Celtic emerged through the fog victorious, but it was hard work against a Mossley side who lost Max Brewster inside the first five minutes.

Brewster’s tackle on Brandon Newell was a late, reckless and two footed sliding lunge, for which the former Celt was dismissed. Mossley shut up ranks restricting Celtic to only slight chances. Lewis Rawsthorn headed over Jordan Butterworth’s cross, while Liam Tongue tried to recreate his goal of the month, but Jack Morrow’s stuck out leg denied him. With another former Celt, Obua Mugalula in the team, his unpredictability, skill and pace would always allow the visitors an outlet, and he did so once in the first half outpacing Butterworth but screwed his shot wide.

Something had to change in the second half if Celtic were to break down Mossley. An early corner gave an opportunity, Jack Irlam’s header back across goal brought a flying save from Finlay Madigan, who landed in just the right place to put his body in the way of Joe Duckworth’s drilled shot on the rebound. Another corner, a crowded box and no way through, so Rawsthorn put the ball out to Tongue, standing a yard outside the box. The channel was narrow, but Tongue picked his spot perfectly, scooting along the grass and beyond Madigan’s fingertips.

With the visitors now trailing, shutting up shop no longer provided an option for points, and they went hunting. Their pacy outlet of Mugalula paid dividends, as Madigan caught Brandon Newall’s effort, and released Adam Sherratt. A ball up the wing for Mugalula and he took chase, outpacing the Celtic back line, cutting inside and firing across Charlie Monks, giving the Celtic custodian no chance. But Celtic had found their way through a tiring Mossley team. From an angle Duckworth forced Madigan into another fine stop, punching the ball out for a corner. It came in, Irlam’s header was punched onto the bar by Madigan, landing behind the line, but in poor visibility, despite protests, no goal given. Another grass cutter from Tongue was well saved by Madigan as Celtic probed.

And then it came. Another beautiful Butterworth cross, over the head of Duckworth and Irlam, both their markers and Madigan’s fingers, coming to Rawsthorn arriving at the back post as the last of the queue of attackers, to side foot in. Seconds later, and Rawsthorn could have made it three, bursting past the offside trap, he lobbed Madigan, but Madigan kept coming, sliding dangerously through Rawsthorn and getting dismissed. Jack Tinning’s free kick was caught by the sub keeper, who also saved Irlam’s bicycle kick in the box, but looked to have dropped the ball on landing over the line, clawing it back.

With the scorelines so close, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, when Mugalula went on a final rampaging run, the home fans feared the worst, but Mugulala screwed his shot narrowly wide and Celtic celebrated a Boxing Day win.