The Celts played their first home game of the season at Bittner park against old rivals Wallingford Morelia and it proved to be a memorable match! The weather was sunny, the field was a plush green and the team was full of energy right from the kick off. The Celts got an early grip on the game with strong midfield play and aggressive forward attacks. Some early chances to score were missed but most of the possession was going the way of the Celts. The only fly in the ointment was the ability of the Morelia midfielders to send balls into the Celtic back line and cause confusion. And well against the run of play Morelia took advantage of that confusion to score the opening goal. The ball didn't get cleared quickly enough and the visitors reacted smartly to slam past Dustin. After this set back the Celts started to fight even harder. Their passes weren't connecting that well but the midfield and forwards were running hard and hassling to get possession back. Several clear chances came and went for the Celts before a superb pass to Ronnie allowed him to run and slot in a great equalizer. The cheers and celebrations had barely died down when the Celts lost another goal. This one almost a carbon copy of the same defensive confusion that caused the first one. Clearly upset by this quick loss the Celts grimly held on for the end of half so they could regroup. And regroup they did, with some tough halftime talking and a realization that Morelia were there for the taking. The usual list of injuries had also occurred with both Eduardo and Nino hobbling out of the game but the team entered the field with the right attitude.
The second half was a superb fighting display by the Celts. So many great midfield runs by Dave S, Johnny B, Tom A and Ronnie supplemented by scintillating forward play by Leo, Tano, Ravi and Rob. So many great shots and near misses came and went for the Celts and it looked inevitable that the home team would win this but with the clock running down Morelia were holding on to their slim lead. And then the dam broke and the Celts ran away with the game. The equalizer came with a great pass from Ravi to Johnny B who slipped the ball into the net. After this goal it was all Celtic and if it wasn't for the heroics of the Morelia goalkeeper the Celts would have been out of sight. But with only 15 minutes left in the game Dave Slade put Ravi not the box with great pass and he didn't hesitate to flick the ball past the brave goalie. The icing on the cake was a brave goal from Rob Goody who flicked the ball over the head of the Morelia goalkeeper as he was about to get hammered by him.
A well deserved, if hard fought three points for the Celts.
MAN OF THE MATCH; So many great performances, especially in the second half. But outstanding play from Ronnie, Tom A, Johnny B and Dave Slade in midfield as well as Leo and Ravi up front were notable. But because of his tackling, surging runs and two assists the mom goes to
David Slade!
Thanks to Annie for the great photos!
