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Ballyoulster Utd hosted Castleknock Celtic in Celbridge in their 3rd place Shield play-off. It was a lovely early afternoon kick off with a sprinkling of sunshine, and a bit of warmth which was a huge contrast to the cold of recent days. Celtic shot out of the blocks and were soon in front when Patrick O’Reilly raced forward, rounded the keeper, and shot home giving the keeper no chance. 1-0. Celtic hopes were high with an air of anticipation after their excellent draw against Mount Merrion the previous week. However, the wind was sucked out of their sails within a couple of minutes. Ballyouster has a reputation for pluckiness and it was soon clear as they struck back with a vengeance. Within 20 minutes they had built a 5-1 lead. Celtic were scratching their heads at half time with this scoreline as they themselves had created at least as many chances as their opponents and we would not have been surprised if we had been in the lead. Anthony Cooke and Ethan Hoey had both shot wide under pressure from the defenders. Patrick had 2 more shots saved when a goal looked certain. Celtic’s defence, despite conceding goals, had done well, clearing when the home side threatened. Daniel Cryan did have to make important saves. Edward was yet again putting in a big shift in the heart of the defence while getting forward at every opportunity. Sam Kelly was having one of his best games, getting in some important tackles and finding team mates with his passes. Brierton Murphy was again superb and his interventions were very effective in frustrating attacks and creating opportunities for his midfield to move forward. Anthony was winning a lot of ball in the midfield and combining well in attack. Despite all of this, Celtic trailed 1-5 at the break.
The second half saw Celtic again out of the blocks quickly, and 3 minutes in, Patrick took a corner on the left, and the ball flew to Gavin Peters who hit a superb half volley into the net, a candidate for goal of the season. 2-5 and Celtic were playing with a spring in their step. 2 minutes later, it was Ethan Hoey’s turn to demonstrate his skills as he volleyed in from 6 metres out. 3-5. Patrick was soon breaking through the middle and he jinked inside before he struck a beauty that looked goal-bound, but the keeper made a superb save pushing the ball wide of his right hand post. Gavin had another shot on goal without finding the net. Celtic were undoubtedly in the ascendancy. But it was Ballyoulster who next bounced back to stretch their lead 3-6. Halfway into the second half, the home side conceded an own goal from a cross from the excellent Matei Domsa who at one stage was winded when he bravely defended against the Ballyoulster attack. 4-6. But again, the home team struck on the break and they hit 2 in quick succession. Then Edward Nuzum revived Celtic’s hopes when he went close to getting his name on the scoresheet 17 minutes into the second half. This was followed by Andrew McGee, making only his second appearance for Celtic, getting possession from a Sam Kelly throw-in. Andrew exchanged passes with Patrick, who skinned the full back before crossing deftly to Ethan who was on hand to volley home from close range. 5-8 was how it finished. It was a pulsating game that had the hearts racing throughout. It was played in a hugely sporting manner which is a tribute to both sets of players, and it left the referee a spectator for most of the game with few if any tackles warranting a whistle. All Celtic players played their part and it would be impossible to single out anyone for the man of the match award as it was a great team effort. So it is back to training on Thursday in Laurel Lodge at 6pm. See you then. more action