In truth, Celtic snatched a draw from a game that had been a real opportunity against a struggling Trinity. There was a debut for loanee Xander Parke from Stoke after regular keeper, Liam Hughes tested positive for Covid.

An early corner for Celtic proved their undoing when Jovon Makama cleared a Celtic corner and headed up field at pace. Elicha Ahui provided the outlet, lifting the ball over a lunging last-ditch tackle from Matty Liptrott. Makama picked up the ball and bore down on Parke who’s introduction to the game was facing a one-on-one. Makama made no mistake placing the ball past Parke to give Gainsborough the lead three minutes into the match.

Celtic struggled to put any kind of rhythm together, but they looked dangerous when they did, Raul Correia turning to volley a shot to the top corner from the edge of the box. A flying one handed save from Matty Yates denied Correia an equaliser. Justin Johnson put a shift in all game, but his best effort took a deflection that removed all pace from the shot allowing Yates to scoop up. At the other end of the pitch, Celtic avoided the game running away from them by the finest of margins. After escaping the attentions of Kennan Quansah, Makama tried his luck, his shot smacking against the post with Parke beaten. Moments before halftime and a glorious chance fell Trinity’s way, Cieron Keane’s free kick rebounding off the post falling nicely for Bradley Grayson, unmarked with the goal gaping. He missed the target from a yard out when it was easier to score.

Celtic started the second half much as they finished the first, unable to get into any kind of rhythm. Charley Doyle came agonisingly close to equalising early on, heading Ashley Smith-Brown’s cross the wrong side of the post, but it was Trinity who looked the most likely to score next and only a fabulous flying save from Parke from Makama’s point-blank shot kept Celtic in with a chance.

It was a chance they took in somewhat unlikely circumstances. Stephen Brogan started and finished a move that saw Scott Bakkor lift the ball into his path in the box, the keeper, the defender and the post all ricocheting the ball around, culminating in Brogan’s forehead connecting and planting the equaliser in the net.

Both Gadeao Varela and Johnson could have snatched all three points, with Johnson coming the closest, but it was in stoppage time when Celtic’s luck failed. Liptrott put his foot on a Correia cross, the ball coming back off the post, hitting the back of the Trinity custodian’s head and scraping the wrong side of the post. Taking all three points would have been remarkable, given the stuttering performance.