SHOWDOWN Sunday has arrived, with the prospect of unprecedented five-figure SWPL attendances at both Ibrox and Celtic Park. Throw in three teams all with realistic chances of winning the title, and the women's domestic game may finally get its afternoon in the media spotlight.
For Glasgow City, who hold a two point lead, the aim is to be crowned champions for a record sixteenth time. Their opponents Rangers are looking for back-to-back titles, but only a second in total. Celtic have never won the league.
The possible permutations are dizzying, other than the obvious: if City beat Rangers, Leanne Ross's players will be holding the new SWPL trophy aloft. A draw will also deny Rangers the title, but is highly likely to enable Celtic to win it.
“We don't need to rely on anybody else,” Ross affirmed. “If it doesn't work out at Ibrox we've nobody to blame apart from ourselves.
“We know exactly what we have to do – and that's go and get the three points. That's what we're drumming into the players and it's what they're focused on doing.”
The common ground for Ross, Malky Thomson and Fran Alonso is that, at last, they had a full week to prepare for the games. It is now accepted by all that the post-split fixture list, which included back-to-back midweek matches, was far too congested.
With a squad lacking the depth of their two rivals, City have lost all three post-split league games against them, eroding what was once an eight point advantage. Ross admits she is still having to protect key players, including Hayley Lauder, by not including them in training sessions, but there could be a return for Aoife Colvill, who has been out injured for five months.
Rangers have the deepest squad but, until they beat Hearts 6-0 last Sunday, had a problem converting chances. Thomson said on Friday that Jane Ross's ACL injury cost his side some 26 goals this season, while Jamaican striker Kayla McCoy's contribution also ended when she was injured early last month.
“City are in control,” Thomson agreed of today's possible outcomes. “First and foremost we need to win the game, and the dynamics of how many goals we need, and how we're going to get them, will be in the moment.”
Conversely Celtic, despite starting the day in third place, may have the best chance of ending it as champions. Hearts, who are the visitors to Parkhead, have had a stellar season and, to be fair, were understrength when losing heavily to Rangers last Sunday.
Nevertheless, Celtic manager Alonso has got the better of Spanish counterpart Eva Olid in all four games between the sides. The last two, in the Scottish Cup and SWPL, were 5-1 and 6-0 defeats for Hearts.
If the game at Ibrox ends in a draw, a fifth win over Hearts would give Celtic their coveted first title. A large margin of victory would mean League Cup winners Rangers also needing to beat City heavily to have any chance of the treble.
“Right now the favourites are the ones who are ahead in the table,” Alonso said. “But what I would say is I wouldn't swap ourselves for Glasgow City.
“I wouldn't like to have to beat Rangers in the last game of the season, and I wouldn't like to be Rangers having to beat Glasgow City when they are fighting for everything either. I'm happy with the position we're in – if we do win it, the way it will happen is like a dream.”
With the games having been switched to the two iconic Glasgow grounds, there will be no need for the SWPL to hire a helicopter. My understanding is that managing director Fiona McIntyre will remain at Hampden with the trophy until the outcome is decided – with both Ibrox and Celtic Park already having already been equipped with the paraphernalia required for title celebrations.
THE relegation and promotion play-off places will also be decided today. Hamilton Accies need to beat Dundee Utd at Gussie Park to avoid that fate, while four SWPL 2 sides – Gartcairn, Kilmarnock, Boroughmuir Thistle and St Johnstone – are all in with a chance of finishing second behind champions Montrose and making the play-off final at Broadwood on June 4.
HIBERNIAN and Aberdeen will have new managers next season. There is speculation that Dean Gibson, who announced on Monday he is standing down, could be replaced at Hibs by his predecessor Grant Scott.
Aberdeen, who have badly under-performed this campaign, are advertising for their first ever full-time manager.
