Match Report -
Two late goals sink off-the-pace Celtic
By Iain Benson
Celtic got nothing out of this game, but it could have been so different. Leigh weren't at the races for 85 minutes, but in those final minutes, they scored twice to leave Celtic in the bottom third of the table.

Celtic started brightly, and nearly scored in the opening minute, with Price heading a Barnard cross just over. Barnard then got his head on the end of a short corner routine, but headed narrowly wide in a half of few chances. Leigh's first real chance came from a long throw, with Drew snapping his shot at the back post over the bar. Towards the end of the half, a punted free kick from Pettinger was mishandled by Lamb in the home nets, allowing Ellington to snap off a shot from close range, but Stoker stretched a leg and diverted the ball for a corner that Haran then headed wide.

The second half started with Celtic again bright, and Black's free kick was lifted over the bar by Keeling at the back post. Roscoe was equally inaccurate when he latched onto a long throw at the other end, blasting wide. Roscoe was getting more time and space down Celtic's right side, and managed to whip in a dangerous cross that Pettinger had to tip away from danger.

Just past the hour mark, Eastwood (on for Turley) slid a great ball to the feet of Ellington at the edge of the box, he turned around Coyne and as Lamb advanced, scuffed his shot past the despairing arm of RMI's keeper into the back of the net.

Leigh nullified any attempt to capitalise from Celtic, and as the game went into the final few minutes, Leigh's Steve Smith found Simms with a square ball that left a gaping invitation through the centre of the Celtic defence that Simms used with a powerful curling shot that Pettinger just couldn't reach.

Celtic went looking for the winner, and during an attack, Leigh broke away, with Ellison's curling cross turning into a shot that Pettinger managed to tip away, and Haran cleared from the line. It looked like it might be a corner, but a goal kick was given, but from the goal kick, Sykes tugged at Coyne's arm, and the linesman alerted the referee. With seconds remaining on the clock, Roscoe curled his shot over the wall, and into the bottom corner with an excellent free kick from a seemingly impossible angle.

There was no time for Celtic to even get out of the centre circle, and from nothing, Leigh had fashioned a win.

For much of the game, neither side looked like scoring, so when Celtic did score, it looked like it might be 1-0, but two defensive lapse let Leigh have the sniff of goal that they needed, and now Celtic need to start winning games if the season is to be different than last season's eternal relegation dog fight.