MATCH REPORT; North Branford 0 Madison 2

A truly fantastic performance by the 10 man Bhoys in Green saw them run out deserved 2 0 winners in an action packed, incident laden match against local rivals North Branford.  The Celts were the visitors although from the opening 4 minutes you wouldn't have guessed it as the away time swept up the park with a series  of  incisive attack. In fact the home team lasted only 5 minutes before their defenses were breached when a powerful surge by Leo saw him stride into the penalty box to calmly stroke the ball past the hapless goalie.  The Celts were so dominant in the opening 10 minutes it was looking like it could be a great morning for the strikers to fill their boots. But that revere was rudely interrupted by the bizarre decision making of the referee when he handed the home team a penalty from a blatant  handball by one of their own players! This so incensed one of our normally quieter players "Bermuda Dan" that he decided to tell the referee exactly what he thought of him resulting in a straight red.  Some justice was restored when the penalty was blazed past the post by a country mile. Down to 10 men with 80 minutes left in the match could have seen the Celts crumble but  some amazing performances at the back most notably by Jim O, Kevin J and Dustin ensured that the opposition were kept at bay for the whole of the first half. In fact Leo could have added a couple more goals before the end of the half as the Celts fought back on the counter punch. The second half saw the Celtic midfield dominate possession with Fribeka and Ronnie showing some great skills in possession and tackling. Mike G  and Tano also has some powerful runs up front which really helped to tire out the North Branford defense. When the next goal came it was no surprise that it came from the Celts and the on form Leo. A great goal that crushed the morale of the opposition. Leo could have scored another couple with the chances he had and even though North Branford pressed for a  goal to get back into the game, great saves from Dustin and last gasp tackles by Kevin and Jim kept them out. A superb win by the 10 man Celts!

MAN OF THE MATCH; Wow, so many players to choose from in this game! A great game by Fribeka, superb goals by Leo, awesome saves by Dustin, strategic play by Jim and sprinkles of great performances throughout the team. But the man of the match goes to Kevin J for a truly awesome performance at left back!