Castlebar Celtic currently sit in fourth place in the Newstalk A Championship table on seven points from their six games. This weekend they are looking to push their points total on to 10 when Dundalk come to Celtic Park on Sunday evening.
It will be the first time in three weeks that the hoops have had a game and, while it may be a long lay off, manager Declan Kilkelly was glad to have it for a number of reasons. “I hate using injuries as an excuse, but we have had a number of them this season which have hurt us, but the break has given lads time to get over them and the other lads who played so many games early on in cup and league action time to rest up.” Celtic have two home games over the next two weeks with league leaders Sporting Fingal coming to Celtic Park the following week and Kilkelly is targeting six points. “It’s not going to be easy, but we’re looking to win both games. Sporting Fingal may be top of the table and have a number of big players but we’ll give them a game and go for it as best we can.”
With two wins from their six games and three defeats so far, Kilkelly is happy with the way that his side are learning as they go this season. “We have a young side, and while we may have shipped a couple of heavy defeats against teams in Dublin, you only have to look at when we played Bohemians in Dalymount Park. Four of their players were involved in the Champions League with them a few weeks ago, that’s the quality of players we’re going up against and that’s where we want to be.”
Celtic have recently added Charlestown youngster Martin Rowan to their squad and hope to have a number of players back involved in the squad this weekend who were away over the summer, such as Peter Dravins. But they will also be without the services of Stevie Gavin who is away on holidays this weekend. Celtic will host Dundalk at 7pm in Celtic Park on Sunday August 8.
