From 'dark days' to 'dominance' - how Sadiku shifted Celtic mindset

Elena Sadiku is an SWPL-winning manager four months after joining Celtic

"I was calm until we scored the goal... that's when I went loca."

Elena Sadiku must have been one of few inside Celtic Park who were calm at any point on Sunday, but she was part of the crowd when the cauldron went crazy.

Amy Gallacher's 90th-minute strike triggered triumph and released relief as the SWPL trophy was draped in green and white for the first time.

Up until euphoria erupted, it was a bit of a slog in the sun for Sadiku's side.

That's rarely been the case in the Swede's 15 league games since taking over from Fran Alonso in January - the first, a 1-0 defeat by Glasgow City, though it's the only blotch on an otherwise remarkable report card.

That loss left Celtic six points behind leaders Rangers and staring at another season where the title would evade them.

But, as the head coach says, "by changing the mindset from being underdogs to dominating", Celtic finally got their hands on the one they wanted most - and they have no intention of letting it go.

'We never wanted to feel like that again'

During Alonso's tenure, he became accustomed to victory in the domestic cups, winning two Scottish Cups and a League Cup in nearly four years in charge. But the big one was just out of reach.

Last season Celtic could smell it. The trophy-lift plinth was pitch-side, the cooler with the champagne tucked in the tunnel and the t-shirts spelling out their success stored.

That all had to be pulled and piled into a dark corridor while the players remained rooted to the Parkhead turf unable to comprehend what unfolded at Ibrox to leave Glasgow City champions. It ignited a feeling that was hard to shift throughout this season.

"Something always means more when you know what the opposite feels like and we certainly felt the opposite of it last year," defender Caitlin Hayes told BBC Alba.

"There were some dark days in this camp. We knew we never wanted to feel like that again and that was fuel for today."

The SWPL trophy has been added to the Celtic cabinet

As time ticked on, it seemed nothing was left in the tank. That Celtic had run out of ideas and consigned to suffer heartache - this time to Rangers - again.

Only once under Sadiku's stewardship in the league had her side failed to score, a 0-0 draw against their arch-rivals.

And it was their potency that enabled Sadiku's trust in her team to find the net when it mattered most.

"I know we create chances, we’ve been doing it since I came here," she said.

"I was running up and down, but in my head I knew we needed to be ready for the final minutes.

"When you play for Celtic you need to change the mindset that you are going to dominate no matter what.

"That’s been the main thing since the split, changing the mindset that we are not the underdogs we are here to dominate."

'I came here to do something good... I think I managed it pretty well'

A 14-game unbeaten run in the division, crucially including the 10 post-split games, had Celtic placed perfectly for a party.

With 125 goals scored and 25 games won, hopping over the Hibernian hurdle was largely expected.

And while plenty plaudits must go in the way of Grant Scott's side, and particularly Joelle Murray's marvellous performance in her final game for Hibs, Celtic failed to reach the dizzying heights they have set under the Swede.

Just on Wednesday night against Hearts, the first-half performance was dubbed "incredible" by the head coach. The fluency and flamboyancy, swagger and style was there in abundance. The only thing in abundance on Sunday was nerves.

Skewed shots, forced finishes and impatient play were apparent. While Sadiku perhaps had not seen this film before, the players were on a re-run.

Gallacher admitted she was "worried", while captain Kelly Clark who has spent over a decade at the club, said she "doubted it in the last five minutes".

That's the mentality Sadiku is in the process of squashing out, though. She's succeeded so far in dispelling it, which is why Clark added she "probably shouldn't have doubted", but it's about how Celtic kick on from here.

Not quite yet, though. That's a job for the summer and now is a time for jubilation.

In her assignments so far, Sadiku has succeeded, or as she put it: "I came here to do something good and I think I managed it pretty well."