David Haley: It was a deserved victory and a good exercise for us

Celtic FC Women continued their positive work at their warm-weather training camp in Gran Canaria with a victory over Fermarguin last night (Wednesday) in their first match of 2025. It was a match that the Hoops deserved to win and, as well as registering their first victory of the year, the Ghirls put in a good performance which pleased Elena Sadiku and her assistant manager, David Haley. And speaking to Celtic TV after the match, Haley praised the players for their display in last night’s friendly match. “It was really pleasing,” he said. “I think when you look at the game overall, we were trying a few different things, but our execution of that was really good. “In the first half we created four or five really good chances that we could have taken. It was just that final little bit that we were missing. ‘Our intensity, the game plan and how we tried to execute that was good and we continued that on in the second half.’ “Part of the reason we came over here was to try and do things differently and we’ve managed to do that tonight. “There were some good patterns of play that we’ve worked on. It’s just that final little detail of the finishing that we can get better at. “Overall, it was a really deserved victory but most importantly, a really good exercise for us.” Last night’s victory and performance provides the perfect preparation for the Ghirls’ return to competitive action this weekend, with a match against Partick Thistle at New Douglas Park coming up on Sunday afternoon. And Haley said that ahead of that match, having the opportunity to work on the training pitch has been beneficial to the team. He added: “To be able to come out here and put across our principles, which the players already know, but to highlight them and make them crystal clear has been great for us. “It’s been great to get on the training pitch and then try to execute them in the game, which we’ve done tonight. “We’ve got some good training in and we’ve got training again tomorrow. It’s been the ideal preparation for us. “We’re very fortunate to be able to come out here year in, year out so it’s absolutely ideal for us ahead of our game against Partick Thistle on Sunday.”FixturesCeltic Women Vs. Partick Thistle Women – Sun, Jan 12th 2025, 16:10