Celtic started with 2 new signings (Platt and Phillips) along with 6 of last seasons squad (Sykes, Burke, Wooliscroft, Torpey, Hall & Wilkinson) and 3 trialists.
The game started at a very high pace. plenty of movement off the ball from both sides, brisk passing but with both sides eager to get the ball on the deck and play football, neither side had much time on the ball before an opposition player was on their heels.
After 12 minutes the deadlock was broken. Torpey, at the heart of so much of our success last season, picked the ball up inside his own half, took on man after man before reaching the penalty area where the ball got stuck under his feet, only for an opposition defender to challenge Torpey allowing the ball to roll to the feet of Williams, where he was upended and sent crashing to the ground.
The penalty was rightly awarded but now the question was who would step up to the spot. Newcomer Nicky Platt picked up the ball and wandered across to the penalty spot, Torpey, so influential in the build up looked set to take the ball out of Nicky's hands only for Platt to refuse and place the ball on the spot. So successful from the spot during his time at FC United, Platt ran up to the ball, little shimmy and stroked the ball into the bottom corner. 1-0.
Cammel Laird had plenty of the ball to cause Celtic problems, especially with the pace of their lone striker against the Sykes/Burke partnership, however on numerous occasions, Paul Phillips was well in command, regularly being in a position to rush out of his area to clear any danger and even when they did manage to get balls fired into the box, Phillips never let his defence down with his superb handling and crossing skills alongside his sharp distribuition of the ball to set up more Celtic attacks.
The second goal came 10 minutes before the end of the first half. Chris Hall picked up the ball midway through the Cammels half with a neat chested control, swiftly turned his defender and uses his lightning pace to shoot down the left hand side and cut into the penalty box where his shot was parried into the incoming Williams for him to tap home the 2nd goal of the night.
The second half brought 6 changes in total including Barwick Barlow and Ellington along with another 3 trialists.
The game was sealed when after quick thinking on the corner, Mcguire picked up the ball with the time and space to deliver the cross into the penalty area, as the defenders quickly approached him, Mcguire shimmied to take the ball to the byeline and fire a low left footed ball across the 6yard box when Lee Ellington was on hand to stab home and put the game to bed.
The only down side to the night was when with about ten minutes remaining when Matty Barlow, 2nd half substitute was substituted himself after picking up what seemed like a hamstring injury.
Overall a confident display from the Celts and with some of the new trialists impressing, hopefully we'll be hearing of a few new signings very shortly.
