Celtic's first game in the Skrill Conference North is on Saturday at home to freshly promoted Hednesford Town (kick off 3pm). Hednesford came up through the play-offs by beating AFC Fylde and FC United of Manchester, capping off a great season for the midland outfit.
Hednesford finished last season unbeaten in eleven league games, and went on a ten game (in all competitions) winning streak, taking in the play-offs and both Birmingham and Staffordshire senior cups, beating Sutton Coldfield and Rushall Olympic in those cups. Hednesford also had a formidable attack, with top scorer Elliott Durrell netting thirty-five times. His closest rival had been Neil Harvey, who still managed to score twenty-one goals! Just to make it even more impressive, Hednesford had the best away defence record in the league, keeping seven clean sheets on the road, and conceding just twenty-two times.
It is traditional for freshly promoted teams to have a cracking start in their first season, as Chester showed last season, beating us 6-2 at home when we met, and the season before Colwyn Bay beat us 2-0 when we first met them in Colwyn, and then 4-0 at Bower Fold later in the season. To make it even harder for Celtic's opening game, Hednesford have the slight edge in historic meetings too. Although Celtic won their last match 3-0 at home to Hednesford back in April 2006, after holding them to a 1-1 draw in Hednesford back in August, Hednesford have twice won at Bower Fold, and twice at Keys Park. Hednesford's last win at Bower Fold was back in August 1996, while their last win over us was in August 1997, both while Celtic were in the Conference Premier.
Celtic for their part finished last season on a ten game unbeaten run, beating play-off champions Halifax Town in the final match of the season, and even managing to hold perennial thorns, Guiseley, to a 1-1 draw.
Celtic will be starting the opening game without Joel Bembo-Leta, who is carrying over a suspension from last season, and also without Callum Warburton, who will also miss the next two matches away to Colwyn Bay and Gainsborough.
Table |
P | Pts | |
1 | Hednesford Town | 1 | 3 |
---|---|---|---|
2 | Boston United | 1 | 3 |
3 | Solihull Moors | 1 | 3 |
4 | North Ferriby United | 1 | 3 |
5 | Histon | 1 | 3 |
Sat 17 Aug 2013 | Stalybridge Celtic | 4-0 |
Goal Scorers | H | A | 1st | 2nd | Total | |
1 | Durrell, Elliott | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
2 | Francis, Francino | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Home win | Never won at home | ||
Away win | Never won away | ||
Home defeat | Never lost at home | ||
Away defeat | Never lost away | ||
Home score | Never played home | ||
Away score | Never played away |
Games Since... | Overall | Home | Away |
Last Scored | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Last Conceded | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Last Won | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Last Drew | n/a | n/a | n/a |