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SSG Cup, First Round : Celtic 1 Ardmore Rovers 2
It was oh so close as these 2 sides battled it out in a typical Cup game. It was nip and tuck from the start, but it was Ardmore Rovers who made the breakthrough midway through the half. Theo Hennessy was in magnificent form and he kept his side in it with some world class saves. Then with 5 minutes remaining in the first half, James Bannerman broke from the midfield and slid a precise pass to his partner in attack, Costel Burlacu. Costel jinked round the defender and shot into the far corner of the net. Half-time 1-1. match action
The game ebbed and flowed, but the decisive moment came with 10 minutes remaining when Ardmore broke into the Celtic box and the ball was shot into the far corner which Theo had no chance of stopping. It was cruel on Celtic who deserved to end level. Ardmore are in the E1 division, 2 divisions higher, and they had put 6 past Celtic in Abbotstown before Christmas (recall), so it was all the more impressive that Celtic went so close today, which is clear evidence of the progress they are making. Man of the match was Theo Hennessy, stepping in for Ahmed Niazi. He was once again in great form. Ren Mulligan was also magnificent, using his upper body strength to great effect, with Joseph Dunne and Conor Lawless looking equally impressive. Joseph always tries to find a colleague with a pass, while Conor is a battling full back in the old tradition, giving the opponent as little time on the ball as possible. Pedro Moreno joined the midfield and he was hugely influential, tracking back and creating attacks, as well as shooting for goal. Ruben Aherne was again putting in a big shift giving the opposing midfield little time to settle on the ball. Mohamed Dafalla came on to help the attack from the midfield and was unlucky with his shot on goal. Rei Mulligan had just finished a game with the U-10s before kick off and was brought on before the break. He was again showing good touches on the ball and linking with his team mates. Well done boys on a fabulous performance, and see you all on Wednesday at 6pm training.
