Voting for Celtic FC’s player of the year is now open and six of our Ghirls are up for the award! The winners will be announced on 12th May.
Natalie Ross, Chloe Craig, Amy Gallacher, Shen Mengyu, Caitlin Hayes and Kelsey Daugherty are the players that you can vote for. It’s safe to say they’ve all had an important impact this season.
Ross has been a star in the midfield, one that is sometimes underappreciated. She does her job week in, week out and brings valuable experience to the team. She has started 19 games this season and has ten goal involvements. She has a passing accuracy of 85% which is very telling of her immense talent.
Chloe Craig has consistently performed this season and continues to be an important member of the squad. This season, she has started 22 games and has ten goals. She has passed the landmark of 300 appearances for Celtic and also scored her 100th goal in the Hoops with a penalty against theRangers.
Amy Gallacher has been a standout performer in this Celtic side, starting 22 games and scoring 22 goals. As well as being the top scorer in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, she has 15 assists to her name, proving how important her presence has been in Celtic’s title charge.
Shen Mengyu has made 20 appearances this season and has recorded 10 assists. She has one goal, an outside-of-the-box strike to be proud of, and has been a powerful, composed presence in our midfield.
Caitlin Hayes has, again, been phenomenal throughout the season. Starting 20 games, the defender has won 114 duels and has even managed to rack up ten goals. This season, she made her 100th appearance for the Celts and hopefully, there are many more to come for the Ireland international.
Kelsey Daugherty is the final pick for player of the year after a fantastic debut season for Celtic. Since joining in the summer, she has cemented herself as the first-choice goalkeeper, making important saves throughout the season to keep us in the title race. She has made a total of 26 saves this season, with a save percentage of 67%. She has kept nine clean sheets in 19 appearances.
So, who has your vote?
A very strong list of candidates and no matter who wins, there’s no doubt that it will certainly be deserved. Hopefully, the eventual player of the year can celebrate with a league title under their belt.
Of course, there also has to be a goal of the season. Here are your picks, so you can relive those beautiful moments…
The first goal is Amy Gallacher’s strike against Montrose on opening day. The forward received the ball and stayed composed inside the box. She turned and struck beyond the goalkeeper.
Goal number two is Tiree Burchill’s quick shot against Dundee United. Following a free kick, the ball was rolled into the box and fell to Burchill, whose first-time shot found the back of the net.
A Champions League memory courtesy of Jenny Smith is your third pick. After going to extra time against Vålerenga, Smith gave Celtic the lead with a fantastic strike in the 116th minute. Although we ended up losing on penalties that day, it’s still a moment that will live in the minds of the travelling Celtic support.
Smith’s strike against Aberdeen is the fourth choice. This was a goal that some were calling goal of the season at the time and it’s hard to deny. A fantastic shot from outside of the box ended up finding the top corner as the Celts cruised to victory at the Balmoral.
Imane Addi is also on the list after her goal against Hamilton Accies in October. The forward beat her marker on the edge of the box, cut inside and unleashed a powerful strike that found the far corner.
Colette Cavanagh’s late winner against Glasgow City at the Excelsior is next up. The midfielder’s low shot was driven into the bottom corner and got the Celtic supporters on their feet in celebration. Incredible goal that deserves its place on this list.
Kit Loferski’s dink over the Glasgow City goalkeeper is another goal of note that could be given the award come the end of the season. After a run that saw her beat two players, Loferski scored to round off a performance that saw the Hoops advance to the semi-finals of the Sky Sports Cup.
Shen Menglu opened the scoring with a beautiful finesse in Celtic’s decisive 9-0 victory over Montrose back in January. She cut inside and found some space to shoot, not hesitating to take her chance.
Natalie Ross’s fantastic strike to push the Celts to victory against Hamilton Accies is the ninth choice. The midfielder had a fantastic game and it’s no surprise she’s found herself up for both player of the season and goal of the season.
To round off the list, Tash Flint’s goal to open the scoring against theRangers at Ibrox is your final pick. After a great run on the right wing, the ball was played to Gallacher. Rather than taking a shot, the forward rolled it to Flint who put it past theRangers shot-stopper with ease.
If you want to watch the goals again before making your choice, you can rewatch them all when you cast your vote HERE. Some fantastic attempts to choose from.
What a season it has been so far for Celtic and I’m sure we’ll be even happier come the end of the season. As we move into the business end of things, there’s no doubt that the title race is just going to get tighter. If anything is clear, it’s that we have immense talent in this squad and the girls are very capable of bringing silverware to Paradise.
Jessica Elliott
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