A great season brought Celtic to the play off final at Avro, but a lacklustre first half did the damage, and despite a stronger second half performance, it was Avro that deserved the play-off winner’s trophy over the ninety minutes.

Avro were stronger in the first half, with Darrhyl Mason causing all kinds of problems for the Celtic backline. It needed a fine save at full stretch by Charlie Monks to deny him in the first meaningful chance of the game. Not that Celtic weren’t carving out chance, Andy Scarisbrick twisting into the box forced a magnificent close-range block with his legs from Cameron Mason. However, a free kick on the edge of the box for the home team proved decisive in the half, Taylor Dyson’s inch perfect free kick curled up over the wall and into the top corner with Monks left stranded. Dyson nearly did it again, just before the interval, but this time, Monks reached the free kick to push it out for a corner.

The second half saw a much-improved Celtic and the visitors were on level terms within moments of the restart. Ellis Horan’s corner found Jack Tinning at the back post, who thumper his header into the net. Irlam could have made it two, but Mason came to the rescue after Irlam brought the ball down superbly, however, there was nothing the Avro keeper could do when the home team failed to clear their lines. Despite a packed box, Ruben Jerome found Horan ten yards out and he lashed in a volley to put Celtic deservedly ahead. Scarisbrick got two great chances to put Celtic out of sight, Mason denying him with an instinctive save, and Scarisbrick headed the resulting corner wide.

That save proved decisive, and Avro got back onto level terms when Kieron Molloy’s deep cross found Darrhyl Mason. Pressured by Chalmers, Mason still got his header away, nestling into the top corner. Molloy went on his own moments later, a good move finishing with a shot from the edge of the box which rebounded off the crossbar. Avro were on the up, and Celtic couldn’t sustain the pressure from the start of the half, and when James Simms fired through a crowd, he found the smallest of gaps to thread his low drive through, putting Avro back into the league. With still fifteen minutes to play, Celtic upped the pressure, but didn’t create any real chances against a strong Avro defence, and deep into stoppage time, Celtic broke from an Avro corner pressing high looking to create that special moment, but too high, Avro broke, the league’s top scorer, Kyle Hawley left Monks no chance to give Avro an unassailable two goal lead in stoppage time.

So Avro are promoted, and Celtic will have to go again next season.