Behind Celtic's dream to dethrone Glasgow City and dominate Scotland like the men's team

The rivalry between Celtic and Rangers is recognised as one of the most exciting, and most intense, in the world.

When the two Glasgow rivals take to the field on Saturday lunchtime, for the first time since December 2019, Celtic will be looking to gain an early upper hand in this season’s title race.

The following day, Celtic’s women’s team will take part in a Glasgow rivalry of their own – one that has been as one-sided as the Old Firm derby in recent years, but not in Celtic's favour.

While the men’s team have lost just twice in their last 18 meetings with Rangers, Celtic’s women’s team have only beaten Glasgow City, who have won the last 13 Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) titles, twice in 58 games.

However, one of those wins was their last meeting, a 4-1 victory at the end of 2019 sending City a warning.

Another win then came in March, when the 2020 season officially began, before it was declared null and void due to the outbreak of Covid-19 and rescheduled for a winter season, which begins on Sunday.

Having turned professional at the beginning of this year, Celtic’s women’s team are now looking to deliver exactly what the club is most well-associated with: success. Dethroning a club that has flown the flag for Scotland in the women’s game for so long will be no easy task, though.

“The mentality that Glasgow City have is frightening,” Keeva Keenan, who left the Scottish champions to join Celtic, tells Goal .

Goal

“They're one of those teams that, even when they're not performing, or they're having an off day, or you think, 'Right, maybe we have them now', they always end up grinding out results. Something like that, you have to respect.”

As well as their talent, togetherness and mentality, the fear factor associated with playing against Glasgow has long been something that has helped them dominate the domestic game.

However, as the feeling within Celtic’s ranks shows, that is changing. More teams are rising up to challenge them, with fellow Glaswegians Rangers also turning professional while Hibernian have, for a long time, been City’s main rival.

“For the older players, the psychological issue isn't as bad for us, but definitely for the younger girls coming through, there isn't that fear anymore,” midfielder Natalie Ross, who joined the club in 2016, explains.

“We spoke about it the other day. We've beaten them twice, so what have we got to fear? Nothing.”

It’s one thing to win the odd game, though, and another thing altogether to win a league. Celtic have shown that they can beat the champions, now the aim is to stay with them throughout the year.

“We will just take a game at a time, but it's something that we all want to do,” Lisa Robertson, who joined Celtic earlier this year from English club Durham, says.

“Seeing the progression in Scottish football and the progression and ambition that Celtic have for the future [brought me here]. They're obviously starting to build something that I wanted to be part of.

“It would be nice to get off the mark this season, but we're aware that there's other teams that are still competing. We just want to make sure that, come the end of the season, that we're up there and we're still in the race for silverware.”

Despite their ambition, there is no pressure within Celtic to deliver success this year. While it’s something they would relish, to dethrone a club that has dominated for so long will take time.

However, with the drive that runs throughout this club, there’s a feeling that success is on the horizon. Head coach Fran Alonso told Goal earlier this year that not to win the league within three years would be a failure, in his eyes.

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“We all know how good we are. If we all stay together and we play as well as we can, I think at the end of the season we're all going to be very happy,” Ross adds.

Three points at the weekend would be a great start. Had that win over Glasgow in March not been declared null and void, Celtic would be gunning for a third successive win over their city rivals on Sunday.

“I know it counts for nothing, but it was a big win for us mentally as well as anything else,” Keenan says of that result earlier this year.

“It's one of those things where once you do it once, you realise that you can actually do it.”

For a player like Ross, who is heading into her fifth season with Celtic now, to build on those results and deliver trophies would be an achievement that surpasses most.

“I think back over the years of the things that I have achieved, and I have achieved quite a few things, but for the women's football now to be professional in Scotland and for the club to be backing the women's team… For us to actually achieve something with that backing would be a phenomenal feeling.”

Celtic is a club synonymous with success – and the women’s team are ready to be part of that.