The first half was Celtic domination, and it showed in the opening few minutes as Ellington and Prince interchanged before feeding the incoming Sykes. His shot was top corner and required an acrobatic save from Collin in Workington's nets. Workington won a free kick when Heiniger clashed with Kilbane. Workington pushed players forward and when the free kick was cleared with a visionary ball from new signing Maxfield, Prince picked up the ball on the half way line and had a virtually clear field to run into. Price set off as well tailing Prince as he beat the only defender with a nice touch to go one-on-one. Collin forced Prince wide, and Prince just dropped the ball back to Price who had an almost empty net to put the ball in.
Maxfield and Keeling both found Collin in sparkling form, but when Ellington was brought down by May right at the edge of the box, the free kick routine ended with Barnard's shot through a crowd and Collin's best save of the afternoon, seeing it late, it catching a deflection and he managed to get enough of a hand on it to put the ball onto the post. Collin was out of position when Prince again fed Price and Price miscued his shot with Sykes getting on the end of it, but Sykes put his shot wide with Collin still adjusting.
Hopper made a succession of fouls near the corner flag, and from the free kicks the best effort was from Haran, who headed just over the bar. Right before half time, Workington ensured that Pettinger was awake when Johnston tried a distance shot that deflected off Haran forcing the Celtic keeper into a marvellous save.
The second half started with Celtic still on top, and Collin still an impenetrable wall, catching and holding Princes? headed after a Prince, Ellington interchange. A goal was coming, and it came from midfield. Garvey carved some space, found Sykes twenty-five yards from goal, Sykes met the ball on the half volley screaming it into the top corner. Collin still managed to get a hand to the ball, but it went in anyway.
Celtic let their concentration slip, and it gave Workington a glimmer of a chance. Almost from the kick off, the ball was lobbed into the corner for Johnston to chase, he beat Barnard to the ball, and lobbed it into the box where Heiniger was waiting with a stooping header to put the ball beyond Pettinger. Celtic's defence had turned off for just a moment, but it was enough.
Celtic immediately tried to regain their two goal cushion, with some nice tricks by Price in the box, resulting in a shooting opportunity that Gray blocked as far as Sykes, with Sykes unable to double his tally by shooting over the bar.
Celtic were almost made to rue that miss as Workington got stronger and stronger. Johnston shot across the face and Birks sliding shot came back off the bar. McClusky tried to walk Johnston's pass in, but Haran tackled late, conceding the corner. McClusky went even closer moments later, heading goal-wards and forcing a very good save from Pettinger, knocking the ball onto the bar and catching the rebound. Keeling was on hand to deny Johnston a late equaliser, blocking the driven shot for a corner deep into stoppage time that Workington couldn't convert and seven minutes into stoppage time, the referee blew and Celtic won their fourth game on the trot.
