Those hardy souls who traveled down to the Valley Stadium, for this tricky looking FA Trophy 2nd Round tie, probably did so fearing the worst and expecting a Dr Jekyll type performance as is fast becoming the norm.
Instead they were treated to a Mr. Hyde display that left them purring for more and wondering why this sort of display was not a regular occurrence!
The talk on the terraces before the game was how Celtic would cope without the mercurial Colin Potts and whether or not Dave Miller's gamble to start the game without effectively a recognised striker on the pitch would pay dividends!
Step forward makeshift centre forward Andy Heald, who was Celtic's outstanding performer on the day. The uninitiated would have thought he was the regular no 10 as he scored twice, gave the Redditch defence the run around and would have taken home the match ball, had the keeper not saved his penalty!
After a cautious start, the Celts took the lead in the 16th minute when Heald fired home from the edge of the box with a crisp drive that left the Redditch keeper flapping.
Confusion surround the second goal when Barrie Keeling appeared to supply the deftest of touches to Ben Smith's cross come shot. Both players tried to claim it but quite frankly even one of the Redditch defenders could have claimed he supplied the coup de grace!
The game was made save in the 54th minute when Heald took advantage of a mistimed back pass to calmly take the ball round the keeper and slot home.
Heald was now eager for his hat trick and it appeared the rest of the team were doing their best to help him get him. His best chance came when Celtic were awarded a deserved penalty. Kenny Mayers was about to assume the Captain's responsibility, until a bit of fan pressure saw Heald given his opportunity. Sadly, the Keeper guessed the right way.
Celtic were running riot but even the introduction of Phil Eastwood could not alter the final score.
Celtic won this game at a canter and could easily have scored 7 or 8. The team performance on the pitch left the fans purring for more. The only question remains why can't be this done week in, week out?
