Green Briar overcome Banshee Celtic to make final

Green Briar FC 2:0 Banshee Celtic
P Miller (2)

The opening game of the Banshee Celtic Invitational Cup got under way at Charlestown High School on Wednesday evening, with the other semi scheduled for later that night in Malden.

The opening 20 minutes of the game was a delight to watch. The Briar players maintained possession very well and were patient in their build up play. The opening goal game from this dominant spell.

Kieran Caldwell drove a corner low across the six yard box. Celtic's defense was caught unawares and the pace of the ball carried it to the back post untouched. Peter Miller, who had journeyed up from the back, controlled nicely and shot the ball home with authority.

As Celtic gathered themselves the tie began to neutralise and both teams enjoyed good spells of possesion. Chances continued to be created and Braima Samati was unlucky not to convert from a clean breakaway he fashioned for himself with a run from half way.

Celtic threatened themselves with Brendan Mitchell making a last ditch tackle on one occasion and a Celtic striker shooting wide on another.

Before the half Tony Beausang shot wide from the corner of the box after he ventured forward from his left back position. Jason Kearns played a square ball to Eamonn McCarney who lacked the venom in his shot to cause any trouble. Finally, Braima Samati was clear again only to drag his shot wide right.

The second half was evenly contested, although the Celtic side were finding it hard to create anything meaningful. At the other end Samati again fired over, this time with his head after a pin point cross from Mitchell.

The lead was doubled following the break down from a Green Briar corner. The ball broke to Dave Coen on the edge of the box and he lifted a nicely weighted ball over the advancing defense. The ball fell to Peter Miller, again up from the back, and he met it on the half volley to slip it under the keeper for the 2-0 lead.

The game was closed out by maintaining possession well and controlling the speed of play. This was helped greatly by a superb midfield performance by Emmett Doonan who seldom put a foot wrong. Peter and Tom Miller were solid at the back and Fernando DelPieri helped secure the first clean sheet of the season.

Line Up: DelPieri, Mitchell, T Miller, P Miller, Clarke, K Caldwell, Coen, Doonan(YC), Moran, Samati, O'Connor
Subs: Fallon, Beausang, Hannick, Hennessy, Lally, Claus, McCarney, Kearns, Kelly, Faherty, T Caldwell