The first half started off largely uneventful with neither side able to keep control of the ball long enough to make it work for them. Price came the closest in the opening half hour, with his angled drive straight at Sollitt in the Worksop nets. However, it was Worksop who took the lead, following a Murcott conceded corner. Pettinger came for the cross but couldn't reach it, and Jackson was at the back post able to nod into an empty net.
Celtic responded, and after Nicholson had conceded a needless corner, Princes? floated ball caused all kinds of consternation amid the visiting defenders in the Worksop box. Prince, Sykes and Keeling all had shots blocked on route to goal, Sykes? with a good stop from Sollitt, but Keeling's header was a comfortable catch for the Worksop keeper. Sykes then produced an even better stop from Sollitt, as Black's free kick fell into the box, Sykes turned it towards goal and Sollitt made an instinctive block.
Worksop finished the half the stronger of the two. Norton got past Black with a powerful run, but the ex-Celtic winger struck a powerful blast across the face of goal and wide. Godber's physical football allowed him to outmuscle Haran and as Pettinger came for the looping ball, Godber tried to nod it over him. Keeling saved his keeper's blushes putting the ball out for a corner.
The second half saw Celtic trying to drive the ball past Worksop instead of hoofing it, and Price was upended by Simpkins for his efforts. The free kick was met by the head of Keeling, but the ball made its way comfortably into Sollitt's hands. Prince and Ellington interchanged with Ellington slipping but still getting it back to Prince. The shot was powerful, but Jackson's unwitting head blocked it.
Murcott was replaced by Steve Smith, and Celtic started opening up the defence more. Black's ball found Sykes, but he headed at Sollitt, but then new signing Garvey put a superb ball inside to allow Sykes to beat the flat-footed Worksop defensive pairing and Sykes lifted the ball over the advancing Sollitt to equalise.
Seconds later and it got worse. Steve Smith split the defence and slid the ball to Garvey unmarked. He could have taken the shot, but as the defence converged he intelligently found Ellington with a square ball. The Duke had the simplest of tap-ins to put Celtic into the lead.
Celtic then tried to hold the lead, playing possession football, but with twenty minutes to go, it was a dangerous game. Garvey did open the defence once in the period with a looping cross that found Sykes steaming in, but his header lifted over Sollitt and rattled the crossbar.
With minutes left on the clock, thoughts were turning back to the equivalent game last season when Worksop scored in stoppage time. Haran was forced to concede the corner as full time approached and Worksop piled everybody forward causing all kinds of problems as Celtic just couldn't get the ball clear, eventually, Kirkwood helped the Celtic cause by blasting wildly at goal. As Celtic forced the play higher up the park full time was blown and Celtic had notched their first victory of the campaign.
A poor Celtic performance was turned around in the second half, and a win was justified.