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After the previous day's extreme weather conditions all concerned welcomed the pleasant sunny morning as Navan Rd Utd arrived to do battle with Celtic in the League Cup.
Playing a new attack minded formation Celtic started brightly with Narcis Catre making a real statement of intent with a 25 yard shot that rattled the crossbar. Minutes later Catre and Daire Walsh combined to carve open the Navan defence where Liam O’ Neill just failed to touch it home. With 15 minutes gone Celtic finally got their reward with a penalty, hotly disputed by the visitors, when Sean Costello was felled as he closed in on goal. The youngster duly struck home from the spot. Unfortunately the Referee had seen an encroachment into the box and the penalty had to be re-taken. Costello, to his credit, regained his composure and slotted home for the second time this time in the opposite corner. 1-0.
Celtic continued to be dominant and soon after it was 2-0. Cian Galvin and Walsh exchanged passes before finding Catre who burst into the box and squared the ball to O’ Neill who took a touch, swivelled and fired home with a true striker's finish - bringing back memories of Greavsie himself. One sensed it was definitely Celtic’s day when centre back Omar Emara ventured forward for a corner to score with a rare volley and make it 3-0. We don’t know who was more surprised Omar or his teammates.
Soon after it was 4-0 when with a great individual goal by Galvin as he strode forward from midfield before placing an unstoppable shot beyond the Navan Rd keeper. A fine reward for Galvin's all round play and he looks to be getting back to his best which is a big plus for the team. HT 4-0.
Changes were made but Celtic continued to dominate with Peter Germaine and Luke Mulcahy coming close. Credit must be given to Navan Rd who dug deep to battle their way back into the game and got their reward following a mix up in the Celtic defence which allowed their striker to finish well. Indeed were it not for some strong defending and some good keeping by James Igoe, Navan would have scored a second.
With 20 minutes left, the game was put beyond Navan’s reach when goalkeeper turned striker , Alex “The Cat” Regan tapped in to make it 5-1 following good work by Shane Grouse and Mulcahy. FT: 5-1.
All in all a good day all round. It was not the victory but the manner of it that was most pleasing as Celtic never strayed from their passing game. There was an added bonus as Celtic welcomed back long term absentee Stephen Lynch who came on to play the last 20 minutes. This team is a work-in-progress – far from the finished article but they continue to improve. A good Cup run will build confidence and to-day was a good start. Well done one and all.
