadowbank. Celtic have not beaten Hibs since the victory at Celtic Park where Amy Gallacher’s last minute goal saw Celtic take the league title in May 2024. To see a victory at Meadowbank you need to go back to February of 2024 in a game where options off the bench, despite a strong starting lineup included Craig, Agnew, Smith, Ashworth-Clifford and McAneny to name but a selection. We will go into this most important final fixture of 2025 with only 14 fit outfield players available (as listed on the club website at time of writing) and a team whose only flash of recent dominance was during the first half against Rangers at Ibrox until an injury to Morgan Cross saw us lose the most valuable player on the pitch at half time and, seemingly our confidence along with her. With a difficult defeat to their Edinburgh rivals fresh in the memory, a league table to climb and a squad full of talent, Hibs will make the day out in Edinburgh anything but easy. With the table likely to remain pretty static until then and Rangers almost certain to pick up three points against Aberdeen on 21st December, anything but a win sees us go into 2026 in a much weaker position and will have fans and followers of this team screaming for a remedy to an increasingly dire situation at the club.
