* Two sent off as Ballachulish collapse
Oban Celtic win amid extra-time cup drama at Mossfield


Picture - John MacTavish printed in Oban Times

Glasgow Celtic Society Cup
Oban Celtic 5 Ballachulish 2 after extra time

WITH its specialised rules, everyone might well have expected that this Celtic Society Cup tie at a  blustery Mossfield Stadium would prove interesting - they could not have predicted just how dramatic it was to turn out.  Ballachulish rocked the Oban side within the first minute by hitting keeper Niall MacNab's post and floored them after four minutes when David MacPhee's angled shot from the left whipped in at the far post to open the scoring.

Nevertheless, Oban Celtic gathered themselves and began to claw their way back into the match, mainly due to the hard-fought efforts of defenders Hill, Cakebread, Davidson and David Duffy, who was to win the Gerry Kilmurray man of the match award, who all shoed a steely determination not to be overrun so easily again. Gradually the home side made inroads with Gallacher coming close and keeper Sutherland saving well from Wotherspoon and Miller after half an hour.

But ever-dealdy marksman MacPhee dampened their efforts after 35 minutes when he jinked and weaved into the box and fired another angle drive across MacNab to give the visitors a two-goal cushion at the break.  Oban Celtic began their comeback on 47 minutes when referee Kerr awarded a free hit after Alan Duffy's stick was held. From 20 yards out, and making use of the direct free hit rule, Kenny Wotherspoon brought his team back into contention with an unstoppable strike that rocketed in below the Ballac' crossbar.

For the next period Celtic exerted all the pressure but could not get their opportunities on target, while the visitors continued to look dangerous every time they broke upfield.  However, Ballachulish managed to engineer their own downfall, starting in the 75th minute when midfielder Brain MacKinnon was sent off for s second yellow card, and more dramatically on 87 minutes when Martin Duncan was shown a straight red card for a wild swing that floored a Celtic player.

Capitalising in full, David Duffy's free hit, fired into the box at speed crossed the line and set up a period of extra time that must have infuriated the remaining Balla' players.  Although they made heavy weather of the first period of extra time, thanks mainly to the dogged defending of Gary Young and the Clarkes, Allan and John, the inevitable breakthrough fell to Kieran Gallacher after 104 minutes of play, who finished one of his characteristic mazy runs with a low hit that deceived keeper Sutherland, who may well have been expecting a pass to be slipped to another striker.

Ten minutes later, Donald MacKay managed to turn Gary Young and touch the ball on to Wotherspoon who calmly slipped the ball beyond the advancing keeper.  The final blow for Balla' came with only two minutes left, after Sutherland had made a tremendous diving save, only to palm the ball into the path of Alan Miller who had the simplest of tasks to score Celtic's fifth.

This was a game where both defences excelled and it would have been hard to predict the final outcome had not Ballachulish  stacked the odds so heavily against themselves.  This Saturday, Celtic are back at Mossfield for a derby match against Lochside Rovers while Ballachulish meet Kilmory at Lochgilphead.