Despite playing some of their best football against top of the table FC United, Celtic succumbed to another defeat after the visitors took advantage of Celtic losing goalkeeper Greg Hall through concussion.

Hall’s injury happened as he denied Max McCarthy with a stunning save that left Hall’s head hitting the post. Despite playing on for some ten more minutes during which time Raul Correia should have put Celtic ahead and Godwin Abadaki forced Dan Lavercombe into an excellent save, parried into the path of Correia, only for Andy Halls to get across and hack Correia’s effort off the line. However, Hall couldn’t continue and defender, Dahrius Waldron, donned the green jersey. Just past the half hour mark, Lavercombe was the keeper tested, this time by a fine run by Nathan Caine that required a trailing foot from FC United’s keeper.

Somewhat against the run of play, Dontai Gabidon took a corner as an opportunity, curling his effort into the far corner of the goal, bread and butter for a regular keeper. Celtic almost immediately got back into the game, Correia’s cross for Caine almost a tap in for Caine, but Halls got back to slide in and hook the cross clear, with Lavercombe stranded.

A breakaway came with five minutes of the half remaining. Regan Linney’s sprint onto Dontai Gabidon’s through ball left Waldron no chance, even so managing to get a foot to the ball, but unable to keep out FC United’s second.

In stoppage time in the first half, Andy Hall again came to United’s rescue, with Lavercombe beaten by Raheem Hanley’s diagonal shot, he got his body in the way, conceding the corner. Matty Carson tried to repeat United’s opener, but Lavercombe palmed the curling shot over the bar and then saved Caine’s header.

Carson tried the same trick again at the start of the second half, and again, FC United’s keeper tipped it over the bar. Celtic were playing with a tempo and kept the visitors on the back foot all the second half. Carson’s free kick was wicked, but didn’t trouble the keeper, whilst Osebi Abadaki’s first touch as a sub was to almost force Andy Halls to dribble the ball into his own net. Scott Holding’s header from the corner would have been a goal if an inch further to the left, but it was nothing compared to the save minutes later when he did go an inch further to the left off a corner, only for a full stretch fingertip save from the visiting keeper. The Celtic backline mainly held firm, but United did break through twice, once required Holding to get his body in the way of Paul Ennis’s effort, and the other saw Waldron get down to smother Linney’s tame effort.

Celtic finally got the reward for their hard work as Correia got a pace on Andy Halls, through on goal a side foot under the keeper and it would have been one behind. Halls pulled Correia back. However, Correia converted the spot kick, and United looked shaky and worried.

Lavercombe denied Correia, thankful the Celtic striker shot straight at him through a crow and pulled off the save of the match from a free kick, Carson’s curling ball nodded towards the top corner by Tom Miller, only for the United number one to somehow reach it.

Fortunately, Waldron’s defensive instincts kept Celtic in with a shout as the game went into stoppage time, as Linney powered down the pitch one-on-one with Waldron. The sliding tackle in the box was a wonderful save from the stand-in keeper, but sadly, despite almost relentless pressure, Celtic couldn’t find the back of the net again.