Stalybridge Celtic Sunday 7 February 2010

Date published: 08/02/2010

The Blyth game on Tuesday was a case of if it could go wrong, it did.

Against the most negative Blyth side ever seen, Celtic could still have got something from the game. A handball from a defender on the line in the opening minutes that was given as a corner, set the standard for the game, but Celtic plugged away in disjointed fashion for the half, with Blyth barely escaping their own half, not due to Celtic pressure, but instead due to negative game play.

Matty Barlow had a good opportunity following a poor kick from keeper Mark Bell, with Bell redeeming himself by scrambling Barlow’s first time shot wide, and he was in the right place to catch Warren Peyton’s effort just before the interval.

Just after the restart a foul on Peyton outside the Blyth box went unnoticed, allowing John Brackstone to race unhindered up field, and slide the ball to Paul Brayson, who had a head start on the defence, and one-on-one with Dave Carnell made no mistake. Peyton’s ball over the top of the Blyth defence allowed Matty to get through one on one, but a flying elbow from Brackstone ended that run, hitting Matty full in the face. No foul. Joe O’Neill saw his shot cleared off the line, and Bell saved superbly from Dave Hankin’s jink and shot, as he did from Barlow’s effort off a corner. From the corner, Brackstone clearly had it in for Barlow, and unceremoniously shoved him out of the way, Barlow had clearly had enough and confronted the big defender; Brackstone shoved Barlow who shoved back, and such was Celtic’s luck on the night that it was Barlow’s shove that was seen, and he was sent straight off.

With Graeme Law and John Hardiker injured, and O’Neill having run himself into the ground, these three were substituted, so Celtic finished with nine men after Michael Carr was ‘heavily tackled’, and had to leave the field. Such was Blyth’s play that even against a depleted, morose Celtic side they still refused to even venture an attack on Celtic’s goal.

Caretaker assistant manager Chris Wilcox found himself suddenly promoted on Saturday against Stafford Rangers with Benny Phillips having gone to hospital. And he got to watch some of what Celtic can do as we dismantled Stafford in the first half with some excellent football. Keith Briggs, who rumour has it picked the side, opened the scoring letting Joe O’Neill’s through ball drift across his body before smashing it past Lee Evans in the Stafford goals.

Desperate defending kept out Matty Barlow’s shot, clearing off the line, and Steve Woods saw his header claimed with a reaction stop from Evans. The second goal came when a pearler of a cross from Dave Hankin eluded everybody but Connor Jennings at the back post, and he tapped home from a yard out. A strange looking substitution at half time saw a striker (Alexander) replaced by a midfielder (Dinning). It worked. Stafford looked a better side, and though Andy Smart and Barlow found Evans in outstanding form, it was Stafford who found the next goal, a very clearly (by a good 18 yards) offside Fabrice Kasima was the recipient of Levi Reid’s cross, and he tapped home in the manner of somebody who knows it will be chalked off. It wasn’t and Stafford were back in the game.

A great save from Joe O’Neill’s shot and last ditch defending blocking Warren Peyton twice on the line before Briggs headed wide kept the goal difference down to one, and when Tom Thorley had the time and space to pick out a shot from twenty-five yards, he didn’t disappoint producing a stunning finish. There was one last twist in the game, when Nick Wellecomme fouled Keith Briggs in the box during a corner right in front of the referee, a penalty was duly awarded. Graeme Law elected to take it, but Lee Evans capped off a great performance with a correctly guessed direction and punched the ball to safety to let Stafford go home with a point.

Celtic travel to Workington on Tuesday night, then Ilkeston at the weekend. There are subtly different directions to Workington at the moment due to the main bridge in the town being washed away last year. Please see the web site for those if you intend to travel.

Results for the last two games:

Sat, 6th February, Stafford Rangers, Home 2 - 2, Briggs, Jennings
Tue, 2nd February, Blyth Spartans, Home 0 - 1