It’s an even tighter SWPL table as Celtic women close on Glasgow City in January

It’s only a few years since Glasgow City dominated the Scottish Women's Premier League. We’ve since seen both Rangers and Celtic break through to win the league title. That’s made the SWPL very competitive at the top. It’s looking even more so this season at the top of the table with January’s action adding to the SWPL excitement in December.

The SWPL now has four teams at the top, City, Celtic, Rangers, and Hibernian separated by just two points. Hearts are in fifth spot just four points behind fourth place Hibs. January’s results have seen that closing together and narrowing of gaps.

City lead Celtic at the top on goal difference but lost their lead after a 3-1 defeat at Hibs. Celtic, on the other hand, have clawed themselves back to eradicate the previous gap. They previously had games in hand after playing in the Champions League. Two fine catch-up wins have put the six points on the board now. 

Rangers back to high scoring form in SWPL

Rangers in third place had a rough patch leading up to January. A hefty 14-0 demolition at Queens Park saw them get back to form in January. Their extra goal difference keeps them ahead of Hibs in fourth place. Hearts in fifth place lost the chance to catch up when defeated 4-0 by Celtic. 

At the other end of the table, Aberdeen have been pulling themselves up. Their first back-to-back wins of the season came against Montrose and Queens Park this month. They’ll be keen to continue picking up points especially with an extra third relegation place in play this season. 

It is a three-point gap back from Aberdeen now in eight to Spartans. They in turn sit three points above third from bottom-placed Montrose. Queens Park and then Dundee United fill the bottom two places with seven and then four points. 

Those latter two clubs do seem to be likely to go down. Montrose though will retain some hopes of catching Spartans. In the very middle of the table Motherwell and Patrick, on 26 and 21 points, will likely fight it out to decide who gets a top or bottom six place when the league splits. 

Outside of the league, we saw the semi-finals of the Sky Sports League Cup. A win for Rangers over Celtic saw them through to the March 22 final. They’ll face Hibs who beat Aberdeen to secure their place. It could be a tight final with Rangers keen to get revenge for a December home league defeat at the hands of Hibs. 

Scottish Women National Team gets new boss, for now

The Scotland Women’s national team found themselves a new manager after Pedro Martinez Losa departed in December. But it’s just an interim appointment for Michael McArdle to cover the two Nations League matches against Austria and the Netherlands next month. Could he be keeping the seat warm for Leanne Ross while she chases down another SWPL title with Glasgow City? We’ll have to wait to see on both fronts, especially with such a tight competitive league this season.