AIF Göteborg - Gothenburg Celtic FC;Omgång 11, 2012-08-26

AIF 0-2 Gothenburg Celtic FC

The Celtic came into this relegation six-pointer with only one league victory all season – although that poor record is deceiving given the amount of games the Celtic have come away with nothing from, having failed to convert decent performances into points. However, head coach Sean Garrett could enjoy the rare pleasure of having a large, motivated squad available for the match with AIF. And it was the visitors who started the match the brighter on a sunny afternoon at Majvallen.
It wasn’t long before the Hoops converted their control of possession and territory into clear cut chances. Maybe it was the mid-season break to Dubai that helped the players exert their control over this tie, or maybe it was the fact that much of the AIF squad seemed to made up of older players. Nonetheless, the prolific Stevie Roddie soon found himself in the think of the action.
Roddie’s finishing and composure has been one of the few positives for Garrett and his board this season, however for once the powerful forward didn’t have his shooting boots on. Chances came and went, and to be fair Roddie wasn’t the only one guilty of spurning good opportunities. But just when it seemed the large crowd weren’t going to get a first half goal, a throw down the right side set Millerick off, who cut the ball back to a grateful Robin Persson to open the scoring. AIF were being outplayed, and could count themselves lucky to go into the break only 1-0 down.

With the traveling Celtic ultras singing away in the background, Garrett emphasized the importance of adding to the lead at the break. Although the commanding centre half pairing of Seb Caillou and Andreas Alvarsson had rarely looked threatened, the Celtic needed to be more clinical in-front of goal.
If Garrett had been worried about an AIF resurgence in the second period, he needn’t have been. With Simon Larsson and Adrian Kelly dictating the play in the middle, AIF were still chasing shadows and failing to put many passes together. But they had obviously added to Roddie’s Las Vegas holiday fund as the Scotsman spurned more chances; however Millerick and Johannes Haglund were also doing their best Ronny Rosenthal impressions.
Garrett was nervous on the touchline, but his defence was performing admirably, backed up by some commanding goalkeeping from Ligue Un import Julien San-Jose.

AIF had little to offer, as their frustrations began to boil over. And the game was over as a contest when the dangerous Haglund poked home from close range. So, finally another victory for Gothenburg Celtic, a very deserved 2-0 victory.
Apart from the finishing, it was a strong all-round performance that will certainly ease the pressure on the under-fire Garrett. Talk of Roberto Mancini taking charge will be put on hold for now, although the Celts must maintain these standards. Special mentions to Calliou, Barry White and Larsson, who all put in the hard yards and performed well where it mattered. Now onto Friday’s match and hopefully another strong performance.

Match Report: Adrian Millerick