Match Report -
Celtic cruise in control past the Motors.
By Iain Benson
Despite conceding a penalty late on, Celtic never looked in danger of losing in sunny Ellesmere Port on Rivacre Meadow.

It took a half for Celtic to get used to the overly hard pitch covered in a glorious carpet of dandelions, daisies and buttercups. Throughout the half, Celtic camped around the Vauxhall box with Adam Kay going close after Vauxhall failed to clear a corner, with Scott Tynan called into action before the half hour mark with Lloyd Ellam's cracking dipping shot that was tipped over the bar. Rhys Meynell fired a warning shot off a corner, with Greg Wilkinson steaming in behind, Meynell's header blazed wide.

After the restart, Celtic continued in the same vein, encamped around Vauxhall's area. Craig Hobson's flicked header from the first corner of the half was well saved by Tynan, tipping the ball away for a second corner. This time , it came right across the face to Kristian Platt who headed straight into the middle for Rhys Meynell to sneak in and smash his header past Tynan and give Celtic a thoroughly deserved lead.

Hobson again went close from a corner, with Tynan doing very well to deny him, before a fifty yard inch perfect pass from Callum Warburton landed right onto Connor Jennings toes to allow him to nick the ball past Tynan and cut the ball back to give Celtic a cushion. Jennings added to that goal with his second and Celtic's third, with an absolute corker of an effort, overlapping with Dennis Sheriff and cutting inside before unleashing a curling effort beyond the outstretched fingertips of Tynan. Between the two goals, Vauxhall had their first effort on goal, with Crago Mahon making sure Jan Budtz was still awake with a twenty-five yard effort.

With five minutes left in the game, Anthony Wright chased down a long ball, Budtz thought about attempting to take the ball but held back with Wright seemingly content to head for the corner flag. Warburton followed him, and as Wight cut back, Warburton slid in and clipped the Motor's striker's legs. Paul Brown took the penalty, and it was a good one, which Budtz did well to save, flying across to punch away, but it was eclipsed by the excellent follow up shot block Budtz made as his parry fell to Wright, who fired back in from an angle, with Budtz getting back to his feet and blocking again.

It was a well-deserved three points, clean sheet and edges Connor Jennings closer to twenty goals for the campaign.

1Tynan, Scott  
2Noone, Chris  
3Dames, Lee  
4Taylor, Andy  
5McMurray, Kirk  
6Mannix, David  > 63
7Mahon, Craig  
8Brown, Paul  
9Moogan, Brian  > 74
10Grice, Tom  
11Grocott, Kevin  > 74
12Halligan, Jamie  < 74
14McAuley, Carl  
15Wright, Anthony  < 74
16Roberts, Tomos  < 63
17Ritchie, Jon