Old Firm derby & top-of-table showdown - what to watch in SWPL
The clock is ticking down to the final SWPL games of the season and it's still anyone's title to play for. Here are a few things to keep an eye on this weekend. Derby deciderAccording to Rangers manager Jo Potter, Sunday's Old Firm derby against Celtic is a "must win" if her side want to keep their title (and treble) hopes alive.As things stand, Rangers are five points off Hibs at the top with three games left. They also have a Scottish Cup final to think about at the end of the month. "These games are always massive," Potter said of Sunday's derby. "Each game is going to be huge from now until the end of the season. It's no different to what it's been in the last few. It's just getting a lot closer now and we've got to make sure that we're doing everything we can to take three points. "One result can change the outcome of a whole dynamic."Celtic are mathematically out of the race after their 3-1 defeat to Glasgow City last weekend but still in with a very slim shout of a European spot - they need to win all their remaining games and need the teams above them to lose. "We want to prove that we're much better than this season has shown," manager Elena Sadiku said. "That is something that is going to be very important, we've got to play for pride and show character in the last three games."The meetings between the this season have been close affairs. Last month at Broadwood, Amy Gallacher salvaged a point for Celtic when she cancelled out Kirsty Howat's early strike. The game before that Rangers edged 3-2 while the first derby of the season, back in October, ended 2-2.There's never a dull game between these two. Top-of-table clashPotter will also be keeping a close eye on the early game at Meadowbank between top two Hibs and Glasgow City. Could it be one of the games where the eventual winners will look back on as where the title was won?Currently, Hibs are three points ahead of Sunday's opponents with nine still to play for. These two have met three times already this season, Hibs have won two and City came out on top in the other, but this weekend there's even more at stake. Victory for Hibs would move them six points clear with six to play for and would put Grant Scott's side firmly in the driving seat for the remaining matches against Celtic and Rangers. A win for City would put them top, thanks to their superior goal difference, before their final two matches against Motherwell and Hearts. Montrose continue survival fightAberdeen fought back to snatch a point in Wednesday night's 2-2 draw at Pittodrie in another setback to Montrose's SWPL survival hopes. Craig Feroz's side occupy the final relegation spot - Dundee United and Queen's Park have already had their drop to SWPL 2 confirmed - and are two points off Spartans in safety.They're up against a Partick Thistle side who've had a pretty turbulent season and are heading into Sunday's game off the back of a 2-0 defeat to the Dons last weekend. A win for Montrose makes things very interesting for the final three games. It would move them two points behind Thistle and, depending on results elsewhere, out of the drop zone. How to follow on BBCThere's two games live across the BBC this weekend. The big one at the top between Hibs and Glasgow City is live on BBC Alba, it kicks off at 12:10 BST. Later, Celtic v Rangers is also on the BBC Alba channel. It kicks off at 16:10 BST.You can also watch both games on BBC iPlayer as well as the BBC Sport website and app and there will be live text coverage of all of Sunday's games there too.
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Daily Record
35 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Russell Martin can conjure Rangers winning formula if he's learned one thing from Southampton insists Steven Davis
Davis watched Martin's tenure at his other former club Southampton closely and hopes boss has learned from failed experiement Steven Davis is confident Russell Martin can come up with a winning formula at Ibrox - so long as he learns from his failed Premier League experiment. The former Southampton boss is back for another crack at management six months after being sacked by Saints. The bold passing philosophy that swept the South Coast outfit to promotion to the English top flight was quickly torn apart by their merciless rivals. A savage run of defeats cost Martin his job but ex-Gers skipper Davis is certain the new Ibrox gaffer will have learned his lessons. Davis - a four-time league himself winner at Ibrox - said: "I'm very hopeful Russell will be successful. Ultimately, that's what we all want, a successful Rangers competing for trophies and winning regularly. Hopefully Russel and his staff can bring that to the club. 'He's obviously very straightforward in terms of how he wants to work. 'He's got a philosophy and a culture that he wants to implement. I think that'd be a good thing. 'I've watched quite a few Southampton games when he was manager there. 'They obviously did really well in the Championship, maybe not quite so well in Premier League, but he's learned from those experiences. 'He'll be in a better position going into the job at Ibrox, so I'm very hopeful that he can be successful.' Martin has a huge job overhauling an Ibrox squad that proved to be miles off the Premiership pace last term. The former MK Dons and Swansea manager has insisted his team will put up a better fight than the one which crawled home a massive 17 points behind Brendan Rodgers' swaggering Celtic. He stopped short, however, of making a title declaration as he gave a nod to the scale of the task awaiting him. Davis reckons the Ibrox legions will understand how big a job the new boss faces - but warned that patience will only last so long. He grinned: 'Unfortunately patience isn't a word used in Glasgow! 'I think everybody going into their roles will know the demands that are going to be on the players and the club to try and get that success as soon as possible. 'I think they're capable of doing it. Celtic have been pretty strong in the last few years, but I don't think that the gap should have been what it was anyway. 'Rangers have shown in the Old Firm games last season that they can compete — but it's getting that consistency. 'Hopefully they can start the season well. It's such a big thing, the psychology and the freedom within the group, as soon as you start to get that confidence and belief in the tea then it can take you far. "The expectancy will be for Rangers to dominate the ball in the majority of games in the league. 'But it's what you do with that possession, and that'll be his focus in terms of how he can get into areas where the team can create chances to score - but also with having that balance of the defensive side of things as well. 