Celtic knew this was a pivotal game in their season and started with the established back-5 of Sabin, Kacem, Chuck, Hammad & Darren to absorb the expected early Rathcoole pressure, a team on the back of 8 straight wins. The possession lay firmly in favour of Rathcoole for the first 20 minutes, but once the Celtic side settled into the game, it was obvious that the midfield axis of Dino Dervisic & Brendan Stangu would create chances for the ever willing strikeforce of Fabian Wolski & Craig Hughes. Numerous chances went begging, until the ref blew up at the end of a very even first half.
After the break, a Sean Dyche-like teamtalk inspired the enigmatic Great Imole to lay on a chance for Klevis Malaj, who lobbed the keeper brilliantly to give Celtic the lead. With Liam Hosford back in his regular right back position, Kacem, Brendan & Great continued to control the game, until an unfortunate run of the ball, allowed Rathcoole to score a great equaliser. The 1-1 scoreline was a fair result, and compliments to the players and large crowd of parents, who ensured a very good point for Celtic. With 4 players missing through injury, this was a performance that epitomised the fantastic team spirit that this group of players possess.