Match Reports >> 2008 Match Reports >> Castlebar CelticB  5-0 Crossmolina

June 14th 2008 Castlebar Celtic B 5-0 Crossmolina 

Castlebar Celtic swept aside Crossmolina with an awesome display of attacking football on Saturday evening at Pavillion Road. The gulf in class between the two sides was immediately evident as the hosts effortlessly stroked the ball around the pitch in a measured and purposeful manner. Every player seemed comfortable in possession and the coaching they had received shone through in their approach to the game. They created so many chances during the match that it would require more space than is permitted here. Brighter than their beleaguered opponents from the kickoff they prised open the Crossmolina defence within the first minute but Morgan O’Malley clasped the shot to his midriff. Two minutes later Crossmolina replied with an effort by Pierce Loftus after he was teed up by Stewart Griffin but he hooked his twenty yard effort over the bar. A moment later Celtic punished indecisive Crossmolina defending when they stole the ball from their opponent who was trying to shield it. The ball was delivered to Peter Drevin on the edge of the penalty area and he cracked a sensational shot that disappeared into the top left corner in record time. Five minutes later the lead was doubled Shane Smith received the ball in the inside left channel with no opposition. He cruised into the penalty area and calmly slotted the ball past O’Malley. Another five minutes passed before the scoreline received another embellishment and it was Smith again who did the damage. This time he collected the ball on the right side before once again heading directly for goal before unleashing a low fifteen yard drive under O’Malley. The slick passing and well-drilled organisation of the hoops had blown away their opponents in a clinical quarter of an hour. Drevin in particular was sublime in his role as striker, exhibiting great awareness of space and where his team-mates were located. His partnership with Smith will terrorise many more defences this season. For the first half an hour the home defence was completely untroubled by the Deelsiders who struggled to string any passes together and were mostly relegated to running around after the crisp Celtic passes. Wave after wave of Celtic attacks stretched the Crossmolina defence to their limit and but for some saves by O’Malley and some inaccurate finishes the score could have been ugly. Strangely Crossmolina were presented with a raft of chances just before the half time interval. Celtic’s defence snoozed in the evening heat and with some luck the visitors could have levelled the match. Eight minutes before the break Paul Flaherty lifted a high delivery from the left wing to the unmarked Darragh Carroll at the back post but the right winger sidefooted his ten yard shot over the crossbar. Two minutes later Griffin struck a sweet angled ball from the left of midfield that landed between the two centrebacks on Michael Timlin’s head but the striker nodded wide under pressure. Three minutes later a moment of genius from Paul McGuinness allowed the tricky midfielder to jink past a tackle and rifle a wicked twenty five yard drive that just cleared the bar. Then in the final throes of the half Carroll arrowed a cross from the right flank to McGuinness in front of goal but his ten yard effort screwed wide.

The second half was slightly less absorbing than the first as Celtic seemed content with their evenings work and, perhaps chastened by the defensive lapses prior to the interval, they focussed on keeping a clean sheet. Nevertheless Smith was chasing his hat trick in the first minute of the second period but after he cut in from the left flank his low drive was blocked by O’Malley’s feet. Two minutes later Crossmolina squandered an opportunity to ignite their comeback when Kevin McLoughlin cut inside from the right flank before drilling a low pass across the edge of the penalty area to Mark Howley but the substitute’s low first-time shot was well saved at the base of the left post by the Celtic netminder. Drevin illuminated the game with another spectacular effort after fifty two minutes when he rasped an outstanding volley from over twenty yards that just flew the wrong side of the right post and crossbar. Just after the hour mark Drevin instigated the fourth goal with a clever piece of work on the right wing that allowed him to deliver the ball into the penalty area where substitute Wayne Howley scored with a simple finish. Smith completed his hat-trick in controversial circumstances with ten minutes remaining when he was adjudged to have raced onto a defensive clearance from within his own half. Granted the freedom of Celtic Park and with only the goalkeeper to beat he was never going to miss and so it proved. Outraged Crossmolina players complained that the striker had been offside and during the airing of opinions Morgan O’Malley was sent off for verbally abusing the referee. To emphasise their superiority Celtic nearly added another wonderful goal near the end but Brian McNulty failed to register a rare goal when his long range attempt rebounded off the crossbar.

Crossmolina – Morgan O’Malley, Jason Canavan, Anthony Timoney, Michael Cafferty, Mark Loftus (Mark Howley 44), Darragh Carroll (John Duggan 70), Paul McGuinness, Pierce Loftus, Paul Flaherty (Kevin McLoughlin 45), Michael Timlin, Stewart Griffin

Referee –

Match Reports >> 2008 Match Reports >> Castlebar CelticB  5-0 Crossmolina