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Home Farm 3 – 0 Castleknock Celtic
“Home Farm show class as Celtic “Gone with the Wind” ”
It’s the last weekend in September so it must be the SFAI Cup. For the Schoolboy leagues this is what you dream about playing in and for the U14’s it really was a treat when they saw the draw – Home Farm Premier. YES they are arguably the most successful Club in Irish history. YES they are a quality Premier outfit but nonetheless these young Celts had built quite an enviable record in the SFAI over the past 2 years and today the Boys would approach the game with a belief that on their day they will give anyone a game. The venue was Farms quality pitch on Mobhi Road but there would be no fairytale story this year.
The early exchanges were akin to a chess match as both sides weighed each other up. However there were early signs that it was not going to be a good day for Celtic as some of the players struggled to react to the pace of the game. Despite this it was Celtic who nearly took the lead. Ciaran Collins went on one of his mazy runs down the left wing before cutting into the box. 1 v 1 with the keeper he unselfishly squared the ball but the ever alert Farm defender intercepted to relieve the danger. Minutes later it was 1-0. Following a swift break the ball was played into the box and Celtic failed to pick up the No 8’s run from midfield and the youngster supplied a quality finish. One nil and deserved.
The game was proving to be scrappy but it was Home Farm who were the more committed and first to the ball. Still chances were few and far between. With 2 minutes of the half remaining Celtic won a corner. An equaliser would have turned the match on its head but it was Farm who cleared their lines swiftly with the a long ball played to the right wing. The Farm No 8 was eating up the ground but Celtic had the cover or so it seemed. However the impressive Farm No 8 made the ball his own before coolly finishing well. 2-0. Half time but effectively game over.
The second half replicated the first. Castleknock worked harder but in truth there was only ever one winner and in a game of few chances Farm put the icing on the cake and a truer reflection of the game with a third goal in the dying minutes from the Home Farm centre back following a corner set piece. FT: 3-0.
And so no fairytale this year. In truth Celtic never looked the part as they were outplayed, outfought and outthought all over the park. From the Coaches perspective the defeat was not an issue but the manner of it was. The performance was poor and almost every level was unacceptable – in fairness some players gave their all but you will only achieve as a team if all your players give their all and today this did not happen. As for Home Farm we wish them well – a hard working team and deserved winners as they showed Celtic how it should be done. As Scarlett O’ Hara once said “Tomorrow is another day” and from Celtic’s perspective let’s move on and move forward.
