Hibs must boss midfield against Celtic

It’s the battle of the greens tomorrow in the Scottish Women’s Premier League as Hibs travel west to take on Celtic with manager Willie Kirk insisting the clubs have more in common than just kit colours.

The Capital side go into the game in a buoyant mood after their 7-1 victory over Spartans in their last outing and are aiming to maintain their 100 per cent winning start to the new campaign.

Both clubs have had to turn to youngsters in the close season to fill the void left behind by the departure of big-name players and Kirk believes tomorrow’s Lennoxtown encounter (kick-off 4.00pm) will be won and lost in midfield.

He said: “Celtic are in a similar position to us in that they lost some big players and rather than look externally for replacements they have been fortunate enough to have some excellent youngsters waiting in the wings to come in.

“We have a young side but they are talented. I can see it being a very open game where the battle in the middle of the park will be crucial.”

Elsewhere, Hutchison Vale look to bounce back from their 3-0 defeat against Celtic when they face Forfar Farmington at Station Park, Forfar, (4.00pm) and boss Ian McDonald said: “Getting the first goal is going to be crucial but our performance against Celtic has given the girls the confidence and belief that they can compete with the bigger sides.”

Spartans face Falkirk at Ainslie Park (1.00pm) hoping to kick-start their faltering league campaign and also bounce back after their recent thumping from Hibs. Spartans and Falkirk have met once this season already with manager Debbi McCulloch’s team coming from behind to defeat the Bairns.