Celtic B too strong but women show great spirit in Glasgow
The Shetland women’s football team were dumped out of the Unite Scottish Cup on Sunday by Celtic B in Glasgow. After an encouraging first period in which they held the hosts for 27 minutes and only conceded a second goal on the stroke of half time, Shetland conceded five more after the break, gaining their consolation through a fine strike by Josie Jamieson.
Celtic B 7, Shetland 1
The second-round match kicked off at 9am on a frosty pitch, Celtic beginning at a furious pace and trying to catch Shetland cold. But solid defending from the back three of Kirsten Robertson, Brenda Leask and Indyia Bradley kept them at bay.
A corner for Celtic in the 19th minute saw a scramble in the goal area and a snap shot brought a good save from Sarah Couper.
Celtic were very pacey down both flanks and were quite a handful for the Shetland defenders. The midfield of Karen MacKelvie, Emma Gray, Lynda Flaws and Sarah Grogan found it tough to get hold of the ball as their opponents were playing too slickly, but they battled hard.
A good ball from Flaws sent Toni Sidgwick away on the left and her pass found Jamieson, but her shot went wide of the post.
In the 27th minute Celtic opened the scoring from another corner – the ball was only cleared to a Celtic player on the edge of box and she placed her shot just inside the post.
The goal seemed to spur Shetland on and they had their best passage of play. On 35 minutes a good interception by Robertson saw her pass find Emma Gray and she in turn beat her opponent and passed wide to Jessica Bradley. She found Grogan and from 25 yards she hit a rasping drive which the keeper saved.
Just before half time Celtic broke away and a sweeping move ended with a strike into the top corner to make it 2-0 as the whistle blew.
Shetland knew that if they could start the second half quickly and pull a goal back then they would still had a chance and for 10 minutes they were a match for the home team.
Couper saved well from one attack but in the 56th minute Celtic scored a third from a corner. The goal rocked Shetland and Celtic seemed to up their game, scoring twice more in the next 10 minutes to make it 5-0.
In the 72nd minutes Jamieson got a deserved goal for Shetland.
A throw-in was taken quickly and she spectacularly volleyed the ball into the far corner of the net.
Young substitutes Zoe Irvine and Debbie Sneddon came on and went straight into the action. Flaws and Irvine played a one-two and Irvine raced towards the goal but a Celtic defender cleared for a corner.
With 10 minutes left in the game another chance at goal for Shetland went wide and after Celtic picked up the loose ball they unleashed it forward, the striker giving Couper no chance with number six.
Maggie Irvine came on for Jessica Bradley in the 85th minute and shortly after a Celtic ball found its way through Shetland’s back three and the hoops made it 7-1.
Coach Derrick Bradley said: “The game was played with terrific spirit and determination. The first division Celtic were a pleasure to watch. They train twice a week and play competitive games every week at a high standard. So although we have lost 7-1 today, in my eyes it’s almost a victory for our lasses.”
He said Shetland’s player of the match was Kirsten Robertson and he thanked the SIC, NorthLink, Hughson Bros and Bolts for their continued support.
Shetland: Sarah Couper; Indyia Bradley, Kirsten Robertson, Brenda Leask; Emma Gray, Lynda Flaws, Sarah Grogan (captain), Karen MacKelvie; Josie Jamieson, Jessica Bradley, Toni Sidgwick. Substitutes: Maggie Irvine, Zoe Irvine and Debbie Sneddon.
