Motherwell continued their pre-season preparations in a behind closed-doors friendly with Celtic at Barrowfield on Wednesday night.
A valiant display from an experienced and youthful Motherwell side proved not to be enough as the hosts held a comfortable five-goal advantage at the final whistle.
It wouldn’t take long for the Scottish Cup champions to break the deadlock, with the opener coming on the third minute.
Celtic were able to exploit the high Motherwell backline, and despite an exceptional reaction save from Rebecca Cameron at the initial attempt, the rebound was prodded home into the empty net.
Nevertheless, the women of steel continued to threaten and minutes later, they netted the equaliser.
Katie Rice’s floated corner kick sailed invitingly towards the near post, and Kaela McDonald-Nguah expertly escaped her marker to apply the finish from close range.
Motherwell’s route back into the game was however quickly undermined, as Celtic restored their advantage.
The visitors were dispossessed deep into their own territory, leaving Cameron in no mans land, and the Celtic forward rounded the keeper with ease, before placing her strike into the empty net.
On the 20-minute mark, the hosts had their third, with Motherwell the architects of their own downfall.
Cameron looked to quickly build from the back, but her short throw was easily intercepted and coolly dispatched for Celtic’s third of the evening.
Motherwell threatened with efforts from Rice and Canavan coming close, but ultimately couldn’t find their second of the game.
A previously arranged water-break on the half hour mark allowed both sides to make several alterations to their line-ups.
With both alternated sides struggling to settle into the tempo of the game, Celtic received a penalty, which was drilled high into the roof of the net. A harsh start for the changed squad.
Canavan came close to narrowing the deficit as the second half resumed after connecting with Rice’s corner kick, but the forward’s looping header narrowly cleared the crossbar.
A mix-up at the back allowed Celtic through again for their fifth of the evening before a late strike from the edge of the box sealed a comprehensive 6-1 win for the hosts.
Head coach Paul Brownlie will have several positives to take from this evenings contest, as the scoreline didn’t fully represent the course of the 90-minutes.
The women of steel will continue their pre-season preparations with a visit from Boroughmuir Thistle on Sunday.
