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Barcelona V PSG repeated in ding dong battle
YES!!!!!!!!!!! Thankfully the season start has arrived. It’s been a long long wait for the historic opening day of the DDSL Summer Season. Players, Coaches and Supporters everywhere have been waiting to see if their dreams will come through and whether all the hard work was worth it.
The Castleknock Celtic u15’s had struggled since September and had headed into the Christmas break in poor form and lacking confidence. Still things can change quickly. 3 players departed to pastures new and 3 players were signed up for the season ahead. The New Year and the new arrivals brought freshness and renewed hope. With some hard work and a solid pre-season behind them the Boys confidence was up as they arrived for the season start with , pardon the pun for the time of year, a SPRING in their step. First up were Leixlip Utd who no different than Celtic have their own hopes and ambitions. The scene was set, let the games begin………..
On a heavy pitch this was never going to the spectacle that the football connoisseurs would have wished for but what it lacked in quality it more than made up for in incident and excitement. Both teams started well and it was clear from the off that this would be a close fought physical contest. Celtic’s Mark Hughes who had started well was the subject of close physical attention from the Leixlip midfield but despite some rash tackling from both teams the only yellow cards we saw were for minor infringements. As the half wore on it was evident that the well meaning Referee was losing control of the game. While Celtic enjoyed more possession the lack of true quality meant that chances were few and far between. HT: 0-0
At half time the Celtic Coaches relayed their dissatisfaction at the teams performance and demanded an improved performance in the second half. In fairness Celtic lifted their game and finally broke the deadlock when Leigh Reilly, who had a poor first half by his standards, powered into the box and despite being fouled finished in style. But NO the Referee wanted to call the game back for a Penalty. No advantage. Still justice was done as Reilly remained calm to power home the place kick. 1-0 and that should have been it. Not so as Leixlip lifted their game and within 5 minutes it was 1-1 following a deft header from a corner. Two minutes later Leixlip were in front with a neat break and a tidy finish. 1-2.
Leixlip battled for everything as Celtic upped their game and with 15 minutes left surely a goal would come. Reilly went close then Nathan O’ Reilly saw his left foot shot bring a great save from the Leixlip No 1. Castleknock pushed but Leixlip remained resilient. Minutes later Celtic were denied a blatant penalty for a push in the back on on Sean Blood. With the clock ticking it looked like it wasn’t Celtic’s day and then it happened. Nathan was put through and the youngster stayed cool with a good finish. 2-2 and still 3 minutes to go. Nathan showing the hunger of a player who wanted to win the game retrieved the ball from the net only to be obstructed leaving the Referee with no alternative but to dismiss the Leixlip player. Celtic sought to capitalise. Lloyd Turner went through and his right foot drive bring a wonderful save. Corner - A short one taken quickly. Hughes crosses, Nathan and Sean Daly rise with Daly forcing the ball home. 3-2 and cue wild scenes. We entered injury time and now was the time to defend but not for Celtic as Reilly powered home with the last kick of the game.FT: 4-2
4-2 was not a fair reflection on the game for Leixlip and while Celtic edged the game this was a keenly contested match. A little over physical with the Referee never in control and this did not help neither team. These teams know each other and have enjoyed great battles over the years and at the end of the game both sets of Coaches enjoyed a kind word with each other. Three points for Celtic but not the performance that the Coaches wanted. In the first half Celtic looked leaden footed and it was only in the second half that Celtic showed any form. On the other side one could only applaud the character the Celtic lads showed with their “never give up, never say die” attitude that saw 3 goals scored in the last 7 minutes a la Barcelona. In good company lads but not good for the hearts of your Coaches and supporters. Enjoy the weekend.