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Stalybridge Celtic 3 Redditch United 3

Keith Trudgeon
8/10/2008

CELTIC’S poor home form resurfaced at the weekend, and visitors Redditch can count themselves unfortunate not to have recorded their first-ever victory at Bower Fold after a six-goal thriller.

Having gone five-and-a-half hours without conceding a goal the Celts shipped three on an afternoon in which the defence were all at sea virtually from start to finish.

Mark Rawle took advantage of hesitancy and poor positioning to head the visitors in front on 12 minutes. He swooped onto a long ball, chipped Paul Phillips and walked the ball into an empty net on 25 minutes and the Celts were staring down the barrel of their fourth home reverse of the season.

Rawle almost completed his hat-trick right on half-time, but his dipping volley scraped the bar on its way over.

Steve Burr shuffled his pack at the break, bringing Andrew Smart on for the lackadaisical Matty Barlow, and the substitution was an instant success as Smart reduced the arrears just 46 seconds after the restart.

Steve Torpey levelled things on 57 minutes when Lee Ellington’s shot rebounded off Redditch keeper Danny Lewis directly into his path.

On 66 minutes the mercurial wingman lit up Bower Fold with a sublime chip from 20 yards, following good work by Ashley Woolliscroft on the right.

It looked as though Celtic had well and truly got out of jail but when Paul Sykes fouled Rawle on the edge of the box 10 minutes from time, United skipper Lee Downes planted a superb free-kick into the top left-hand corner of the goal to bring the sides level.

Redditch almost snatched victory deep into injury time when the home defence criminally allowed Sam Foley to find Rawle alone and unmarked in the box.

Phillips saved the day by saving magnificently at the big striker’s feet to preserve a point that the Celts scarcely deserved.