Buntingford Cougars Whites 2 Royston Celtic Greens 0 Under-12s Division Four THIS top-of-the-table clash was potentially the most difficult game to date for Celtic Greens and so it turned out in practice. The first five minutes saw the Cougars camped out

Buntingford Cougars Whites 2 Royston Celtic Greens 0

Under-12s Division Four

THIS top-of-the-table clash was potentially the most difficult game to date for Celtic Greens and so it turned out in practice.

The first five minutes saw the Cougars camped out in the Celtic half though the visitors defended well and coped with everything that the home side threw at them.

After surviving the initial onslaught the Greens then ventured forward themselves and won a corner in the eighth minute which came to nothing but they kept up the pressure for the next few minutes and looked as though they might be getting into their stride.

However, the Cougars struck back and Celtic were fortunate not to go behind in the 14th minute when the hosts won a corner from which a shot hit the corner of the upright and crossbar.

Celtic came back with a lobbed shot before the Cougars carried play down the other end, an attack which ended in a shot placed wide from a good position.

Then the home side won a free kick which was competently dealt with by the Celtic 'keeper.

The visitors won a free kick of their own towards the end of what had become a very evenly matched contest from which the ball was blasted not far over the crossbar with the Cougars 'keeper given no chance by the power of the shot.

The Cougars started the second half in the same vein as the first though they still found it difficult to break through the Celtic defence for the first 10 minutes at which point they got in their first serious shot followed by two free kicks in quick succession.

Shortly afterwards the Cougars took the lead on 44 minutes but it took a long low shot into the corner of the net to break the deadlock.

The home side then dominated for the next few minutes and looked certain to add a second when they burst through again, only for the shot to be placed wide of goal.

During this period Celtic found it difficult to get out of their own half and when they did couldn't hold the ball long enough to mount a sustained attack though they did come back to win a corner in the 52nd minute before the Cougars surged forward again and hit the crossbar with a fierce shot.

In the next minute the Cougars hit the bottom of the upright with a centre from the left and a minute later, following a break down the right, they made it 2-0 when the cross travelled right across goal before being blasted back into the right hand corner of the net.

Celtic, to their credit, did not give up and managed to mount a couple of attacks and win a corner in the dying minutes without being able to trouble the Cougars 'keeper.

Still, this was their first league defeat since the opening match of the season and the boys have done very well to keep their unbeaten run going for so long.

Manager Wayne Hargreaves said: "The boys battled really well in the first half with little between the teams but in the second half seemed to tire and made a few costly mistakes."

Celtic: Judge, Lewis, Cooney, McGee, Edwards, Mynott, Filby, Foley, Hargreaves, McGlynn, Green. Subs: Jeewoth, Goodall.