SWPL Cup semi-final

Forthbank Stadium, Stirling

Sunday, November 14

CELTIC 2

(Jacynta 46, Wellings 79)

HIBERNIAN 1

(Boyle 12)

It'll be Firhill for thrills next month as Celtic booked their place in the SWPL Cup final after an exhilarating 2-1 semi-final win knocked holders Hibernian out to set-up the showpiece fixture with Glasgow City.

The Hoops went behind to the four-in-a-row holders within 12 minutes through Rachael Boyle, but Fran Alonso's recharged side produced a blistering second half to rubberstamp their spot in the first final of the season.

Despite creating a few half-chances early on Celtic went behind in the early stages as Boyle broke to run on to the ball and smash it high first time beyond Rachael Johnstone with an unstoppable strike after only 12 minutes.

Around the half-hour mark, Chloe Craig played it into Jacynta's feet and she took the Hibs defence for a walk but watched as her second effort went wide, before they went close again as Caitlin Hayes’ header from Olivia Chance’s corner was held.

Celtic returned to play as a different prospect in the second-half though and got their early rewards for their urgency with an equaliser coming within the first minute of the half. Chance found Jacynta near the area with the clever slip to set the Australian free to cut along and drive a low effort through bodies and beyond English.

Their rapid start to the second half continued with Chance looking to turn scorer with an effort that landed on the roof of the net before the Celts were given a golden opportunity to go ahead on the 54th.

Jodie Bartle did well to win the 50/50 and set herself and Charlie Wellings free with nobody ahead of them in the Hibs half, but despite striding up the pitch, her second touch bobbled along on the heavy pitch for English to collect with ease. Minutes later, Bartle was on the attack again, but her shot from near the back post sliced just across the face of goal.

Wellings and Jacynta continued to cause problems for the Hibs defence with the flag going up against Jacynta before Wellings’s ball over the top for her ran away from the forward on the heavy pitch.

But the second eventually came on the 79th minute in a moment of magic sparked by great battling from the Hoops to put them ahead. Winning every second ball in a scrap around the area, Bartle chested it into the path of Kathleen McGovern, who slipped it to Wellings, who set her feet to blast it towards the top corner and crash in off the crossbar and into the net.

Jacynta almost got her second with an effort from distance, but the Celts went into cruise control to see the game out and make their first final since 2018.

Celtic: Johnstone, Hayes, Clark (Shorts), Craig, Donaldson (Bowie), Chance, Toland (McGovern), Bartle, Jacynta (Atkinson), Wellings, Larisey (Shen).

Unused subs: Olafsdottir Gros, Warrington.

Sterling semi-final from Celts in Stirling battle of the greens