Sweet 16 as Hoops cruise into Scottish Cup last 16
Report / Image: Celtic FC
Celtic cruised into the last 16 of the Scottish Cup after a sweeping victory in the pouring rain away to lower league side West Park.
The Hoops ran out 16-0 winners against the SWFL2 West club, with Kathleen McGovern bagging five, Josephine Giard returning to scoring form with four and new signing
Cara McBrearty claiming a brace, while Chloe Craig, Sarah Ewens, Katherine Smart, Rachel Donaldson and Claire Crosbie completed the rout.
The result meant Celtic did not only march into the next round, but captured their seventh win in a row ahead of their first v second meeting with league leaders Glasgow
City next Sunday.
Celtic took only seven minutes to get off the mark in Bishopbriggs. Donaldson was brought down in a dangerous position near the area, and Craig proved strongest knocking
in Ewens’ free-kick in the busy box. Eleven minutes later, McBrearty marked her return with a bang when she picked up in the middle of the park and without hesitation
shot on sight.
Giard began her tally on the 26th after a brilliant passage of play from Celtic. McBrearty drove down the left to find McGovern in the box, who with her back to goal put it on a
plate for Giard who nestled a low shot in the bottom corner. And the German shortly made it a double, cleverly sending her effort in off the post.
The Hoops made it five before the break seeing Smart celebrate her first goal in the Hoops on the 42nd minute with a confident shot from distance.
Already comfortable, the Celts really clicked into gear in the second-half and commenced a ruthless scoring spree shortly after the restart, beginning with McGovern on the
48th. Giard went close to an early hat-trick seeing her shot palmed away, but McGovern reacted quickly to bury it and make it six. Seconds later, Ewens pounced to convert
another rebound as Giard again went close. The intense Celtic pressured continued to mount, and another minute later, McGovern headed in as McBrearty turned provider.
Donaldson opened her 2019 account on the 52nd minute, finding net from 25 yards and five later, McGovern completed her second hat-trick of the season, stabbing home a
ball into the box from Kodie Hay, with Giard also completed her hattrick on the hour mark. McBrearty brought the scoreline to 12 with her second as she shot across goal
before Donaldson’s headed ball met the head of McGovern for the striker’s fourth.
Giard also claimed her fourth linking up McGovern on the 77th and five later the latter claimed a brilliant fifth. With four left to play, Crosbie grabbed her first goal since
February’s League Cup victory at Dundee United, scoring from close range and ending the 16-goal run.
With the draw taking place on Wednesday, attentions now turn to Celtic’s second first v second meeting with Glasgow City this season, as the Hoops prepare to travel to
Petershill Park.
Celtic: Cunningham, Black, Hodges, Craig (O’Neill), McBrearty (McCulloch), Donaldson, Clark, Smart (Crosbie), Ewens (Hay), Giard, McGovern
Subs: Keenan, Logan
