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Valient Celtic ousted in 2nd Cup shoot-out

Celtic lose in another heart-breaking shoot-out

St Paul's Celtic found themselves on the receiving end of a penalty shoot-out defeat for the second time this season last night after a playing out a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes against Albion Reds from Division 2.

Late call offs and injuries decimated the players available for selection and reduced the match squad to 12 for the club's first game since the end of 2009. Paul Hughes made his first start for the club alongside Hamzah Majid in the centre of defence, with McBride and McGinley in the full-back positions. Ryan Bray returned to the side after his impressive debut against Kismayo, with Paul Kennedy, Adrian Blair and Ryan McGuckin making up the midfield. Carl Rogan played in the hole off top scorer Dougie Coull, both hoping to provide the goals to take St Paul's to the next round.

Reds settle early

The London Hoops have started slowly in every game they've played this season so the pre-match call was to come out of the blocks fighting, while holding on to the philosophy of a passing game which plays to the strengths of the Celtic players. However Albion Reds looked the more up for it in the early exchanges, with St Paul's resorting to long hopeful balls for the forward men to chase. It was an error-strewn opening 15 minutes with mistimed headers and slack long-balls allowing Albion Reds to settler quicker than St Paul's, with their captain and centre half enjoying time on the ball to pick passes as the Celtic strikers toiled in chasing aimless long balls into wide areas.

Celtic strike against the run

Despite Albion Reds starting brighter it was St Paul's who carved out the early chances and they took the lead through Carl Rogan after a lovely passing move from midfield to attack. Bray won the ball in midfield and played it back to Kennedy whose diagonal through ball sent Coull racing into the inside left channel. The big striker's pinpoint pass was side-footed home by Rogan for his 5th goal of the season. It was an excellent goal and highlighted how dangerous St Paul's can be when they get the ball down and move it around the park. Celtic could have gone further ahead when a long ball from Hughes sent Coull racing clear again only to see his lobbed effort bounce just wide of goal having beaten the onrushing 'keeper.

Great save sends Celtic to the break in the lead

Celtic resorted to type though and again long balls into the corner were favoured over simple short passing, and all too often certain players seemed unable to lift their head, preferring to attempt to beat three or four men rather than look for a pass and go. Mistakes at the back were frequent too with defenders switching off, charging into midfield and mistiming challenges to put goalkeeper Hamilton under undue pressure. One such defensive lapse gave the Albion Reds a perfect opportunity to even the score but a superb reflex point-blank save from Hamilton kept Celtic in front at the break.

The forced substitution of the influential Ryan Bray in midfield to a migraine saw the Celtic team reshuffled. McGuckin moved into midfield with Kennedy while Martin O'Neill replaced Bray, taking up the wide right slot with Blair moving left. The halftime team talk drilled home the importance of keeping it tight at the back, cutting out silly mistakes and keeping the football simple. Albion Reds looked dangerous on the attack and were a talented team from back to front, and having already lost to opposition from a lower league this season would come out fighting in the second period.

Celtic took some time to settle into the new formation in the 2nd period, but O'Neill's pace and determination proved a handful for the Albion left back. There aren't many quicker players than O'Neill in this league and he raced clear onto a McBride through ball early in the half only to see his shot fire wide of target. The game was swinging left to right with the referee allowing the game to flow, sometimes rightly but unfortunately often wrongly.

Two errant desicions

McGinley caught a flying elbow impeding his run, before the referee blew up for a foul to Albion reds shortly afterwards having apparently allowed for advantage. Kennedy was booked for dissent but the decision, along with earlier ones in the first half, was baffling. However, that decision would be eclipsed by one that followed only minutes later as Albion pulled level. A crossed ball from their left winger went across goal for a goal kick, however the referee incredibly signalled for a corner kick despite the ball not touching, or even nearing, a Celtic player. The decision was all the more infuriating as the linesman stated he was at a loss as to why the corner was given. As frustrating a decision as it was, yet again Celtic were punished from a set-piece. This has become an all too familiar problem this season and one that MUST be cut out. The pre-match and half time team talk revolved around the need to track markers at corners but a free header from this one left Hamilton helpless and the score at 1-1. Chances fell to both teams as the game opened up. A lovely move between Rogan, O'Neill and Coull saw the latter shoot just wide but neither side were able to break the stalemate.

The lottery of the shoot-out

St Paul's 2nd penalty shoot-out of the season saw them again knocked out. Neither goalkeeper was able to save any of the first 12 efforts, although Hamilton was painfully unlucky as he got a finger to each and every one, and it was Celtic's last taker who blasted over having changed his mind mid run-up which corner to put it in, allowing Albion Reds to win on sudden death with their next kick.

This was a cup St Paul's had a real chance of winning so to exit at the first hurdle was very hard to take. However to match and at times outplay opponents from a division above was encouraging and now allows Celtic to focus on the league with a huge month coming up in February.

Congrats to the Reds

On a different note, the attitude, behaviour and hospitality of the Albion Reds players and management was first class from start to finish and everyone at St Paul's Celtic would like to wish them every success this season and thank them for the spread they laid on after the match. Hopefully we'll meet again in the cup next year once we have both won our respective leagues.

St Paul's Celtic (4-5-1) Hamilton; McBride, Hughes, Majid, McGinley; Blair, Kennedy, Rogan, Bray (O'Neill '45), McGuckin; Coull