Craig sat down with Celtic TV to speak about her journey and how far women’s football has come in Scotland.
“I think it gives you realisation of how much hard work you’ve put in and how much hard work the club has put in to get us to the place we are just now,” the defender said of what it’s like to have been a part of that trip since the beginning. It also, in my opinion, illustrates how women’s paths have evolved.
She spent a lot of happy times at the club, some of which date back to the early years. “At that time, playing for the Scotland [Women’s] A-squad. Players such as Gemma Fay, Rhonda Jones, Julie Fleeting, and Suzanne Grant, according to Craig. “I believe these were individuals who had a significant impact on my path.
It was a huge honor for the player to don the armband on a few times as a Celtics supporter: “Really, it doesn’t change the player who I am. It’s always a proud moment and an honor.” Whether you wear an armband or not, every player is just as essential as the one who comes on the field after them. It’s a fantastic way to feel appreciated.
Among those who made the switch to full-time professional football was Craig. “It was exciting,” she exclaimed. Since being a professional women’s tennis player wasn’t common back then, I get the impression that when you were younger, it was never something you imagined might happen. It’s incredible to be able to declare that this is your line of work. Seeing how much we’ve changed and how much our team has expanded since then is incredible.
Most of the players from these clips—which feature some of Craig’s best goals—are no longer in the league. Even if it’s completely different from what you had in mind, you still value it.
Craig said he never imagined she would be able to score this many goals—”not as a defender.” My main goal is generally to discourage other people from doing this, but this is an accomplishment that I never imagined I’d be able to do, even though it’s clearly an honor.
“I remember it was basically ‘get the ball up, get everyone in that box’ and that’s what we did,” she recalled, recalling her game-winning goal against Rangers in 2022. “I think at that point, everyone was celebrating with everyone, it didn’t matter who scored the goal, it was all about getting the three points,” she added. Having said that, there’s probably no greater feeling for a Celtics supporter than to play against and score against the Rangers.
Craig understands the feeling, having won silverware with Celtic numerous times: “If anything, it just makes you hungry for more.” It provides you with the motivation and conviction to press on and achieve that.
“I really don’t think you can think too much into it,” she stated in reference to the strain of accepting a penalty. Although it plays a significant role in the game, you cannot allow it to demoralize you. Like one right after the other. It just needs me to put the ball down, get in the appropriate frame of mind, and accomplish the goal because I am confident enough to step up and others are confident in me when I do, which makes me feel good. I don’t really take credit for individual penalties since the other girls help get the ball into the box, so even though I score the goal, it’s still theirs.
“I was told I was on 98 goals two or three weeks prior to the game and someone that week said to me ‘you’ll get two goals against Rangers’ and I went ‘there’s no chance, absolutely no chance’ but then it actually did happen, and I actually didn’t realise it until after the game,” said Craig, who was thrilled to have scored two goals from penalty kicks against Celtic’s fiercest rivals. It was a little bittersweet because of the outcome, but I also took that positive out of the game when I realized, “Oh my gosh, I just scored my 100th goal.”
She had a few favorites among those 100 goals: “There are so many to pick from. All goals matter, of course, but in terms of a recent match, I would probably pick the 2-1 victory over Glasgow City. Most likely as a result of the way the match played out and Cavanagh’s last-second victory. It simply added a tiny bit of a unique ring to it.
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