“The feelings, the emotions, crying. I never thought I would cry,” Natalie Ross | OneFootball

It was the launch of the Scottish Women’s Premier League today ahead of flag day on Saturday. A representative from every team was there, and of course, The Celtic Star was in attendance to speak to a Celtic FC Women player.

Natalie Ross attended for Celtic and she spoke to The Celtic Star. You can read everything the Celtic midfielder told us below…

The Celtic Star: Pressure is always a thing in football but even more so when you have a league title to defend. How do you deal with that?

Natalie Ross: “I don’t see it as that, to be honest. I see it as a fresh start. People talk about the top three but there’s also Hearts, Hibs and Partick Thistle that will definitely be chapping the door and probably taking points off the top three this season. So I think it’s a fresh start.

“We have to focus on ourselves, focus on every game and if people want to say that they’re chasing us for the league title, then so be it. I think you can put a lot of pressure on yourself and that doesn’t help, so for me it’s just focusing on the first game. We have Dundee United this weekend so we’re all excited and we can’t wait for it after the dramatic finish to last season.”

The Celtic Star:  Looking back on last season, how did you feel when Amy Gallacher scored that winning goal?

Natalie Ross: “Unbelievable feelings. I’m coming towards the end of my career and I remember winning the league years and years ago with Hibs. Throughout the game, we were confident, we were creating a lot of chances but then there’s that one moment where you think, could we not do it?

“And then when the ball falls to Gallacher, I knew as soon as she hit it and the feelings, the emotions, crying. I never thought I would cry! Even watching the video of the last game, I’m getting goosebumps. It’s a great feeling, great finish, dramatic finish for the neutral, and hopefully, it’s an exciting season again.”

The Celtic Star:  How has it been working under Elena Sadiku so far?

Natalie Ross: “Elena is very good. I think a lot of people thought when she came in that they didn’t know too much about her but Elena has driven standards unbelievably. She’s got high expectations, she wants training to be competitive, and there’s a lot of competitions for spaces this year, two or three for each position.

“We’re definitely getting pushed which is good, mentally and physically. A lot of team meetings, everybody’s buying into what she wants to do. I’ve been very impressed with her. I’m really enjoying working with her. Learning something new all the time, even in training, tactically. So I’ve got a good feeling about this year. I feel we’re in a good position and starting the season and the Champions League in a few weeks.”

The Celtic Star: We spoke to Elena a while ago and she talked about her Champions League ambitions. Has she spoken to the squad about her expectations for Europe?

Natalie Ross: “I think as a squad we spoke about it. We were so close to getting to round two last year and on penalties, we didn’t manage to get it so I think that our aim this year is to get to round two. You can’t really look beyond that because we need to win these two games. They’re going to be tough games, every Champions League game is tough. It’s two cup finals. Travelling to Lithuania isn’t going to be easy either. As a group, we want to progress, we want to get to round two so that is our focus – winning both games.”

The Celtic Star: What’s the mood in the Celtic camp right now?

Natalie Ross:  “Excited. Pre-season hasn’t been easy but it’s not supposed to be easy. Feeling fit, feeling sharp, feeling good. Looking forward to this first game at Celtic Park. Hopefully, a good crowd will turn out to see the trophy and for flag day. So it’s a great start to the season and in a few weeks time, Champions League, it’s every little girl’s dream to play in the Champions League so we’re going to make the most of it.”

Jessica Elliott

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