Top Mayo side battle past 10-man St. Bernard's to progress

CASTLEBAR CELTIC began their Connacht Cup title defence with a 2–1 win over Galway side St. Bernard’s at Celtic Park on Sunday.

The visitors struck first on 26 minutes when Matthew Finn fired home from close range after Celtic failed to clear a corner.

But the champions hit back before the break through Fionn Mahon, who unleashed a spectacular 40-yard strike into the top corner to level the game.

Celtic dominated after the restart and were awarded a penalty when Mahon’s shot was handled in the box.

Jordan Loftus struck the crossbar from the spot and saw his rebound effort ruled out.

St. Bernard’s were reduced to ten men when Patrick Mullins received a second yellow card, inviting further Celtic pressure.

The winner came ten minutes from time when substitute Oran Murphy latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the area and rifled low past Wynne to seal victory.

Celtic’s substitutes made a strong impact, with Davitt Neary also going close late on as the Mayo men saw out the result.

The win keeps the reigning champions firmly on track for another deep run in the provincial competition as Stevie Gavin's men aim to clinch a historic hat-trick of Connaught Cup titles.