Lax defending cost Celtic dear in their first fixture of the year, as Atherton took their chances.

It started badly for Celtic. Former Celt Aaron Dwyer cut inside, made the space and fired through a crowd, the ball going through Jack Tinning’s legs. Though Charlie Monks saw it very late, he did exceptionally well to get down and parry the shot. The loose ball came to Keilan Adams and Javid Swby-Neavin, the former reacting quicker and prodding in the opener. Liam Tongue twice tried to pull one back from thirty-five yards, but Sol Honor got across, easily for the first, and with more trouble for the second, conceding a corner that Joe Edwards had to throw his body in front of to prevent Sean Tse equalising. Jack Irlam also tried his luck from the edge of the area, Honor again up to it, before Celtic had a glorious chance to equalise when Tongue’s curling free kick could only be parried by Honor, with Joe Duckworth following the ball in, reaching the loose ball and under no pressure smacked it against the crossbar instead of the net from close range. To add insult to injury, Dwyer showed the crowd how to do a free kick, curling in Atherton’s second from a similar spot.

Something had to change in the second half if Celtic were to get back into this game, and the Blues certainly gave their intent from the off. A great move started with Brandon Newell, getting the ball to Jack Irlam, a layoff to Max Leonard and the ball was lifted over the defence for Lewis Rawsthorn to burst onto and side foot in. Unfortunately, the comeback stuttered out when Dwyer took advantage of a dubious offside decision to race into an empty field. Though people got back, Dwyer had enough of a head start to curl in Atherton’s third.

A whole series of half chances came Celtic’s way as Atherton shut up shop by any means necessary. Tongue lacked the power, Irlam headed over and cut a shot narrowly wide, before Elliott Rokka got the best chance of the lot, but couldn’t curl it far enough away from Honor and right at the death, Rawsthorn burst through, and with only the keeper to beat, put the ball the wrong side of the post.

Those few mistakes were punished hard today, but Celtic didn’t provide enough to make them irrelevant.