The only game to survive the Friday night rain was this Under-19s LFL Development Cup game as Celtic hosted their south Dublin rivals Dalkey Utd.

The pitch was in good condition despite the rain and perfect for good football. The visitors were ahead in 15 minutes when Harry Crossan took his chance. Celtic struck back within 10 minutes when Lorcan Quinn was on the mark to find the net. Half time 1-1

Despite conceding early on, Celtic looked composed at the back with Jordan Bowden and Tameen Chaal in commanding form. Jack Darcy looked back to his best form after his break from the team, and impressed in the middle with Alex Holmes and man of the match Killian Ronan. Up front James Smith was creating chances, and he was partnered in the attack by Adam Layton who was at his clinical best when he got Celtic’s second on the hour.  

The highlight of the game came late on when Killian Ronan weaved his way through the Dalkey defence, only to be taken down in the box, and referee Paddy Kearns had no hesitation pointing to the spot. Up stepped Alex Holmes with 5 minutes remaining and his spot kick to the back of the net sealed a convincing win that puts Celtic in the draw for the next round later in the week.

Given the overall balance in the team and lots of commitment, this team will look forward to their next challenge with relish. Manager Eddie Bowden was quick to praise his team’s performance, not wishing to single out anyone for special mention as they had all put in a shift today.