Celtic booked themselves a place in the play-off final in a match where both teams were neck and neck across the park and one goal separated the two teams.

That goal came in Celtic’s first real attack, bursting through from Charlie Doyle’s through ball, knocked on by Ruben Jerome into the path of Andy Scarisbrick. He held off the defence and got through to get one-on-one with Yusuf Mersin, and he made no mistake. Chances fell both ways, with Steve Irwin getting the first great chance for Runcorn just past the half-hour after a breakaway, Charlie Monks’s flying save tipping the ball over the bar. Scarisbrick fired over the bar. And Ellis Horan beat his man and from close range tried his luck, but Mersin kept Runcorn in the game. Horan tried again moments later, a wicked deflection sending the ball inches past the post. From the corner, Irwin sliced his clearance, missing adding to Celtic’s tally by an inch.

The second half saw a glorious chance for Jerome, beating the very high offside trap, one-on-one, Mersin held him up just long enough for defenders to get back and when Ruben cut back his shot, it hit the post and went out. A double save from Monks kept Celtic’s slender lead, first denying a powerful drive from Matty Rain, the rebound coming to Naim Arsan, and Monks pushed that shot round the post. Jaques Welsh close for the visitors, heading a corner goalward, clipping the crossbar. Jerome had a pair of chances, the first clearing the bar trying to lob out of position Mersin, and then forcing Mersin into the save of the match. In the last ten minutes, it was all about the defence. Aaron Chalmers got back to head Scott Bakkor’s lifted shot off the line, and then Celtic shut out Runcorn. Liam Tongue, Jack Byrne, Jack Tinning, Mike Koral and Kyle Brownhill need to take a bow, standing firm alongside Chalmers to deny any route to goal until deep into stoppage time when Bakkor found some space, and fired over.

Celtic will travel to Avro, who beat Lower Breck on penalties after it finished 1-1 at full time and 2-2 after extra time.