STALYBRIDGE Celtic were thrashed 5-0 in their final game of the season by Boston United, who ensured their season continued to the play-offs.
Celtic struggled to create chances throughout at Bower Fold and looked toothless compared to the Pilgrims’ sharp forward line.
Dayle Southwell scored a hat-trick to take his tally for the season to 24 and finish as the league’s top scorer.
He opened United’s account before assisting Jay Rollins. Grant Roberts scored a 35-yard screamer in the second half to kill the game, before Southwell nabbed two more in the final 10 minutes.
The Pilgrims dominated from the start and it took only 13 minutes for Southwell to capitalise on a wayward header from Celtic’s skipper Matty Hughes and, despite an unkind angle, finish well past keeper Tony McMillan.
Forward Lewis Hilliard had an almost certain goal impressively cleared off the line by Peter Wylie, but five minutes before the break Southwell played Rollins in, who sent the keeper the wrong way to give Boston a 2-0 half-time lead.
Stalybridge came out showing a bit of fight but forwards Amour Lingouba and Darius Osei always looked isolated and the service they received was poor.
Celtic showed little chance of coming back into the game, and a third goal for United in the 70th minute killed the game.
A corner was cleared out to Roberts, who, 35 yards out, stunned everyone in the ground by unleashing a shot that screamed into the top left.
Substitute Ben McKenna, on for Dale Wright, started to give Celtic an option going forward. His snap shot forced Fabian Speiss’ only save of the game.
Southwell showed why he has been one of the league’s most clinical strikers, showing good instinct to score from a corner in a cluttered box.
Sub Joe Burgess then made the most of a cleared corner to pierce the box with a low cross which Southwell gathered, turned and finished to complete his hat-trick in injury time.
The scoreline marked revenge for United, who lost to the Celts 3-0 at York Street in February.
Stalybridge finish the season at a respectable 12th in the table, above FC United of Manchester on goal difference.
Boston finish fifth, a point above Nuneaton Town, who also won today, to give them a chance at the play-offs – where they will face North Ferriby United – and promotion into the National League for the second successive season.
Teams:
Stalybridge Celtic: McMillan, Wylie, Wisdom, Hughes, Shaw, Chalmers, Burns, Wright (McKenny ’73), Osei, Lingouba (Crowley ’43), Mudimu (Higgins ’84).
Subs not used: Farrell, Tames.
Booked: Hughes
Boston United: Speiss, Mills (Burgess ’80), McEvoy, Roberts, Brown, Piergianni, Felix (Jones ’76), Garner, Southwell, Hilliard, Rollins (Lavelle-Moore ’76).
Subs not used: Robinson, Johnson.
Referee: Anthony Tankard (South Yorkshire)
Attendance: 945
By Thom Whyte at Bower Fold
@Thom_Whyte
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