MATCH REPORT; Madison 5 Fairfield 0

Celtic posted their biggest and best win of the season with a five nil demolition of Fairfield. It was their first home points of the season, their second shut out of the year and their 9th point out of the last 12. Some good statistics but it would be no exaggeration to say that Celtic could have hit double figures in this game if the two shots cleared off the line, the ball that hit the post and the weird penalty reversal all counted. The Celts were firing on all cylinders with a very strong team out on the field and seven great subs on the side. The teams commitment to staying in this division was there for all to see.

Madison were handed an advantage right at the beginning of the game when Faifield turned up with only 10 players. We know how that feels, but it was difficult to hand out any sympathy to a team that have been somewhat aggressive with their tackles in the past.

Madison were up for the game and totally dominated the opening exchanges. The first 25 minutes flew by with Celtic in almost total control of the ball.  The ball possession must have been approaching over 75% at this point and the passing between midfield and attack was superb. Great play by Johhny B, Roniildo and Alex set up numerous chances for Kevin, Leo and then Tano.  Ruggero also had some great runs into the box. At the back new signing Mike was simple immense and the combination of him and Tim plus Edmilson and Flaco at the back made the defence impenetrable. In fact Hulk was so clearly bored and untroubled with the lack of action at his end of the field he set up a barbecue in his goal and cooked a steady stream of burgers for the fans!

For all the possession and attempts on goal Fairfield were managing to hold on and frustrate Celtic with a superbly executed offside trap. Just as it looked like the half would end in a stalemate another wave of attack ended with a great pass across the opposition box to find Tano in space allowing a simple tap in for the go ahead goal. A well deserved lead and a body blow to Fairfield who noticeably shrank after this set back. In fact it was no surprise when shortly after this opener a great move by Carlos saw him flick the ball over the head of the last defender control it on the other side and slam the ball past the goalie for a two goal lead. As the half ended the two goal lead was no more than the Celts deserved for their industry and great possession.
If Fairfield were hoping that the Celts would ease up in the second half they were going to be disappointed. The home team roared back into the half and had the opposition under the cosh again. Alex and Johnny B were running riot in the midfield and huge gaps were appearing in the Fairfield defense. Again, a lot of the possession was ending in shots cleared off the line ( Tano and Johnaldo ) or offside calls. The rare attacks Fairfield mounted were snuffed out easily by Mike and Tim allowing Hulk to have a few more beers in the impromptu bar he had set up. But just as some mild frustration was starting to build up Johnny B scored a great individual goal for the Celts 3rd. Fairfield's frustration started to spill over with some meaty challenges going in and they made their situation infinitely worse when one of their players was red carded for a foul on Edmilson. After this the Celts took them to the cleaners with some superb attacking play which was rounded off by two fabulous goals by Alex. Sitting pretty at 5 0 the Celts could have rounded things off in style when they were awarded a penalty. Roniildo dispatched it into the net with his customary ease only for the ref to chop the goal off for player infringement in the box, Tano? The Celts finished off the last 5 minutes of the game keeping the ball and ramming home  their superiority.  A great 3 points for the Celts that allowed them to leapfrog Fairfield into the safety zone. This leaves three big games for the bhoys to hold on to their Div 2 status!

MAN OF THE MATCH; So many players to choose from and some fantastic play but it was too difficult for me to distinguish between two goal hero Alex and debut boy Mike, so two MOM's heading their way!