Match Preview :- Alfreton Town - Saturday September 25th, 2010 (15:00:00)
On Saturday, Celtic have a home clash with Conference North leaders, Alfreton Town in the FA Cup (kick off 3pm). Alfreton are currently top of the table, nine places and twelve points ahead of Celtic having won eight of their nine matches, and only losing once this season, at home to Boston United. This gives them an unbeaten away record. If the game is draw, there will be a replay at North Street next Tuesday. There will be a live match centre for this game.

Alfreton have had some great away results this season, beating basement clubs Hyde and Redditch 5-1, Blyth 4-1 and Nuneaton 3-1. At home, they have beaten Hinckley (1-0), Gainsborough (2-1), Stafford and Vauxhall (both 2-0). Their last match saw them suffer their first defeat of the season, with a seventy minute goal from Sleath of Boston enough to take the tie, and put Boston within two points of Alfreton. This put an end to their eight game winning streak, currently the longest in the league and their best start to a league campaign.

In the last fourteen meetings between Celtic and Alfreton, it is very close, with Celtic just shading it. In the first season of the Conference North, Alfreton won home and away, after this, they could not beat Celtic, with one away draw, three home wins and two away wins for Celtic over that period. Alfreton?s last win over Celtic was their last visit to Bower Fold in March 2010, when they won 1-0, this was after Celtic had beaten them 5-2 in Alfreton. The season before saw Alfreton win both the home and away games.

With the top attack in the league scoring 2.7 goals per game, and the third best defence (just behind Telford and Boston) at 0.7 goals per game, it?s no surprise that Alfreton are seen as favourites going into the FA Cup tie. Thanks to their free scoring antics away from home, Alfreton?s away average goals is 4.2 per game, whilst they concede a goal per game away from home. With only five goals conceded all campaign, they have no weak spots, whilst the last twenty minutes is their most dangerous with eleven of their twenty-four goals being scored in this period. Their top goal scorers this season is a three way tie, with Jake Moult, Paul Clayton and Liam Hearn all on four, and Anthony Wilson and Nathan Arnold on three apiece, indicating that their goals are coming from all over, making them difficult to stop.

Jake Moult looks set to return to the Alfreton starting line up on Saturday having missed three weeks with a shin injury, whilst other long term injury Anthony Howell returned as a substitute in their 1-0 defeat at Boston. Alfreton have no suspensions and lined up in their last game against Boston as:
1. Paddy Gamble
2. Josh Law
3. Chris Shaw
4. Aden Flint
5. Darren Stride
6. Matt Wilson
7. Nathan Arnold
8. Anton Brown
9. Paul Clayton
10. Anthony Wilson
11. Connor Franklin

Celtic likewise have no injuries, and in our last match, the 3-1 away defeat at Solihull, Celtic lined up as:
1. Jan Budtz
2. Glen Rule
3. Andy McWilliams
4. Tim Ryan
5. Kristian Platt
6. Jack Rea
7. Conner Jennings
8. Greg Wilkinson
9. Phil Marsh
10. Lloyd Ellams
11. Lee Elam

Apart from playing Alfreton at home, this was probably the toughest draw Celtic could have had in their first game of the FA Cup, although there is an argument that with Alfreton?s away record, this is tougher. With the relative recent results and score lines from the two teams, coupled with the league difference, the Automated Prediction Algorithm is suggesting a 4-1 win for Alfreton.
Match Sponsor
Pavillion Group
Ball Sponsor
Minstrel Recruitment
Man of the Match Sponsor
Moss and Williamson
Programme Sponsor
Minstrel Recruitment