Castlebar Celtic 2
Finn Harps 5
It wasn't a case of wondering where did it all go wrong for Castlebar Celtic last Saturday night, the point where the game swung away from them can be pin pointed to the 22 minute of the first half. The home side were 2-0 up at this stage and looking set for their second win in the Newstalk A League, but things started to come asunder when Steven Ryan hacked down Fintan Bonner inside the penalty area as the Harps man shaped to shoot. Referee Damien McGrath had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and brandishing a straight red to Ryan.
This game had everything in entertainment one could want, with seven goals, two missed penalties and a red card, but for long spells it lacked real quality as both sides handed over possession easily at times. Celtic stormed into action early on bagging two goals in the space of nine minutes from the kick off. The first arrived when a long ball from the back was knocked on by Peter Dravins into the path of Sean McHale who controlled the ball well before sweeping it under the body of the advancing Liam Mailey to open the scoring. Things went from good to great for Celtic when Ioseph O'Reilly did well down the right flank, playing a one-two with Alan McDonnell before drifting in a cross to the back post where Dravins powered home a header from close range.
Harps were shell shocked at this stage, but slowly got themselves back into the game and when Ryan took down Boner they were handed a chance to get back into the game from 12 yards, however they failed to take the chance. Alan Gethins lined up the ball and put it low to the left, but James Jennings guessed right and saved the spot kick.
But Celtic weren't going to escape that early and just before the half hour Oisin McMenamin opened the scoring for his side. Mark Moran crossed the ball into the danger area and Celtic failed to clear the ball, McMenamin was lurking in the danger area and drove the ball low to the net from close range. The game was leveled up three minutes before the break when McMenamin grabbed his second goal of the game. Moran drifted the ball over the Celtic back four where Alan Gethins had broke the offside trap, he pulled the ball across the face of goal where McMenamin finished with a first time shot.
If Declan Kilkelly wanted his side to keep it tight at the back early on in the second half, those plans were blown straight out of the water less than a minute after kick off. Declan McGarvey played the ball into the path of Brian Lafferty who finished the ball low to the back of the net. Harps were in control of the game at this juncture, yet failed to take advantage and Celtic's determination to hang in there looked to be rewarded when Chris Rowland was taken down in the box on 67 minutes by Darren McGowan, Ashley Stevenson stepped up to take the spot kick, but like Harps effort from the same spot in the first half the Celtic centre half failed to convert the chance as Mailey sprung low to the left to push the penalty away from goal.
The game was written off as a contest 84 minutes when Mark Moran grabbed his side's fourth goal, an Alan Gethins corner broke to the edge of the area where Moran was lurking and despite not connecting with the ball well, his volleyed shot spun off the deck and looped over the head of Jennings in the Celtic goal. Less than a minute later McMenamin grabbed his hat-trick to round off the scoring and condemn Celtic to their second home defeat in the league this season.
Castlebar Celtic:
James Jennings; Declan Flynn, Steven Ryan, Ashley Stevenson, Ger O'Boyle; Ioseph O'Reilly, Alan McDonnell, Pat Fitzgerald, Andy Neary; Sean McHale, Peter Dravins. Subs used: Enda McGahon, Chris Rowland Matthew Hamilton
Finn Harps:
Liam Mailey; Declan McGarvey, Declan O'Donnell, Darren McGowan, Cornelius Gallagher, Alan Gethins, Mark Moran, Caolan Kelly, Fintan Bonner; Brian Lafferty, Oisin McMenamin. Subs used: David Gethins
Ref: Damien McGrath (Inver United )
