SWPL

Celtic striker Saoirse Noonan believes the inability to close out games this season has been the difference between themselves and title chasing Hibs, whose dreams she hopes to dash this evening. Ahead of the penultimate game of the season, summer signing Noonan believes her side must balance their attacking verve with knowing how to manage games. “For me it’s just learning how to win and I think it’s actually really upsetting because some of the good football that we have played at times has gone unnoticed because you don’t win games,” said Noonan, ” I can go back to the game against Glasgow I think that first half we were well on top we played really well but they know how to win and we don’t.” “I think that’s what’s been the difference this season. No one cares if you play badly, everyone thinks you’re brilliant if you win games. I think that’s the hardest part is that we have done some things right it’s just we haven’t got the results.” With 23 league goals since arriving from English side Durham, Noonan has made an immediate impact in Glasgow such that the forward earned her first Ireland cap since 2021. “I’m obviously delighted that I was able to contribute that this season but look, we’re realistic, we’re all looking at the bigger picture and we didn’t win anything this year,” she said before adding “so those goals don’t really mean anything unfortunately but it’s definitely given me a bit of self-belief and a bit of a platform to work on for next season for sure.” Despite a recent goal drought that has now extended to six games, Noonan was praised by her manager Elena Sadiku. “I told Saoirse that I’m very proud of her. I’m proud of how she’s developed as a leader in the team. Listen, I didn’t expect Saoirse to be our top goal scorer in the first season. I don’t think that she did either,” said Sadiku. “She brings a lot to the team now more than just scoring goals.  I’m very proud of the journey she’s had at Celtic and I can’t wait to see more of her next season.” However before looking to next season, Noonan expressed both her and her teammates’ desire to make life difficult for Hibs tonight. “Part of the talk all week is that we can’t win it but we can still cause upsets and that’s so important in football you you want teams to fear you you want to leave your mark,” said Noonan. “If we’re going to look on to building for next season we need teams to fear us so we’re not going to roll over for anyone.”

Celtic boss Elena Sadiku believes her side can test the credentials of title hopefuls Hibs on Wednesday night, almost a year on from the Edinburgh side coming close to denying the Hoops a first league victory on the final day. Speaking to the media ahead of the clash at Meadowbank, Sadiku said there was much to play for despite a top three finish being impossible, with opportunities for fringe players to stake a claim after a disappointing loss to Rangers on Sunday. “I think I’ve made it clear after the game that I’m going to give players chances because I think they have done well in training,” said Sadiku. Having struggled to retain their first title this season, the manager is hoping to lay the foundations to come back stronger for the next campaign. “Nothing comes for free.  Maybe it was a little bit easier before when Hibs were not as good or Hearts were not as good, and you knew that there were a few games where we needed to be at the top. But for me, if you want to be a winning team, you need to be at the top even if you play Montrose, even if you play Partick Thistle or Motherwell.” “The performance against Rangers, was not good enough and I want a different attitude towards this game,” she said. “We’re not going to make it easy for them because they sure did not make it easy for us. If that is enough motivation for the players then I don’t think they’re at the right place.” Speaking on the signing of players to improve on the trophy-less campaign, albeit one which saw a first qualification for the Champions League, there was a sense a frustration at the lack of clarity concerning recruitment and the number of individuals involved in the process. “Right now it’s me and David Haley. That’s it,” said Sadiku, “I just need to know from the board exactly how it looks  because, obviously, I can’t go out and promise this contract and that contract when I don’t know the answers.” Having come under pressure from fans, the manager remained confident in her ability to take the team forward. “I can deal with pressure.  I can deal with fans not liking me. I’ve been through so much worse in my life so this is nothing for me.” “I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I’ve done well with this club. Obviously, this season, domestically, has not been good enough and I know that, but the positive is I’ve learned so much and I know exactly what I need to bring in  to make sure that we are so successful next season.”  

Celtic boss Elena Sadiku says getting the better of their Glasgow rivals for the first time in four attempts is a priority with the title gone and European qualification now all but impossible, something which the side are still coming to terms with. “The loss against Glasgow City was a horrible one when it comes to  not performance maybe, but in terms of how we lost it. And also, when we lost it, we knew that the league is probably going to be out of reach now and it’s a tough one to swallow,” said Sadiku. “Obviously, even if we haven’t won silverware, we wrote history and we managed to do something incredible in the first part of the season. In the second part of the season, we’ve not been consistent, we’ve not been good enough to really compete for the league.” However, Sadiku believes her side have reset full focus on finishing the league campaign on a high, against a side they have been unable to beat in three attempts, with two draws and a loss to date. “We have still nine points to play for and that’s the biggest focus we have right now. Rangers on Sunday, they’re still obviously fighting for their place in the league,” she said. “Yes, they are five points behind Hibs. But it’s a Glasgow derby and we’re going to treat it as a Glasgow derby. We have struggled to get results in these derbies over the last few games.” With one eye on the weekend, Sadiku also has one cast on the summer and plans to strengthen the side. “Like I’ve said before, I think we need more leaders as well in terms of the situation that we’ve had this season. We have a part-time captain and a part-time vice-captain and that cannot be the case for next season. We need more consistency in the camp all the time.”

Ahead of their clash with Rangers, Celtic’s Emma Lawton says this season has been a “huge disappointment” despite picking up the PFA Player of the Year award and a first international cap. “I don’t really care about myself, I only care about the team,” said Lawton before adding “we know we’ve not been good enough this season. Having the Champions League and the number of games we’ve played hasn’t helped, but  we need to reflect as a squad and we haven’t been good enough.” After winning the league last season and competing in Europe, the side are now sat fourth and having failed to earn silverware from four competitions. After three fixtures this season, Celtic are yet to secure a win over their Glasgow rivals but the defender believes the derby can be a platform to end the season on a more positive note. “We’ve played them a lot this season. So we kind of know where their strengths are, but we also know where we can exploit them,” said Lawton. “A lot of it is just stuff that we can control ourselves, like moving the ball quicker  and just trying to keep the ball more. I think that’s something that we’ve kind of  lacked a bit throughout the season.” Despite the disappointment, Lawton spoke of her pride at being selected as the player of the year by her peers. “Getting the PFA award was really special because I think it’s players within the league voting for you. So to get that kind of  recognition from the league is, yeah, I’m really proud about it,” she said before adding what it meant to her family. “They’ve just been really, really happy and really proud. I think I’ve got a really close family. So it’s just nice to share those moments with them.”