Grace Courter: I was really happy to get my first start and goal for Celtic

Sunday’s Sky Sports Cup tie marked a special occasion for one of the club’s longest serving players. Celtic FC Women captain, Kelly Clark, lined up at the centre of defence, making her 350th appearance for the Ghirls. With her vast experience in green and white, it was another landmark reached for the skipper, who has achieved so much in her time so far with the club. Alongside her at the back was another player celebrating a landmark moment for the Hoops. Summer signing, Grace Courter, was named in the starting XI for the first time since joining the club. And the American defender marked the occasion by scoring her first goal for the club, smashing the ball home to give Celtic the lead in their 3-1 win over Spartans. Speaking to Celtic TV after the match, Courter said: “I was very happy to get my first start, but then also very happy to get my first goal for the club too! “It’s definitely a performance that we can build on, but overall, I’m just really happy to get the first start and goal. ‘It’s very important to get that win and we obviously now move on to the next round.’ “We’re looking forward to what’s ahead and trying to make it far in this tournament. So we were happy to get the win and move into the next round.” “I don’t score often,” she continued. “But that goal meant a lot, being here at Celtic. I don’t remember the last time I scored, honestly. “So it felt like the right moment, and I was able to hit it home, which was great!”Alongside her goalscoring exploits, Courter, of course, also joined Kelly Clark in the centre of the Celtic back four. The defender insisted she was grateful to play beside the Celtic captain, who helped guide her through that first start. She said: “It was great to have Kelly beside me. She is super experienced, and she helped guide me through my first start. ‘I’m just grateful to have her beside me in defence.’ “It’s an honour to play with her. She is such a big legend here at Celtic so I’m happy to be there to share that moment with her.” Celtic v Motherwell, this Sunday, October 12 (KO: 2pm), New Douglas Park, Hamilton GET TICKETSFixturesSpartans FC Women Vs. Celtic FC Women – Sun, Oct 5th 2025, 14:00