Published: Wednesday, 4th March, 2009 12:00pm

Warriors pip Imperial in thrilling tie

Celtic Warriors 3

Imperial 2

Celtic Warriors recorded their first win of the Premier League when they defeated Imperial with an impressive display in Stradone on Monday last.

This defeat all but ends Imperial"s titles hopes with the runners up spot now up for grabs while Celtic Warriors battling displays gives them a slight outside chance of sneaking the title from under the noses of Dempsey"s.

Imperial dominated the opening exchanges with Warriors goalkeeper, Joe McDermott, saving well from Shane Rehill and Martin McGovern but it wasn"t long before in from striker, Rehill, grabbed his first goal when he crashed a beautifully weighted pass from Paul Donohoe to the net.

Matters were level two minutes later however when the tenacious Michael Lynch intercepted Sean McManus to shoot low to Brendan Maguire"s net.

McDermott pulled off another fine save from Rehill but was hapless in Imperial"s next attack where Martin McGovern found himself unmarked and the Denn marksman showed his coolness in abundance, slotting home to regain his side the lead.

But three minutes later, Martin O Hanlon collected a John Heffernan pass and saw his effort somehow trickle past Maguire to level matters at 2-2.

There was an air of controversy about Celtic Warriors third goal where Brian Mitchell controlled Tony Brady"s pass with the aid of his hand to turn and blast past Maguire, much to the dismay of the Imperial defence.

With the finishing post now in sight, the Warriors packed their defence and withstood a late barrage of shots from the Imperial attack with Rehill, Sean McManus and Greg Meehan all going close.

O"Hanlon nearly added a fourth in the dying minutes but in the end, his team deservedly hung on for the three points.

Celtic Warriors: Joe McDermott, Tony Brady, Ryan Smith, Brian Mitchell, John Heffernan, Michael Lynch, Martin O Hanlon.

Imperial: Brendan Maguire, Sean McManus, Greg Meehan, Paul Donohoe, Shane Rehill, Martin McGovern.