Match Report -
Celtic well worth the three points
By Iain Benson

Celtic got a great result against a hard-working, robust Bradford side who looked like a team pushing for the play-offs.

Celtic started like a house on fire, straight from the off attacking the visitors, and Jack Laird almost opened the scoring with the Celt's first attack, as his shot rose over the keeper and crashed back off the bar. So it was Jamie Mullan who scored, catching the rebounded ball perfectly and smashing his effort into the back of the unguarded net.

Bradford needed to get back into the game quickly, and from a corner, it was Greg Wilkinson on the line for Celtic to deny Rob O?Brien's goalbound effort, with Matty James screwing the loose ball wide. At the other end, Jack Laird and Mitchell Austin both went agonisingly close, but it was Bradford that really should have scored next. O?Brien warmed Alex Cairn's hands before Richard Marshall had a rocket of a shot from the edge of the box that Cairns twisted up and round to get to, and tip away.

The second half started much as the first half had finished, with Bradford probing, but Celtic easily holding them at bay. What Celtic needed was a second goal to give Bradford a real mountain to climb. It came straight after a save at one end with Cairns making Tom Corner's shot look tame, and releasing Kelvin Bleau, who found Jamie Mullan. Mullan raced up the wing, checked, cut back, beat two men and fired in a low, pinpoint cross to Tom Buckley. Buckleey had no hesitation. He struck a sweet drive skimming across the grass beyond John Lamb's reach and into the bottom corner.

Two goals up, Celtic looked comfortable, and Bradford were beginning to look desperate. So desperate that Richard Marshall saw a red, having taken out Mullan for the umpteenth time, the substitute referee (the first was injured) showed Marshall a second yellow and he was off. Celtic played the possession game and Bradford looked devoid of ideas. Celtic did venture forward occasionally, with some intricate passing, resulting in substitute Lewis Hatch firing over, and substitute Jordan Barrow cracked in a great twenty-five yard effort that saw John Lamb defy gravity as he somehow got to the ball to tip it over the bar, to keep the score-line at 2-0.

1Lamb, John  
2Duckworth, Michael  
3Price, Jamie  
4Marshall, RichardRed Card 
5Knowles, James  
6Clayton, Adam  
7James, Matty  
8Snodin, Jordan  > 77
9Corner, Tom  > 61
10OBrien, RobYellow Card > 61
11Walker, Paul  
12Holland, Danny  < 61
14Jackson, Jamie  < 61
15Greaves, Tom  
16Daly, Ross  < 77
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