JOHNSY JUMPING THROUGH HOOPS

CLEARY CELTIC 1 NEWRY CELTIC 2 (AET) BESSBROOK CUP

Cleary Celtic Captain Shay McAllister gets away from Newry Celtic midfielder Stephen Hughes at Olympic Park Derrylecka on Saturday Picture: Brendan Monaghan Sports/DNA

Two goals from the well worn boots of veteran striker, Keith Johnston sealed a place for Newry Celtic in the semi-final of the Bessbrook cup at Olympic Park, Derrylecka, on Saturday.

In a game that could be described as a good advert for Carnbane football,both sides when at it from the kick off. Cleary looked the more dangerous side of the first half and but for some good defending from Celtic and their goalkeeper Mark McReynolds, the hoops probably should have been leading at the halfway point.

The pendulum seemed to swing the other way after the break with Newry Celtic getting to grips around midfield, where brothers Stephen and Mark Hughes had a ding dong battle against each other. After a spell of pressure on the hour mark Newry Celtic forced a corner and up steped Keith Johnston to swing the ball straight to the back of Joe Goodwill’s net.

Keith Johnston’s inswinging corner finds the back of the Cleary Celtic net at Olympic Park on Saturday Picture: Brendan Monaghan Sports/DNA

Clearly Celtic weren’t going to go out of the Newry league’s most prestigious cup that easy and on 68 minutes substitute Stephen Quinn nodded home the equaliser.

The intense drama then moved into extra time with no sign of a winning goal until Newry Celtic striker Keith Johnston picked up a ball on the right side of Cleary’s 18 yard box. From there the former Warrenpoint Town and Newry City player found himself passing two defenders before finding the back of Joe Goodwill’s net for a second time to win the game on 103 minutes.