UP AND RUNNING

Fran Alonso is delighted with the return of competitive football, and is confident his Celtic squad will continue to make strides forward this season

- TONY CONNELLY

SEVERAL months without football has not been the ideal preparation for Celtic FC Women’s first season as a professional side, but now that the new Premier League season is up and running, manager Fran Alonso is excited about the campaign ahead and the prospects for his squad.

The Hoops’ opening league fixture two weeks ago was a repeat of the game which had initially kicked off the 2020 season towards the end of February.

Then, a last-gasp goal from captain Kelly Clark had given Celtic a 2-1 victory over defending champions, Glasgow City.

This time around, however, facing a City side with the benefits of two months’ extra preparation, Celtic lost out 2-0.

However, Fran Alonso insisted the result did not reflect the potential of his side and he is confident the Hoops can get the better of their rivals when they meet again later in the season.

“The defeat in the opening game was difficult to take because of the circumstances,” said the Celtic FC Women’s manager. “City had been playing since July and were much further ahead than we were coming into the game.

“The result hasn’t affected the morale of the team. We’ve been working very well but not long enough. This was only our sixth week so it’s not enough and we faced a team who have been training since July and competed in August.

“We have been out for six months, and for a player to not train with the team or compete is just too much. That wasn’t the case with Glasgow City and it showed in the game. They had a huge advantage and it was very unfair for us, but when we play them in January we expect a completely different game because both teams will be on a level playing field in terms of physical preparation.