If Celtic converted their first half chances, the game would have had a more comfortable final few minutes.

Chances began almost from kick off, with Connor O’Grady missing by inches, firing a corner across the face. Max Leonard was on target, but his bicycle kick lacked the power to beat Brad Rose in the Trafford nets. Jack Irlam guided his shot from the edge of the box past the post, and Leonard went over from inside the six-yard box. Trafford had little to offer going forward, though Matty Barlow had both their chances in the last five minutes, missing the target both times.

Celtic finally converted almost immediately after the interval, Aaron Dwyer’s corner flicked on by Leonard to Matty Bryan at the back post. Bryan stabbed the ball into the net, though it might have gone in anyway.

Trafford dug in, and Celtic found them much more difficult to break down for forty minutes. Though Celtic never looked in any danger, it is always dangerous taking a one-nil lead into seven minutes of stoppages (for an injury to former Celt Sean Higgins). In stoppage time, both sides had penalty decisions turned down, calls for a foul on Bryan and a handball by O’Grady both waved away. Trafford had the ball in the net, though another former Celt, Mike Burke, was on target but offside. And, the closes Trafford came to snatching a draw, Eddie Servuts from an acute angle hitting the underside of the bar, the ball spinning away without crossing the line.