‘Nobody is unbeatable’ - Glasgow City boss Eileen Gleeson on three-way race for SWPL title ahead of Celtic showdown

Glasgow City head coach Eileen Gleeson reckons matches between the top three teams will ultimately decide the destination of the SWPL 1 title this season.

City, regining champions Rangers and Celtic have all won their opening eight games with the Hoops sitting top of the table marginally on goal difference.

However, Fran Alonso’s side were knocked out of the Sky Sports Cup at the quarter-final stage after a shock defeat on penalties to Spartans last weekend.

Gleeson expects a backlash from Celtic during Sunday’s clash at Petershill Park but insists her squad are in a positive frame of mind having scored an impressive 25 goals in their last four games in all competitions.

She told GlasgowWorld: “I can give you the answer that every game is worth three points but this season will be about fine margins and it is in these three games that all teams will have a higher potential to drop points. Nobody is unbeatable and football has that complex nature to it.

“We saw Celtic beaten last week. Yes, they have had an unblemished record in the league so far so we expect them to come out strongly against us on Sunday. That is football, anybody can take points off anyone. But I’d think clashes between the top three will be crucial.

“There’s a good level of confidence and a good range of goal scorers across the squad just now. Of course, we’d like to score more goals, but we’re scoring from open play and set pieces which is good to see. We’re happy with that and are looking to drive that element on and finish more chances.

“We are hoping for a strong crowd and for people to come out and support us. It is a chance to see some of the best players in Scottish Women’s football.”

A 9-0 thrashing of Glasgow Women in the Sky Sports Cup last weekend was made all the more pleasing for Gleeson after integrating a several academy graduates into her first-team.

15-year-old Sophia Martin scored on her debut, while Sarah Gibb notched a brace and summer signing Chloe Warrington was handed her first start since joining from tomorrow’s rivals Celtic.

Gleeson stated: “It’s brilliant. They feel a lot of pride from it and it’s all their hard work paying off. It just shows the pathway that Glasgow City have for younger players as well. We had Sarah Gibb scoring two goals and Sophia Martin scoring as well. You saw the pleasure that it brought to the senior players, so it’s definitely a good feeling when you see the younger players coming through.”

Centre-back Jenna Clark celebrated her first hat-trick of the season against Glasgow Women by taking her tally to five goals already for the campaign but the Scotland international is just as pleased to have been part of a resolute defensive line who have kept SIX consecutive shut-outs.

She admitted: “Obviously it’s nice to contribute and get on the scoresheet, but as a centre-half my main job is to help the team keep clean sheets, so it’s been pleasing to have got them as well in recent weeks.

“As a team, we’ve felt good in our performances recently and we want to take that into another huge game on Sunday. We all love playing in the big games, it’s a long season and the difficult of games can vary but we’re always aiming for three points.

“I think the group of girls we have is outstanding, we all get on really, really well. There’s loads of girls from different backgrounds here but we come together as one and are a strong squad.”

A draw for either side in Springburn would allow Malky Thomson’s Rangers side the chance to move clear at the summit when they host Dundee United at Broadwood Stadium.