A late 90-minute goal shattered Celtic Bhoys Cochrane Corry Cup hopes
The NAFL Cochrane Corry Cup Quarter Final,
Venue: Londonderry Park, Newtownards, 28th February 2026,
Final Score: Greenwell Star 3 2 Celtic Bhoys.
It was a long road from Ballyhornan to Newtownards for Celtic Bhoys and a longer one home after losing out in the 90th minute to a late goal after tie-ing 2-2 writes Jim Masson©.
Celtic pressed early and the Stars seemed happy enough to absorb the attacks, but eventually their forwards got into gear and Neil Ennis went wide on a volley at an angle to the back post.
Despite Celtic’s dominance in the second half and several missed opportunities, they were beaten on a break as they tried to push forward to secure the winning goal.
Star’s Alan Kenmore surged forward early in the game and received a pass knocking in the winning goal on a run at the Celtic goal Kenmore. He got to the edge of the box on the right and keeper Armstrong went out to close him down but the Star striker rounded him and hit into an open goal to get his name on the score sheet on 5 minutes.
Celtic Bhoy’s keeper Nathan Curran was unwell and had stepped down for the match, but the visitors stepped up their game and Johnnie Bell almost knocked the ball in. Celtic continued to press hard and Eamon Gargan hit a volley over the top bar.
Then it was Sean McMahon’s turn to strike and he too was just inches off target over the bar.
Celtic’s Caoimhin Groves made an excellent intervention as Daniel Edgeworth went surging into the danger area in front of the Celtic goal.
Shaun Megahey made a number of spot-perfect crosses to his front line and Celtic were certrainly knocking on the door for an equaliser.
Eventually Michael Rice headed in for Celtic on 30 minutes equalising and the Star responded by increasing their efforts.
Groves made a couple of excellent crosses to Conaill Kerr on the left wing which looked very promising.
Then 8 minutes after Rices’ goal, Kerr hammered the ball into the Star’s net close in as it dropped from a long ball in. Celtic were crucially in the lead just before half-time.
The Stars stepped up their attacks after the break and before long Corey Buchanan hit wide on a snapshot. There was one moment of danger for Celtic when the home team won a free kick outside the box but the shot was well held by keeper Taylor Armstrong.
Then in the second half on the 51st minute, the Star’s Alan Kenmore with a shot from the back of the box first timed low beating keeper Armstrong. Star were now drawing 2-2 with Celtic.
But Celtic dug deep at this point and fought back well. Greenwell were never far away at challenging the Celtic goal. On one occasion Kenmore hit the ball but it ricocheted off Armstrong in goals.
In the second half the game had got more physical and altogether for the game, the referee issued the Stars with 6 yellow cards to Celtic’s 2 through the match. It became a physical encounter but Celtic remained disciplined and pressed forward more looking for a winner.
Celtic were trying to play their brand of football but it was difficult on the grass pitch they were allocated. The surface were very lumpy and the Celtic management and players were initially concerned about it saying that a quarter final of this competition deserved to be played on a better pitch.
Never-the-less, Celtic pressed forward and Rice hit just over the bar. As time passed in teh second half Celtic were looking the side more likely to score and secure the narrow win.
But Lady Luck was not on Celtic’s side in this match. Kenmore hit in the third goal on a 90-minute break by the Stars to make it near impossible for the visitors to pull back in extra time.
Celtic seemed to have the lion’s share of the play and opportunities, but at the heels of the hunt it was just one kick that defeated them losing out to the Star after a good run in the Cochrane Correy Cup competition.
So it’s back to porridge for the Celtic players and more training to keep them on their toes and remaining sharp. They are still in the Clarence Cup competition and are well positioned well in the NAFL League 2A, but as the tournaments progress, they will face some top level teams in their Clarence Cup journey.
Greenwell Star: Owen Ross (GK) 2 Corey Buchanan 3 Kurtis McClure 4 Michael Keable (C) 6 Nathan Crawford 7 Alan Kenmore 8 Neil Ennis 9 Kyle Moore 10 Daniel Edgeworth 11 Michael McBride 15 Scott Crawford. Subs: 12 Ross Kelso 14 Shay Creaney 16 Reece Thompson.
Celtic Bhoys: 1 Taylor Armstrong (GK) 2 Caoimhin Groves 3 Eamon Gargan 4 Jordan Deegan 5 Michael Rice (C) 6 Gerard Collins 7 Shaun Megahey 8 Johnnie Bell 9 Jay Gibney 10 Sean McMahon 11 Conaill Kerr. Subs: Blain Connolly 14 Craig Millar 15 Ryan Doran.
