Stalybridge Celtic

Reporter: Stalybridge Celtic
Date online: 05 April 2010

It’s been another busy week at Bower Fold. Lee Dodgson and Ryan Moss have both left the club, but Celtic have replaced them with former Celt Paul Ennis and ex Farsley keeper Josh Bell. Paul has been playing at League of Wales side Bala Town, whilst Josh names Oldham Athletic among his teams.

On Monday we went to Droylsden. And thanks to a Herculean effort from Jody Banim, we almost turned around a half time 3-0 deficit. Droylsden scored with their first attack, Neil Prince feeding another former Celt, Alex Meechan to go one-on-one with Dave Carnell, and finish well. Matty Barlow and Jody Banim both fired straight at Paul Phillips, but comedic defending after Droylsden broke swiftly left Meechan with his second after a tap in from a sliced clearance from Barrie Keeling left Carnell stranded.

After Keeling thumped a header narrowly wide, Droylsden displayed some slick passing, Neil Prince getting the shot off, Carnell making the save, and Anton Brown was on hand to fire home into an empty net from the rebound. During the second half, Connor Jennings, Greg Wilkinson, and reserve player Joel Bembo-Leta were all brought on, and Celtic looked hungrier.

Most hungry of all was Jody Banim who was everywhere, and it was no surprise when Andy Smart’s cross and Michael Twiss’s flicked header was into the path of Banim, who wasted no time in pulling a goal back.

With half an hour to go, the previously comfortable Droylsden looked rattled. But it took until stoppage time before Celtic won a free kick and Banim curled it, taking a block and a hand from Phillips but still going in. Pressing in the last seconds for an unlikely equaliser, Tony Gray was left with the whole field to run into chasing a loose ball, with only Carnell to beat he didn’t even hit the target, lifting the ball over the bar.

Saturday saw an end to the run of four straight defeats when Solihull Moors came to the Fold. The first half wasn’t much to write home about, with the best early efforts coming from Andy Smart and Keith Briggs, both going wide.

However, these two players combined just before half time to give Celtic the lead, Smart lifting the ball over the defence, and Briggs sticking out a leg to lob the ball over Danny Crane in the visiting goals. Solihull attacked in the second half from the off, with Ryan Beswick and Junior English both testing Carnell; they wouldn’t be denied, and when Carnell spilled English’s shot to Beswick, the striker smashed home the equaliser.

It didn’t take long for Celtic to get back into the lead, through the irrepressible Jody Banim. From a throw, Banim gave the ball to Michael Twiss, who judged Banim’s run superbly for the Celtic striker to curl an exquisite shot past Crane into the top corner. Twiss then provided an inch perfect diagonal ball for Matty Barlow’s run and Barlow didn’t disappoint, with a delicate chip over Crane.

Briggs came close with an angled drive that was hacked off the line by Theo Streete, before Celtic almost let Solihull back in it, with two open goals glaringly missed, first by Tim Gould who had beaten the Celtic defence only to shoot wide, and then by Junior English who put his effort over the bar. Celtic were concentrating on not picking up injuries or suspensions for the run in, allowing Solihull more freedom, though it was Celtic who continued to create the best chances, with Warren Peyton curling a free kick too far, and Joe O’Neill putting his effort over the bar.

Twiss turned provider again from a corner, putting the ball onto Connor Jenning’s head for a great headed goal, before almost getting on the score sheet himself, but his curled drive was the wrong side of the post.

Celtic travel to Vauxhall and then to Corby in the next two games, and the run in gets hard from there on in.

Results for the last two games: Date Opposition H/A Result Scorers
Sat, 3rd April Solihull Moors Home 4 - 1 Briggs, Banim, Barlow, Jennings
Mon, 29th March Droylsden Away 2 - 3 Banim(2)

Next 10 games: Date Opposition H/A Notes
Mon, 5th April Vauxhall Motors Away
Sat, 10th April Corby Town Away
Tue, 13th April Northwich Victoria Home
Sat, 17th April Eastwood Town Home
Tue, 20th April Northwich Victoria Away
Sat, 24th April Fleetwood Town Away