Cometh the hour, cometh the man. A phrase invented in the era where men thought it was only them who stepped up to the mark and changed the tide of history. Even then, it wasn’t true. They ignored Cleopatra, Boudicca, Joan of Arc and countless others.
Cometh the hour, cometh the … person. Or as was the case today, cometh the 40 minute mark cometh Caitlin Hayes, the women’s team’s standout player in a standout campaign.
She is the driving force of this team. The inspiration. The talis … talisperson.
You see how little of the language was written with the women in mind?
But whatever terminology you are using, the meaning of it is the same.
It’s the big individuals, those who have proven themselves before, who step up when the going gets tough and the big things have to be done. When the need was greatest today, there she was.
Her strike came at the very moment when it looked as if we might go in at half time still tied.
The game at Ibrox was also poised at 0-0; all three teams with a chance of winning the league would have gone in for the break knowing that. The psychology of it was flipped the moment she got the ball on the edge of the box and drilled her shot expertly into the net.
At the Friday presser Caitlin was actually asked if the boss planned to play her up front; she has, of course, scored a lot of goals in her career so far. But she laughed that off, although we all know she’s capable of doing so.
That goal was further proof of it.
But more than anything else, it was an act of stepping up, the important individual bending the course of events and setting them on a new course. At 0-0 in both matches Glasgow City were champions, although the media had spent much of the week trying to pretend that it was the Ibrox club who went into these games as the favourites with a hand on the trophy.
Hayes’ shot upended everything, catapulting us to first, striking that half-time blow and giving us the necessary momentum.
There was a lot of football still to be played … but that should have been the moment the league was won.
Cometh the hour, cometh the hero.
And when Flint, the scorer of the second, nodded us into a 2-0 lead from a cracking cross ball, I had just one fear; that Glasgow City would leave it late but clinch it instead.
The sense of mounting dread I felt was more than justified.
What a shocker of an ending that was at Ibrox.
A piece of suicidal defending put Glasgow City ahead.
At that point, the home team had exactly zero incentive to push for an equaliser … nothing but pride.
Not even the notorious “bragging rights.”
What happened next was all the more horrific for subverting our expectations in every way.
The Ibrox club did, in fact, put the ball in the net … but in a season where they have had every single decision going, every single call from officials that it was possible to get, a season in which their men’s team has not conceded a single penalty kick in the league, in spite of many, many, many instances where they should have, it was a refereeing decision which went against them which snatched away the title we should have won.
No Hollywood director would have touched that.
That the Celtic fans had celebrated the goal, and that the women obviously thought that they had done it, was heartrending.
It is gutting. It is going to take time to get over that, but this team doesn’t have the luxury of that.
They have a cup final in a week.
So they will turn their thoughts to that … they have to.
Still, I’ve watched football a long time and that’s as sickening as anything I’ve seen.
It’s an atrocity of an ending, and I just hope the team can get over it, but they must be devastated and to see Caitlin Hayes, sobbing on the turf, when she should have been raising the trophy … yeah it’s horrendous.
But God, what respect I have for these women and their manager.
I am proud of the team, and we all should be … and I’ll write about that later, but right now it’s a little hard to focus on that when I genuinely feel sick to my stomach instead.
Yes James, I keep on posting. I cannot stop myself.
And I have no business calling you anything when it’s obvious that the sad bastard here is me.
Always felt that the main objective today for the women’s team was to qualify for the CL, and that has been achieved, which deserves great respect.
The league would have been the icing on the cake as the title was never really within there own hands as such.
Yet to get so close and have it taken away in the manner that it was, only highlights just how cruel football can be.
Really hope the women can put the disappointment of today behind them and land the cup next week, as they thoroughly deserve to finish the season on a high with a trophy
Corruption cheating and everyone knows it FACT.
Those hun fuckers chucked it out of spite. Bastards.
Ghirls were fantastic all season, a thrilling climax that all 3 teams take credit for. The passion of the Ghirls manager is a joy to behold against ‘their’ dour brown brogues man. Hopefully the Cup final next week sees them brings some well deserved silverware home.
I was there today and saw a thoroughly good display by the ghirls.
Like you, I felt immensely proud of them and Fran and the coaching staff.
I hope the club backs them with proper funding and support as we go forward.
More games at Paradise please.
You are right Jame… such cruel finish for the girs…
I’ll be honest James, I thought the Ibrox team were better to and did not deserve to loose. For Glasgow City to steal a league the way they did left a bitter taste. I watched the Girls on iPlayer, they were fantastic, Alba was on and was watching both teams stuttering and fluffing in front of goal, when I looked up from the computer, and hoped for the draw as I didn’t see a winner other than Sevco. When the second goal went in (a thing of beauty), I hoped that if a goal came it came for Ibrox and it was the only one. Alas GC scored and it took our title away. Champions League next season and a Scottish Cup still to achieve. So all is not lost James, our Girls can take a step further and grow in stature, and progress even more.
Yeah that ref was making sure of the old adage eh ” anyone but Celtic”! Just like that disgraceful decision the ghirls had few weeks ago where ref waited minutes to chalk off our goal and no var in these games! Can you imagine if that goal had been for Glasgow if the newco were 2 up! Never in a million years would that been chalked off. As we saw all season even with var!! Huns refs all over the place as I saw no orc refs they be no refs Dallas made sure of that alright
They did dae the club proud. It was the singin from the support behind the goal that was the big let down. A huge percentage that go tae the woman’s games the now are just juveniles, kids and that mob were beltin out pro-ira songs as well as songs accompanied by swearin throughout. Get a grip, that’s not on. The support can be great at times but that’s just embarrassin.
Even the celtic women get cheated. Well done girls. Go out next week and win the cup. The sevco ladies lay down yesterday.
I was at the game with my 6-yo granddaughter. Brilliant spectacle, great support and heart-breaking ending. At the last corner in the 90th minute Jacinta asked us what the score was at the other game … devastating.
On another note – I wish the young team would GTF with that RA stuff. No need for it ever, but especially not at these games.