Match Report -
Two points dropped
By Iain Benson
Celtic succumbed to yet another late, late goal after they really should have finished off the opposition.

For their part, Solihull did not offer much as an attacking force having just lost Adam Cunnington, their main goal threat, to Kettering. All the early action was around the visitors goal, with Connor Jennings firing just past the post, and Lloyd Ellams blazing narrowly over after a lovely through ball from Steve Brogan set him up. Brogan himself had a fine effort spilled by Jasbir Singh, with Sam Adkins clearing before Craig Hobson could pounce on the loose ball, conceding a corner that Rhys Meynell headed narrowly wide.

Brogan put Jennings through a short while later, with the Celtic player racing through one-on-one with Singh, only for the Solihull keeper to block smartly at the near post. Ellams was unlucky with Singh beaten to see a stuck out leg from Junior English deflect it past the post for a corner.

For a moment, it looked as though Celtic had gone behind after some sustained pressure from the visitors which had seen Matt Smith and Junior English both fire wide, before Matt Smith got the ball in the back of the net after flattening Jan Budtz.

Singh kept Solihull in the game when he pulled of a great stop from Jennings, the ball squirming away, but he recovered and smothered before it crossed the line.

Jennings was not to be denied and he found enough space at the edge of the box after great build up play, to unleash an unstoppable left foot drive beyond the reach of the keeper and just inside the post to give Celtic a deserved lead just before the interval.

Celtic started off the second half as they finished the first keeping Solihull on the back foot. Hobson nodded wide of the mark twice and unleashed a rocket of a shot from the corner of the box that flashed across the face of goal. Solihull registered a shot on target just before the hour mark, and Jan Budtz had to be alert as Smith snuck in and forced Budtz into a close range save.

Hobson tested Singh with a decent drive but put the resultant corner wide with a flicked header, and Phil Marsh was unlucky with his effort that was only narrowly wide. Celtic looked to be playing the patient build up game as time began to run out, but Brogan had time and space enough to loft an effort towards goal, but Singh was well placed.

Moments later and Solihull had a last minute corner.

Having defended so stoutly all game, the corner was mis-hit allowing Matt Smith to nip and and smash the ball in at the near post as the quickest to react to the poor corner.

It could have been worse just seconds later, when Smith got into a great position, but Budtz made the stop, standing up to the Solihull striker well. And Celtic could have snatched it too, right at the death, when Jennings was put free to race at Singh, but the Solihull keeper earned his side a draw with a fine stop.

1Singh, Jasbir  
2Midworth, Phil  
3Adkins, SamYellow Card 
4Clarke, SamYellow Card > 77
5Langdon, Dominic  
6OLoughlin, Charlie  
7West, Matty  > 63
8English, Junior  
9Smith, Matt  
10Johnson, Simon  
11Beswick, Ryan  
12Price, Alex  
14Grandison, Joel  < 77
15Green, Nick  < 63
16Omwubiko, Emeka  
17Rachel, Adam  
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