Shannon McGregor didn’t have to look too far for any reminders of just where the league title went this summer. The fiancé of Hibs captain Siobhan Hunter, there was little escaping the triumph of Grant Scott’s side.
McGregor, who left Hibs for Celtic this time a year ago, has insisted that while there isn’t much talking shop at home, that the failure to get her hands on silverware this season has only served to strengthen her resolve to win the title.
“Obviously I was thrilled for her [Hunter] and I am still friendly with so many of the girls,” said McGregor. “It was such a huge moment for them and they were entitled to go and savour every second of it.
“At home we don’t actually talk too much football! We both have our jobs to do and we are 100% being the best that we can be but we don’t really cross over too much with football and day-to-day life.
“But I could see what it meant to Siobhan and to all of them to go and win the league. It just makes me more determined now to come and experience that for myself.”
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[[Celtic]] failed to make any kind of mark last season with the downward trajectory notable given the heights of the previous campaign. They failed to pick up any points in a demanding Champions League group while domestically it was a sobering fourth place finish in the SWPL. Elena Sadiku’s side also exited both Cup competitions at early stages. As such, there has been a clearout this summer with ten first-team players released by the club. So far just two have come in – former Celt Lisa Robertson and former Glasgow City player Claire Walsh.
McGregor, though, believes that there have been positives to sift out from the wreckage of the season and has insisted that the appetite to atone for that this term is there. “If you are take anything from that experience it is that we know as a squad we don’t want to be in that position again,” said McGregor. “We are determined to go out and be successful. That doesn’t just apply to the league – it is to the Cups as well.
“We want to go and win everything that we possibly can. That is always the attitude. We have new players come in and they are all on the same page. We all want this club to be successful.”
It wasn’t all bleak on a personal level for McGregor. The midfielder claimed personal accolades along the way last term with the goal of the season award and Celtic Player of the Year award and forced herself into the Scotland squad.
And having had a full season under her belt at Celtic, the club she grew up supporting, she is confident that she can kick on again. “I have worked hard and having had a full season here, I don’t have the same bedding in process. I just want to keep working hard. It was fantastic to be involved with Scotland for the first time and then obviously I was injured at the end of the season so missed out on Melissa Andreatta’s first squad.
“That is a big ambition but the main priority is ensuring that I am playing well for Celtic and helping us get to where we want to this season.”
