YFS
An impressive Celtic side made short work of Hearts in this one sided semi-final at Kilwinning Sports Club. It was a match all but wrapped up in the opening 15 minutes, as Celtic raced to a four goal lead. Hearts just didn’t have an answer to a quicker, more physically imposing opponent with a real eye for goal.
The game was over by half time, and it was all about damage limitation for Hearts from there on. They can take pride in reaching this stage of the competition and this defeat showed the quality they have to aim for.
Celtic racked up the goals, with Jamie-Lee Napier helping herself to five, linking up well with Abby Callaghan throughout to score nine goals between them. In an opening goal blitz these two linked up well to put Celts well on their way to the final.
Dispossessing Hearts in midfield, Callaghan found herself in space down the left, and after a quick exchange of passes with Napier was into the box. Her squared pass gave Napier the easiest of tap ins for the opener on 3 minutes.
Napier then returned the compliment to lay the ball on for Callaghan to score two minutes later, a low finish into Hannah Maben’s left corner. The third duly followed on 10 minutes, as Nicole Cairney put Callaghan through on goal to score her second of the game.
Cairney sealed her hat-trick on just 12 minutes, as the Hearts girls’ heads dropped. Napier dispossessing in midfield and off on another charge into the box. Her cross gave Callaghan a simple finish for number four.
Hearts were struggling to push out against a rampant Celtic side on the front foot. There was no relenting though, even with the game in the bag. Hearts tried to push up for offside but Kaela McDonald sprang the trap and was next to run through and finish for number five on 24 minutes.
Napier was next to get in on the goals with a hat trick inside the next 10 minutes. McDonald sent her through on goal to finish on 25 minutes, before linking up again with Callaghan to score number seven on 32 minutes. Finding more space down the left Callaghan raced into the box and squared for Napier to finish on 34 minutes.
Seven down inside the half hour the Hearts girls were just hoping for the half time whistle to get a chance to reorganise. In one venture up the pitch Lauren Hall put Kerry Dinnel through on the Celtic goal, but she could only shoot straight at keeper Kiera Gibson.
It was all the proverbial one way traffic, as a quick Celtic front just kept finding space in behind the Hearts defence. The agony continued for Hearts on 37 minutes, as Callaghan took advantage of a long ball and hesitation in the Hearts defence to play in Cairney for her second of the game.
