A goal in the first five minutes seemed to kill the game, with Witton unadventurous for the most part, and Celtic keen to let them and conserve energy in the warm sun.

In the first attack of the game, Celtic won a corner, which Jordan Butterworth sailed into the box. Unmarked, Joe Duckworth rose highest, planting a solid header past his former team-mates. After an extended period of allowing Witton to pass it among their defenders and only working when the ball came into the Celtic half, Celtic did work chances. Duckworth lifted the over the bar after several opportunities for his current team-mates to shoot went begging, and the same happened when Tongue forced Louie Fallon into a stop he had to hold with Louis Rawsthorn and Jack Irlam both ready to poke home a loose ball.

After ten minutes of the second half in which Rawsthorn was denied by Fallon and by Joel Bailey on the line in two separate attacks, Witton briefly got adventurous, with James Lawrie trying his luck from thirty yards, straight at Charlie Monks. Another twenty minutes passed before a let off for the home side after Benni Smales-Braithwaite saw his low angled drive palmed around the post by fullback James Baillie and an even larger let off as Duckworth’s acute shot sailed an inch past the far post, with Irlam throwing himself at the ball, trying to slide it in but missing and getting tangled in the netting. A goal then would have killed Witton, as it was, the home side waited another twenty minutes until deep into stoppage time to find an equaliser. A couple of dangerous free kicks and corners were easily dealt with by Celtic, but right at the death, Brian Siedenari got hold of his shot, powering for the top corner, Monks the hero flying across the face to push the shot away, Harry Brazel providing an unwitting rebound to put the ball out for a goal kick where the game ended.

Celtic are still within fingertip distance of the play offs, despite wins for the teams three above us, Runcorn and Trafford have fallen away whilst Avro’s draw lifts Celtic to sixth.