NATALIE ROSS: TAKE THE CITY BY STORM

Natalie Ross on kicking off the season with a visit from league giants Glasgow City

- JOE DONNELLY

LAST year, the Celtic FC Women’s team capped off a fine season by finishing third behind Hibs on goal difference. Glasgow City were crowned champions for a 13th successive campaign, but their domestic stranglehold was challenged on November 3, 2019, when the Hoops beat the league champions 4-1 at K-Park.

That is but one result, but 30-year-old midfielder Natalie Ross is confident she and her team-mates have what it takes to challenge at the highest level of the women’s game in 2020 under new coach, Fran Alsonso. On Friday, that starts with the opening fixture of the Scottish Women Premier League’s top-flight, when the Hoops again host City on home soil.

ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO KICKING OFF THE LEAGUE AGAINST GLASGOW CITY?

We are! It’s a tough fixture for us to get the league underway with, and we know to never underestimate Glasgow City and what they’ve achieved in the past. We’re still a new team, we’ve got a number of young players, a number of different nationalities coming together, and it’s going to take time for us to gel. That said, the difference we’ve noticed from the start of January until now is huge, and it’s exciting to see where we can go with this team. We know what we need to do - play our style of football, work hard, and we’ll see what we can get from the game.

AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON, HOW ARE THINGS IN THE WOMEN’S SIDE?