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On the back of two losses including a 3-1 defeat away to Leixlip, the lads were looking to change their recent form and were ready to engage from the moment they stepped onto the pitch. Keeping pressure high up the pitch and holding on to the ball, the team dominated from start. They were quick off the mark when a good string of passes set Hakim Malaoui through on goal. Taking a touch he made no mistake and slotted it into the back of the net. The second came quickly with Hakim on form and he set up Oleg Sinkevics who went in and shot straight into the bottom corner. Castleknock maintained the pressure and with some very calm and confident football from the back, it was a pleasure to watch. When Leixlip did try to attack, it was great to see the defence hold firm and when in doubt, use Ethan Hoey in goal to help them get out of trouble especially Mustafa Chalawi. With great build-up play and seeing the boys work for each other we were rewarded with one of the best goals of the season. Solid defending from Alex Matthews led to Eoin Behan get the ball on the left wing, he floated in a great cross which Oleg got on the end of and with a side footed volley he hammered it past the keeper. 3-0 at the break.
At half time Celtic had some small directions but all in all a lot of happy faces keen to keep the game going. With two substitutions replacing our centre mids, Oisin Dunne and Louis Vella had big shoes to fill taking Charlie Boles’ and Marcus Clinton’s places. Leixlip came out stronger in the second half and it seemed to be a more even match. But Castleknock never stopped and kept the tempo the same as the first half. Strong defending from Cillian Dockry, Patrick Buie, Mustafa Chalawi and Alex Matthews held Leixlip out and with options on both wings from Hakim Maloui and Saul O’Brien gave Castleknock an outlet when they broke down the attack. Oleg and Marcus up front together seemed to work in Celtic’s favour when they combined, with Marcus doing the pressing and Oleg closeby to get the shots in. Oisin and Louis didn’t disappoint when they entered the fray, taking it on themselves to choose a more defensive style. Oleg got his hat-trick when Patrick at the back cleared a long ball up the field and Oleg got on the end of it and ran through the defence and slotted home to make it 4-0. Leixlip got a consolation shortly after when a through ball split the back line and the winger shot high catching Ethan off guard. Some brave and strong defending held Celtic together for the rest of the game with both full backs Alex and Cillian being in line for man of the match along with hat-trick hero Oleg. For all his efforts from the get-go, all the players were unanimous in giving man of the match to Alex Matthews. A 4-1 win at the final whistle had the lads in great form walking away knowing they showed the standard they can play at. Well done boys.
