MATCH REPORT; Guilford 2 Madison 1

A disappointing start to the season re-boot as the Celts slumped to a 2-1 defeat to their old rivals Guilford. The defeat was somewhat surprising considering how easily Madison had beaten Guilford earlier in the season and the fact that the Bell Curve team were propping up the rest of the league. But throughout the game Madison misfired in a number of key areas. Poor passing, non existant tactics and a low energy approach to the game really handed Guilfrod the initiative from the get go. Even though the Celts took the lead half way through the opening 45 mins it proved to be a false sign that the game was going to go their way. The goal itself was great one. A superb overhead kick by Johnny B was spilled by the goalie only for the returning star, Paulo, to quickly flick the ball into the net. Great to see Paulo back on the field after such a long injury lay off. However, Guilford really didn't flinch from this blow and persisted with their strategy of exploiting Celtic's gap down the middle of the field. At times they had 4 or 5 attackers flooding the box with the rest of the Celtic midfield and forward line stranded at the other end of the field. It was on one of these attacks that Guilford got their equalizer with a home team forward nipping in between Goggs and Hulk as they nearly collided in the box. The half ended in stalemate and although it was clear the Celts were sluggish it didn't feel that a defeat would be their fate. But defeat it was, as the second half so no real step up in pace or urgency from Madison. The opportunities that came their way were few and far between and even the set pices were wasted. It was therefore no surprise that Guilford scored on yet another break away to take the lead. To be fair, Celtic produced their best football over the last 15 minutes of the game as they chased an equalizer. With minutes left it looked like it may happen when Tano unleashed a powerhouse of a shot that cannoned of the bar to safety. With that shot the Celts last chance went and the game ended with the visitors facing defeat in a game they should have won but didn't deserve to on the day

Man Of The Match; On a tough day for good passing and attacking play it was the great defensive play by Goggs that stood out. Last minute tackles and great break up play were a feature of Tim's play over the 90 mins and made him man of the match