Match Preview :- Gainsborough Trinity - Saturday September 20th, 2014 (15:00:00)

On Saturday, Celtic face the first of two trips east, starting with Gainsborough Trinity for the Conference North Clash (kick off 3pm). Gainsborough are currently level on points with Celtic in fourteenth with eleven points, one place behind on goal difference only. There will be a match centre for this game.

It's been an up and down start to Gainsborough's campaign this season, with three wins, four losses and two draws. Their lasty win was at home against Bradford Park Avenue, whom they beat 1-0, with their other two wins being a good 3-1 away win over Guiseley and an opening day 1-0 win over Hednesford. Their last home match was a 1-1 draw with Tamworth, whilst their last match was a 2-0 away defeat at Oxford City. All their losses this season have come away from home, and they are unbeaten at home, with two wins and two draws.

Trinity are sharing the goals this season, with four players on two goals each, and they score equally between the two halves, with five goals in each half. Conceding is mainly in the second half, with ten of their conceded fourteen goals coming in this period.

Last season, Gainsborough finished fourteenth, on forty-five points, six points and three places above Celtic, and were one of the few teams Celtic took six points off, beating them home and away, 3-2 at Bower Fold, and 2-0 in Gainsborough. This means Celtic are now unbeaten by Gainsborough in four, having had an away win and a home draw against them in the 12/13 season. In the last twenty or so visits, Celtic have done pretty well at the Northolme, with seven wins, nine draws and five losses. Trinity's last win over Celtic on their own turf was in December 2011, when they won 3-1 after being beaten 4-0 at Bower Fold earlier in the season, ending a run of five straight wins for Celtic over them.

Neither Oxford nor Gainsborough have listed reports for Gainsborough's last match, the 2-0 win by Oxford, but In Trinity's last home match, the 1-1 draw with Tamworth, Trinity lined up as:
1. Jan Budtz
2. Dominic Roma
3. Josh Lacey
4. Charlie Binns
5. Adam Quinn
6. Jake Pickton
7. Simon Russell
8. Ciaran Toner
9. Paul Beesley
10. Curtis Bateson
11. Conor Higginson

Matty Mainwaring sat out Celtic's last match, the 3-1 home win over Tamworth, with a slight injury. In that match Celtic lined up as:
1. Lewis King
2. Kelvin Bleau
3. Nathan Heath
4. Matty Hughes
5. Matt Regan
6. Wade Joyce
7. James Cadman
8. Sam Staunton-Turner
9. Ben McKenna
10. Charlie Ennis
11. Liam Dickinson

Celtic are still only three points clear of the bottom three, but should steer clear even with a loss on Saturday, however a win could propel us into the top third. Other matches on Saturday:
AFC Fylde (19pts 1st) v Worcester City (13pts 11th)
Boston United (14pts 8th) v Gloucester City (8pts 19th)
Bradford Park Avenue (10pts 17th) v Brackley Town (7pts 21st)
Chorley (17pts 4th) v Hednesford Town (12pts 13th)
Guiseley (15pts 6th) v Oxford City (18pts 3rd)
Hyde (2pts 22nd) v Lowestoft Town (13pts 10th)
Leamington FC (13pts 9th) v Harrogate Town (9pts 18th)
North Ferriby United (14pts 7th) v Barrow (19pts 2nd)
Solihull Moors (10pts 16th) v Stockport County (16pts 5th)
Tamworth (8pts 20th) v Colwyn Bay (12pts 12th)

Directions
Distance: 67
Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes

Head up Mottram Road towards Mottram.
Join Mottram Road towards Hollingworth.
At the traffic lights with the A57 Woolly Lane towards Glossop, continue straight ahead towards Hollingworth and Tintwistle.
After the lights the road becomes the A628.
Stay on the A628 and it will become the Woodhead pass.
After about 14 miles, you will reach the Flouch roundabout.
Turn right (exit 3 of 4) to join the A616 (signposted M1).
After 9 miles you will reach another roundabout, go straight across (exit 3 of 5) to stay on the A616.
After 1 1/2 miles you will reach the M1.
Join the M1 going southbound towards London.
Stay on the M1 for 10 miles to junction 32 (M18, The North, Doncaster, Hull).
Join the M18 towards the North, and leave at Junction 1 (A631, Rotherham).
At the roundabout at the end of the slip road, turn right towards Bawtry onto the A631.
Stay on the A631 following signs for Bawtry.
There are a couple of doglegs, t-junctions and roundabouts, but just keep on the A631 for about 22 miles until you reach the set of traffic lights after the oil depot with a dual carriageway ahead and a railway bridge going over the top.
Turn left here onto the A159 (Trinity Street), signposted for Gainsborough.
You will pass a large Tesco on the right, about half a mile further, there is a Total Petrol Station on the left hand side of the road - the ground is on the opposite side.
Parking is street based and limited.