Bhoys throw away two-goal lead and draw 2A league clash

Bhoys throw away two-goal lead and draw 2A league clash

10 September 2025

CELTIC Bhoys ped two points from a winning position when they were held to a draw by Beann Mhádagháin in their first game in Division 2A.

The Bhoys claimed the ascendancy with a convincing first half performance, taking two-goal lead into the break thanks to a Shaun Megahey brace.

They seemed to lose their spark in the second half however, enabling their opponents to develop a fresh impetus and halve the margin through Liam McCloskey, less than 10 minutes after the restart.

Backs-against-the-wall defending ensued for the Hoops, and their worst nightmares rang true when Fionn Grew popped up with a 92nd minute equaliser, forcing a share of the points.

The opening encounters presented as a game of crosses, with the two sides launching a series of balls into the box, all of which failed to bear fruit.

In an early change of game plan, Celtic were happy bide their time, soak up their opponents’ unimposing attacking efforts and try their hand on the counter-attack — something that shifted the odds in their favour.

Their first fast-paced forward move saw Megahey register the first shot on target, 

before goalkeeper Nathan Curran’s kick-out bounced all the way through to Sean Ferris, who sent a looping header narrowly over the crossbar.

Mhádagháin, attempting to address the Bhoys’ switch of tactics, began to play possession football along the ground, and while that led to more clear-cut opportunities, there was no excusing their wastefulness.

They created a pair of goal-scoring chances around the quarter of an hour mark, but Thomas McFarlane scuffed his volley at the back post and Michael Downey poked wide in a one-on-one with Curran.

Knowing they were lucky to remain level, Celtic quickly ramped up the pressure and forced a breakthrough with a mixture of luck and sheer determination.

McFarlane, attempting to shield the ball out for a goal kick, was caught unawares by Megahey, as the winger stole the ball from under his feet, played a one-two with Ferris and was bundled over in the box.

Megahey stepped up the spot himself and kept his cool to slot into the bottom corner for that all-important opening goal, and the momentum that went with it.

The away side reacted by investing all of their resources in finding a quick response, however, they were halted by stout defending and a number of careless offsides.

Once again, the Hoops punished the opposition’s lack of conviction in the final third, doubling their margin in the 25th minute.

Megahey made a well-timed run to meet Ferris’ pass, used step overs to fool his man and rolled the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The final 20 minutes of the first half passed by without much spectacle, due to Celtic defending with aplomb, and Mhádagháin went back to the drawing board during the interval.

It did not come as much of surprise that the home side were first to threaten the scoreboard in the second half, with victory looking set to be a formality at that stage.

However, a pair of chances went abegging, as ‘keeper Eamonn McKenna made a duo of unlikely saves to deny the point-blank efforts of Ferris and Johnnie Bell.

Fortunes switched allegiance after that, with the visiting side receiving a long-awaited stroke of luck, which they gratefully accepted.

A loose pass caught the home defence off-guard and despite the onrushing Curran stopping Daire Lemon in his tracks, the ball bounced to an unmarked McCloskey, who rode a challenge and finished into the open net.

Lady luck continued to taunt the Bhoys when they were denied a stonewall penalty, despite McKenna sending Ferris for a tumble with a clear foul, and belief began to set in amongst the visiting players.

The final 10 minutes were a complete contrast to the vast majority of the afternoon’s action, as Celtic found themselves severely under the cosh for the first time.

Curran was a brick wall between the sticks in the closing stages, making a low, diving save to deny McCloskey and a heart-racing tackle to prevent Lemon from getting a shot off.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to prevent what seemed like an inevitable equaliser, succumbing to a bombardment of late shots.

A stoppage time corner was cleared by Celtic, but only as far as substitute Aidan Gilvary, who had set up camp outside the box.

Curran made a phenomenal save to pluck Gilvary’s dipping, curling strike out of the top corner, only for captain Grew to steam in and nod home.

Not only did the Hoops lose their lead, they lost a man two minutes later. Blaine Connolly was judged to have fouled McCloskey on the edge of the box, and after he reacted angrily towards the referee, he found himself in receipt of a red card.

The resultant free-kick nearly spelled disaster for the hosts on the stroke of the final whistle too. 

A clever routine saw Piaras Donaghy cut the ball back for Aaron McKeown to fire goalward, forcing Celtic to rely on a heroic save from Curran to prevent a total collapse and scrape through with a point.

Celtic Bhoys: N Curran, C Groves, E Gargan, M Rice (captain), B Connolly, D Turley, S Megahey, J Bell, S Ferris, S McMahon, C McCartan. Subs: P Casey, L Mitchell, J Doran.

Beann Mádagháin: E McKenna, T Moreland, N Johnston, T McFarlane, F Grew (captain), F Davison, E Quigley, P Donaghy, D Lemon, McCloskey, M Downey. Subs: O McQuillan, A Gilvary, A McKeown.