Our biggest game of the season so far comes this Sunday afternoon, as we face off against Celtic in the SWPL Cup semi-finals.
Having been reigning champions of this competition since 2016, Dean Gibson’s side will be looking to bounce back from their 3-0 loss at home to Glasgow City and reach yet another SWPL Cup final.
The Opposition
Fran Alonso’s Celtic have been in excellent form this season, boasting a league record of six wins, two draws and one loss. That loss came in their most recent match, a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Rangers.
The Glasgow side have stayed practically perfect in the cup too – they breezed through their group without conceding a goal, before going on to record a big win over Rangers in the quarter-finals.
Our last meeting with Celtic came back in September of this year, where we suffered a narrow 2-1 loss at the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie, with Charlie Wellings scoring the winner in stoppage time to nullify a thunderbolt from Colette Cavanagh.
Manager's Notes
Dean Gibson gave his thoughts on this weekend’s semi-final to our media team earlier in the week and spoke on Hibs’ long-term success in this competition.
“I don’t think it’ll be seen again; the length of time Hibs have held this trophy. So, for us to try and retain it is important, and I'm pretty sure that will add an extra incentive onto the players, the ones who have been here through that period and what they've done before.
“For me, there's no pressure. It's the first time I've tried to hold on the trophy with this club, so there's a little bit of pressure there. But no, it's a massive incentive for the players to look to keep the trophy that they've held for so long.
“To have the cup competitions back, it's important. I think it gives every club something to look forward to and for us, it's certainly something that we feel that we can win this year and we can keep for another year.”
From the Changing Room
Amy Muir also gave her thoughts on this weekend’s massive clash.
“I joined the club just off the back of the repeat cup success, but that was probably a major part for me when joining Hibs. You know, just when it came to the cup competitions and matching City, it was year on year we were doing that and proving ourselves.
“I think when we look to us when it comes to cup competitions, it's something that this group has been used to. As Dean said, we've got a core group within the squad that are still here that have been through all that, so they can obviously help the other ones, showing how important is that we take the cup home with us.
“When I joined the club and obviously played in that memorable cup final, at the end of 2019 season at Tynecastle, obviously we didn't come away winners in the end, but that game, occasion, atmosphere… Everything about it was just something you want to be involved in again, and it was just a really great night.
“For me as a player and you know, if we want to go and play at the highest level. We need to be playing in the hardest games and they obviously come in cup finals.”
Be Part of the Action
The game is scheduled for a 4:30pm kick off this coming Sunday at the Fortbank Stadium, home to Stirling Albion.
Supporters looking to attend the match will be able to buy tickets at the gate, with entry costing £5 for adults and £2 for concessions.
Words - Jack Donnelly
Photos - Craig Doyle
