Irish international Noe Baba ruled supreme as Castlebar Celtic cruised into the final of the Connaught Under 14 Cup at the expense of Westport United at Milebush Park on Saturday.
Fresh from the Republic of Ireland's victory over Belgium in midweek, the Cameroon-born ace brought the United defence to its knees with his predatory skills.
Despite being consistently selected in central defence by his country, Baba in invariably deployed as a midfielder or striker by his club.
He started against United in attack and scored twice in the opening 22 minutes to put Celtic firmly in command of the encounter.

His opening goal was a hallmark of his killer instincts. He dragged the central defenders out of position with a controlled run along the 18-yard line before turning the ball onto his right boot and unleashing an accurate finish into the roof of goalkeeper Tom McHale's net.
His second goal resulted from a mistake by McHale who allowed the ball slip from his grasp and Baba reacted instantaneously to stab it into an empty net from an acute angle.
It was somewhat unjust on McHale who had kept his side in contention with some excellent handling and shot-stopping.
United were under immense pressure throughout the opening half and were fortunate not to have been further behind at the interval.

But credit was due to their defenders for displaying commitment and determination in the face of intense pressure.
McHale prevented Baba from completing his hat trick early in the second half with a save of the highest quality.

Authority
United enjoyed a good 15-minute spell during which central midfielder Kevin Gannon displayed his authority.
They went close to reducing the margin in the 52nd minute when Gannon picked out substitute Adam Mulchrone with a brilliant penetrating pass, but Adam Chambers was swift off his line to deny him.

The introduction of Sam Hastings helped Celtic to consistently exploit space down the left flank throughout the second half.
However, the Castlebar attack disappointingly failed to take advantage of the probing crosses he played into the United penalty area.
A corner kick by Hastings led to Celtic's third goal before the end. He picked out Matthew Ruane who headed the ball with precision past McHale from four yards.
While it was far from a vintage performance by Celtic, it extended the side's winning run to 23 games, a run that started last April.

The minds of the players were clearly on the forthcoming Schoolboys FAI Under 14 Cup quarterfinal clash against Cherry Orchard.
Celtic's most impressive players on this occasion were Sean Conlon, Matthew Ruane, Philip Ruddy and Sam Hastings.
Best for Westport were McHale, Dan Lavelle, Niall Feehan, Gannon and Mulchrone.
Celtic will face Salthill Devon, Manulla or Ballaghaderreen in the final on the May bank holiday weekend.

 Castlebar Celtic  3
 Westport United 0

 Castlebar Celtic: A. Chambers, R. Collins, M. Howley, S. Conlon, M. Ruane, S. McDermott, P. Ruddy, G. Walsh, N. Baba, M. Sweeney, J. Hunt.

Subs used: C. Lisibach, S. Hastings, D. Ralph and D. Murray.
Westport United: T. McHale, J. Ring, M. McDonagh, D. Lavelle, N. Feehan, B. Spring, K. Gannon, P. Moran, D. McGreal, J. Brennan, R. Nugent.
Sub used: A. Mulchrone.
Ref: M. Halligan (Castlebar).