Premier B derby between Tralee Celtic and Mitchels Avenue ends in draw

DENNY PREMIER B Tralee Celtic 1 Mitchels Avenue 1

THIS was a big game in the title race and after a keenly contested encounter at chilly Mounthawk Park on Sunday the sides had to settle for a point each.

While the game lacked the spark that most games between these sides produce it was still a very keenly contested game with the result hanging on a thread right up to the final whistle.

Mitchels Avenue will be very pleased with getting a point as very few teams will get points against a Tralee Celtic side who are only a few games from clinching their place in the final.

Both sides were missing a number of regular players but they got on with the task in hand and were committed to the cause.

Tralee Celtic were the more creative side in the early part of the first half but gradually Mitchels Avenue began to find their feet and put some constructive football together.

Celtic had a good early chance when they got a free kick on the verge of the box but Billy Stack’s effort did not get past the defensive wall.

Mitchels Avenue should have gone ahead in the 18th minute when David Hennessy got on to the end of a free kick from midfield but his header from five yards was straight at the Celtic goalkeeper.

Lorcan Seymour then had an effort from distance which went over the top while David Courtney got into a scoring position but he was caught offside.

Tralee Celtic went ahead in the 23rd minute when Billy Stack latched on a free kick which came in from midfield and he guided a wonderful glancing header past the Mitchels Avenue keeper.

Lorcan Seymour then had an effort from distance for Mitchels Avenue but it was high and over the top.

There was a setback for Celtic a couple of minutes from the break when the influential James Sugrue had to retire injured and he was replaced by Stephen O Sullivan.

Just coming up to half time Mitchels Avenue brought the game back to parity with a goal that came from nowhere.

Tralee Celtic got their lines of communication all wrong at the back and an attempted pass back to the goalie was too weak and David Courtney was on to the ball in a flash and drilled it low to the bottom corner.

Mitchels Avenue had their tails up in the second half but very little was happening in the final third of the pitch for both sides and despite forcing a good few corner kicks and free kicks neither side looked like producing a winning goal.

The best chance came to Celtic in the 75th in a counter attack when Fergal Moynihan cut in from the wing and from outside the box drilled his shot low for the bottom corner but Avenue keeper Chris Hegarty made a fine save pushing the shot around the post.

By now both sides were using their benches and the game lost its intensity with both sides resigned to a share of the spoils.

Celtic now have a commanding 10 points lead at the top of the table but Mitchels Avenue have four games in hand and are in a great position to challenge for that second place in the decider. TRALEE CELTIC: Gary Kissane, Sean Maloney, Derek O’Connor, James O’Mahoney, Shane Brosnan, Jamie Blake (Greg Powell, 67 mins), Billy Stack, James Sugrue (Stephen O’Sullivan, 43 mins), Fiachra Dunne, John Farragher (Jordan Murphy, 76 mins), Fergal Moynihan.

MITCHELS AVENUE: Chris Hegarty, Peter Murphy, David Hennessy, James O’Sullivan, Scott Hennessy, Lorcan Seymour (Zidane Algers, 87 mins), Anthony O’Connor (Nathan O’Leary, 64 mins), Robert Lynch, Sean O’Reilly, Brendan Coffey, David Courtney.

REFEREE Ray Matthews