Celtic leave it late to secure a draw

NPL Premier Division: Basford United 1-1 Stalybridge Celtic

Amid driving icy rain and swirling wind, Celtic battled to the end and snatched a point at the death.

Justin Johnson and Jake Burton missed the target early on, with the best chance of the half falling to the hosts, as Terry Hawkridge latched onto a corner and forced the first real save of the match, with Will Huffer reacting well and stopping with his foot. At the other end, Adam O’Reilly cut in from the wing, his shot could only be parried. Burton snatched the loose ball, but his turn and shot flew the wrong side of the post. Johnson twisted and danced to the edge of the box, with his shot fairly comfortable for Jordan Pierrepoint in the Basford goals. Scott Bakkor made a great run just before the interval finishing it off with a disappointing strike. 

The second half started with little in the way of chances, the closest either team came were comfortable saves from Niall Towle and Burton. That changed midway through the half as Basford got a corner. Desperate defending and a decent stop from Huffer were not enough as Dominic Roma stabbed home from close range to force the opening goal. 

It could have been worse as Ryan Wilson fired an effort from the wing that had Huffer leaping and missing, the shot clipping the top of the bar with two minutes left on the clock. 

Basford were left to rue that miss as Celtic pressed hard in the final moments, throwing everything at the home defence. 

Finally, the defence cracked. O’Reilly stole the ball back on the wing. He whipped in a first time cross from distance. Scott Bakkor curled in behind the defence and diverted the ball past Pierrepoint to earn a draw.