Hampden will host the Scottish Gas Women’s Scottish Cup final tomorrow as Celtic and Rangers look to salvage something from their respective seasons.
Both go into the game licking their wounds – Celtic after a dismal campaign in which they finished fifth with their title aspirations long expunged before the dramatic conclusion to the season, while Rangers will still be smarting following their 6-0 annihilation at Petershill last Sunday.
The suspicion is that Leanne Crichton’s public post-match summary would have been somewhat different to a private dressing room debrief as City vehemently insisted there would be no title party on their turf. City fans would have every right to ask just where were those performances in the split? Had they produced those kind of displays, they would have been the ones hoisting the Championship trophy.
Having not lost a game by more than a goal throughout the league campaign, the shock of what the Ibrox side endured last weekend will resonate; all the more so since Hibs’ win over Hearts meant that any victory would have given them the Championship.
Celtic have ghouls of their own to face ahead of this one. They have not beaten Rangers since March 2024 in any competition. Recent meetings have ended 3-0 and 4-0, with Katie Wilkinson a particular thorn in the side of Grant Scott’s squad.
Both need this one for different reasons. But what is notable, too, is the fact the last time the two teams met at Hampden in Scottish Cup final duty, they brought along 10,000 fans. That came on the back of Celtic creating a domestic record of just under 16,000 at the final SWPL game of the season back in 2023. Retaining that audience was always going to be tough – numbers were fudged as Celtic were trialling a new “Celtic End” standing support section – but the players who are still at the club continue to talk about what it meant to experience that kind of support, that kind of pressure.
The ambitions of both sets of players, their journey to get to Hampden and the sacrifices they have made along the way, are the same as their male counterparts. Their passion for the shirt and badge they wear means just as much to them as any player who has ever wheeled away at Hampden to pump the badge on their chest as the ball hits the back of the net.
Whoever gets their hands on the cup will feel as exhilarated as Celtic captain Callum McGregor did last weekend. Those who fall short will feel the same keen despair as any player who ends up on the losing side in a Scottish Cup final.
There remains time yet for anyone keen to get along to the national stadium but across the board this season attendances have been a source of concern.
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AND ANOTHER THING
Events in Ireland this week will have been noted by the SFA as both federations prepare for games against Israel.
The Republic of Ireland are due to play against Israel in September and October in Nations League qualifiers while Scotland’s women will play two FIFA World Cup qualifiers behind closed doors next month against Israel with the games taking place in Hungary.
Thursday’s game against Qatar at the Aviva stadium in Dublin was stopped twice as tennis balls featuring Palestinian flags were thrown on to the pitch, while protests have also taken place outside the Irish parliament this week. Prominent voices have urged a boycott of the games as it has dominated the media headlines.
It is an argument that is behind Scotland’s move to play both of the World Cup qualifiers behind closed doors. Protests have taken place outside Hampden this month over the decision while the meeting against Israel two years ago saw kick-off delayed as a protester chained himself to a goalpost.
Scotland coach Melissa Andreatta was quizzed on the call to move the home leg of the game a few weeks ago as her squad was announced while players have also had to field questions on the decision.
It is unfair to players and managers to be placed in such a position. The responsibility lies with UEFA and their weak decision-making process over Israel’s involvement in their competitions.
Israel have played in UEFA competitions since the early 1980s after being excluded from the Asian Football Confederation in the ’70s. There is both precedent and current evidence for their expulsion.
AND FINALLY
MANAGER Eva Olid bowed out of Hearts having made history by delivering the club’s first SWPL title last weekend.
Defeat to Hibs at Meadowbank became redundant as they crossed the line with two points to spare after Rangers’ implosion against Glasgow City.
But compare and contrast the week leading up to the conclusion of the Scottish Premiership – and the week after – and leading to the conclusion of the SWPL. There was little of note across the Hearts website to promote the game nor shine a light on the achievements of the squad.
The optics of a title-winning game at Meadowbank, too, are poor.
Olid opted not to share her frustrations over budget cuts at the club which are the reason for her exit. However, there was something telling in her remark after the game where she admitted she had wanted to stay at the club.
Scaling back from such a position seems entirely myopic.