'All the experiences Russell has gained in his short managerial career will benefit him — you're always better for the experience you have, good or bad. "You learn from it, and you adapt as you go along, and you try to become better.' Davis has tasted the sedate life Martin enjoyed at Southampton during his own six-and-a-half year stint at St Mary's. But that was nothing like the madness he faced during two spells in Glasgow. Martin had a brief taste of that frenzied working atmosphere himself during a four-month stint as a Rangers defender - and Davis reckons that will do him the world of good as he gets his feet under the table. 'The pressures are much more in this city,' he said. 'When you go to Rangers, you have to embrace that side of things. If you don't it can swallow you up. 'But Russell knows what he's stepping into. He's got that short-term experience that he's had at the club, and that'll really benefit him going into the job. 'It's very hard to speak about Rangers and Celtic until you actually experience it yourself. 'Thankfully, Russell's got that experience. He only had it for a short period but he's had that experience and he can bring that knowledge with him, which is positive.' :: Davis was speaking as he helped promote 10 Years On - a celebratory event taking place at Belfast's Ulster Hall on May 2, 2026, marking next year's anniversary of Northern Ireland's Euro 2016 campaign. For tickets go to
Daily Record
35 minutes ago
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Lennon Miller cool on Celtic transfer interest as Sunderland join hunt for Motherwell sensation
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Scottish Sun
43 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
I dream of stepping back out at Ibrox as Rangers manager – I'm gutted I never got a proper goodbye, says cult hero
HE didn't get chance to say a proper goodbye to Rangers fans as a player. But Steven Davis is already dreaming of saying hello to them again - as their boss. 4 Steven Davis spent a total of eight years at Rangers from 2008-2012 and 2019-2023 Credit: Getty 4 Davis was injured at the time of his departure and couldn't say a proper goodbye to Gers fans Credit: Willie Vass 4 Now a coach, the Northern Irishman dreams of one day managing Rangers Credit: Alamy A freak training ground injury meant Davis had been crocked for five months when his Ibrox deal ran out in the summer of 2023. But that October he was quickly summoned back to take temporary charge following Michael Beale's axing. Davis' reign only lasted two games but it convinced him he wanted to be a manager one day. Talk of a quick return to Gers as a coach under Steven Gerrard this summer never came to anything. But Michael O'Neill has added the 140-capped ace to his Northern Ireland backroom staff. Davis - four times a league winner at Rangers - knows he's still got so much to learn in the dugout and is right behind Russell Martin's appointment. But he admits he would love to get the chance to spend longer in the Gers hotseat one day. Davis, 40, said: "In an ideal world, I'd like to have said my goodbyes in a different way and having that decision as my own but that was taken away from me. "I've got over it, you try to put a different spin on it. "I was very fortunate throughout my career not to have major injuries which allowed me to play to the level I did until the age I was. SunSport reporters clash over Russell Martin as he's revealed as new Rangers boss "I tried to get back but I never felt I'd get back to a level I'd be happy with. "Ultimately the decision was made and I was at peace with that. "It would have been lovely to have a send-off on the pitch rather than do it on the sidelines. "This spell I was getting a lot of messages and everybody thought it was a foregone conclusion that I was coming back. "There was never any contact but that's the rumour mill, isn't it? "Obviously the club means so much to me, I've got great memories from my time there. "It's hard to envisage I'll not be back at some point but you just never know. 'I'd like to assume that will be the case but at this minute that's not an option so we'll see what the future holds. "Is that still in the dream, though? Yeah, 100%, it's the same as when I was a kid. "I grew up a Rangers fan and wanted to play for the club. "The ambition was to make just one appearance, my career involved much more with the club than I could have ever have envisaged. "But at this minute I'm starting my journey as a coach. 4 "I've been involved with Michael and the Northern Ireland team, which has been really good for me. "I'm doing my badges as well so that's just part of the process. "Ultimately, one day it would be great to step back into Ibrox as manager." If he does he insists that whirlwind spell when he oversaw a Europa League loss to Aris Limassol and a league win over St Mirren will stand him in good stead. He said: "That was hug, just to get the opportunity to be put in that position was something you could never refuse. "It wasn't in my mind at that time, I was fully focused on rehabbing and trying to get back to play and that was my only focus. "It came out the blue and it was an opportunity I absolutely loved. "It whetted the appetite in many ways, it gives you a taste of what the other side's like and it's totally different. "As a player you have a feeling of what management and coaching will be like but you don't get a full grasp until you're really in it and see it. "Things like the detail that goes into the preparation for everything. "It was a really valuable experience for me and hopefully something I can carry with me going forward. "With the speed it happened, do I look back and wonder how I coped with it? In many ways that was probably a blessing. "I was thrown in at the deep end so I just had to go with it, I tried to give it my all during the time I was there. "It was only short-lived but it was an incredible experience to have. "Around the club at that point there was a lot of negativity so I tried to go in and be positive. "We only had the two games before the international break then Philippe Clement came in, but it was really invaluable for me." Russell Martin admits he didn't do himself justice during a six-month loan spell at Ibrox in 2018. But Davis thinks the insight he got into the club and the Old Firm goldfish bowl will be invaluable now he's back. He added: "In general it's very hard to speak about Rangers and Celtic until you actually experience it yourself. "There's the pressure that comes with it, the demands, living in the city. "Even from a recruitment basis it's hard when you're going through that process of signing players to put that across until you actually live it and experience it on a daily basis. "When you go to the club you have to embrace that, you have to enjoy that side of things. "If you don't it can sort of swallow you up a bit, we've seen that happen over the years. "Thankfully, in the positive, Russell's got that experience - he only had it for a short period but he can bring that knowledge with him. "He knows what he's stepping into, I think that'll really benefit him going into the job." Davis was speaking as he helped promote Ten Years On - a celebratory event in May 2026 at Belfast's Ulster Hall to mark the anniversary of Northern Ireland's Euro 2016 campaign. For tickets go to Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
