Jason’s double keeps Celtic in the Hunt for silverware

Westaro Cup – Round 1 

Castlebar Celtic 3 

Crossmolina 1 

Paul O’Malley at Celtic Park 

Reigning Super League champions Castlebar Celtic had more than enough about them to advance to the next round of the Westaro Cup against a spirited Crossmolina side under the lights at Celtic Park on Saturday evening.

The visitors worked hard to cancel out Celtic’s first-half opener but before the break, the hosts would regain the lead. A second-half goal would put the icing on the cake for Castlebar Celtic, although they could have easily added a couple of more goals throughout the game.

Jason Hunt’s excellent form continues; the tricky winger has put himself in the frame to start in Mayo’s Oscar Traynor game against Sligo/Leitrim next weekend with another brace here to add to the two goals he scored over the previous weekend for Connacht in the Interprovincial Tournament.

He was the last man Crossmolina should have left unmarked on the edge of the box but that is exactly where Luke Kelly found Hunt with a cross-field pass on the 20 minute mark. He applied a super finish into the far corner of Jack Sharkey’s net. The move began when Brian Walsh hoofed a clearance out of the Celtic lines while Crossmolina were applying pressure.

Mick Duffy’s side kept that pressure on and got their reward five minutes later when they found the equaliser. Shane Hennigan stood his ground against Ioseph O’Reilly and his pass across the face of goal found Matthew Williams who tucked the ball home to make it 1-1.

Celtic had a series of excellent chances; Luke Kelly had a curling effort from outside the area that was thwarted by Sharkey who also got down well to deny Mark Cunningham when the right-back got through on the overlap.

Dylan Edwards will have been pulling his hair out when he missed two chances from six yards within a minute of one another. On the 40 minute mark, he was not to be denied with a much more difficult effort. Brian Walsh found him just outside the box and Edwards sent his shot floating in under the bar into the roof of the net to make it 2-1.

The second-half was much more subdued in comparison to the first and chances were at a premium. Celtic’s third and final goal came in the 62nd minute when Dylan Edwards’ quick corner found Jason Hunt in the centre of the penalty area and he hit it first time, finding the back of the net.

Stevie Gavin was able to ring the changes in a game that mostly petered out from here.

Castlebar Celtic: James Robinson, Mark Cunningham, Cathal Coyne, Ioseph O’Reilly, Brian Walsh, Colm Nevin, Fionn Mahon, Dylan Edwards, Jason Hunt, Liam Flatley, Luke Kelly. Subs: Ben Murphy and Oran Groarke (for Flatley and Mahon 58), Bahso Hay (for Hunt 72), Neil Douglas and Keith Mulchrone (for Kelly and Edwards 83).

Crossmolina: Jack Sharkey, Adam Gordon, Matthew Gordetskyy, Stewart Griffin, Kevin Campbell Ian Gordon, Conal Carolan, Matthew Williams, Shane Hennigan, Edward Gough, Richie Shelley. Subs: Aaron Coggins (for Gough 61).

REF: Jimmy Cawley