Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Excelsior Stadium, Airdrie

SPFL Trust Trophy

Second round

CELTIC B… 3

(Brooks 19, Lawal 49, Quinn 88)

LIVINGSTON B… 0

Celtic B progressed into the third round of the SPFL Trust Trophy with a comfortable 3-0 win over Livingston B in Airdrie.

A first-half strike from Adam Brooks and second-half goals from Bosun Lawal and Ben Quinn put the Hoops into the hat for the next round in what was a pleasing night’s work in Airdrie.

The Celts started brightly as Rocco Vata fired just over from 25 yards after two minutes and Bruno Davidson almost teed up Brooks with a dangerous cross on 10 minutes.

It didn’t take long for Celtic to take the lead though as Brooks got the B’s in front on 19 minutes.

A corner from the left was cleared but the ball deflected off a Livingston body and into the path of Brooks inside the box and the striker smashed it first time past the keeper to make the score 1-0.

The Celts kept pushing before half-time to get the second with Tsoanelo Letsosa and Davidson both testing the keeper, the winger forcing the Livingston B No1 into a fine low save.

Livingston very rarely threatened but with three minutes left they almost got back into it as Rocco Hickey-Fuggacia raced through on goal, but he was stopped by the face of the on-rushing Tobi Oluwayemi.

Straight up the other end, Brooks almost made it two just before the break, but his shot on the swivel was deflected just wide.

Then four minutes into the second-half and it was 2-0 to Celtic as Lawal fired home to double the lead.

A well-worked corner routine from the right-hand side saw the ball fired across the Livingston defensive line to Lawal who was unmarked at the back post and tapped the ball into an empty net.

The chances kept coming as the Bhoys looked to make sure of their passage into the next round, with Ben Summers going close after being played through on goal on 64 minutes but his effort smashed off the face of the keeper.

Then on 70 minutes, substitute Joey Dawson had a powerful header on goal, Ivan Konovalov again keeping the effort out.

But on 88 minutes, the Celts would seal the result with a third, as Quinn tapped in from a few yards out at the back post after a great ball was played low from the left wing.

Then on the 90th minute, Ewan Otoo won a penalty for Celtic which Dawson took, but his effort was kept out of the bottom left corner.

It wouldn't affect the proceedings however as the Celts booked their place in the next round.

CELTIC B: Oluwayemi, McPherson (Carse), Anderson (Corr), Otoo, Lawal, Murphy, Davidson, Letsosa, Brooks (Dawson), Summers (Thomson), Vata (Quinn).

Subs: Clarke, Dede, Kelly.

LIVINGSTON B: Konovalov, McFarlane-Letham, Wright (Boyd), Bitsindou, Aitken, Binnie, Hickey-Fuggacia (Frew), Maguire (Wynne), Stenhouse, Woods (Price), Reilly (Knox).

Subs: Stewart, Honeyman, McLean.

Celtic B defeat Livingston B to ease through to third round of SPFL Trust Trophy