Match Report -
Anthony Malbon Debuts As Celtic Bow Out Of The Cup
By Debbie Taylor

One defensive lapse midway through the second half was enough to send Celtic back home, out of the FA Cup.

Celtic gave a start to Anthony Malbon, making his debut in a Celtic shirt in the country's most prestigious competition, but even his mercurial skills which were evident through the ninety minutes were not enough to give Celtic a much needed goal .In the first half, Celtic came close, with both Charlie Ennis and Liam Dickinson forcing Kyle Hayes into two early competent stops, whilst at the other end, Shildon seemed to have set out a game plan of being dangerous from set pieces, but neither Ben Wood nor Carl Jones troubled Lewis King.

Ennis saw a cracking shot following a corner routine blocked on route to goal by the very good Billy Greulich-Smith, but Shildon came closest to scoring with Darren Cradock twice heading over from corners, one of them looking easier to score than miss. Lee Scroggins twice tested Lewis King as half time approached, buy neither effort troubled King, who looked imperious. He looked even better denying danger man Michael Rae with a block at Rae's feet, and more so still when he caught Greulich-Smith's header from a corner, releasing Sam Staunton-Turner, to race up field, and find Anthony Malbon who created the space before laying off Charlie Ennis for a cracking low drive beyond the fingertips of Hayes, only for it to crack back off the inside of the post, and come to Lim Dickinson who tangled with Craddock, before sliding round and rifling the ball into the top of goal. He was, however, flagged offside.

The second half was a largely non-affair. Celtic couldn't get going, Shildon were putting men behind the ball, and hitting Celtic on the break. A long punt up field was miscontrolled by Staunton-Turner, with the Celtic defence all over the place, Michael Rae dispossessed Staunton-Turner and fed the ball across to Greulich-Smith, who volleyed a cracking effort from the edge of the box into the top corner. A worthy match winning goal, especially when Celtic could not muster a shot on target in the second half, coming close with a header from a corner when Liam Dickinson narrowly missed; a fantastic cross from Ben McKenna, meant for Dickinson and being superbly tipped away by Hayes; and a curling crafted shot from Nathan Heath that was also narrowly wide. Greulich-Smith could not reproduce his technique from the goal again, screwing one shot horribly wide, and heading straight at King for another.

So Shildon took the spoils, and Celtic were left facing a long, and sombre journey home.

1Hayes, Kyle  
2Hodgson, Sam  
3Braxton, John  
4Hudson, Mark  
5Craddock, DarrenYellow Card 
6Jones, Carl  
7Moore, Danny  
8Scroggins, LeeYellow Card 
9Rae, Michael  > 81
10Wood, Ben  > 88
11Greulich-Smith, Billy  
12Emms, Chris  
14Ruddy, Craig  
15Rundle, Adam  < 88
16Harwood, James  < 81
17Richardson, Darren  
18Atkin, Liam  
19Graeme, Lewis